The begining of winter navigation above Quebec city
For over fifty years now, the St-Lawrence river has been witness to the efforts put forward to maintain year-round navigation from Quebec to Montreal, despite the harshness of Canadian winters. A look on the first steps of winter navigation on the St-Lawrence river.
1928 is remembered as the early benginings of winter navigation on the St-Lawrence on the Quebec Noth Shore region. A small vessel of a few hundred tons from the then renowned Clarke Steamship Co. was serving the Norh shore region from the home port of Pointe-au-Pic. An increase in demand brought in a second ship on this route in 1956-1957 (Lasserre, 1980).
A year later, during the 1957-1958 winter season, Quebec city sees the arrival of the vessel D'Vora wich will make trips between Quebec city and the Nothe Shore as far down as Sept-Iles. The following winter, three companies will put in service five ships on this home trade route (Lasserre, 1980); Winter navigation became a reality.
The clock tower - 1938
Photo courtesy of the Port of Montreal archives.
Above Quebec city, a fluke from Mother Nature is behind the early beginings of ice winter navigation; Indeed, in december 1958, the early and sudden freezing of the Lachine and Soulanges canals in the first week of december, locked in thirty-eight ships among wich were twelve ocean going vessels. Notwithstanding damages to locks equipment, delays and skepticism, the relentless work of labourers will contribute to free these ships and allow them to safely reach Montreal.
The 1958-1959 winter blocade of the St-Lawrence brouhght in the realization that river navigation to Montreal was possible even amidst the strongest of winters. Even after the remakable passage of the first ship, the Poseidon, wich transited on january 12th and 13th between Montreal and Quebec city , mainly without the help of icebreakers, the necessary deployement of icebreakers D'Iberville, Montcalm, MacLean, Ernest Lapointe and the Labrador also allowed to measure the task on hand and the strenght of the elements faced upon on the St-Lawrence. One of the notable and positive effects of the icebreakers work on the river to allow the vessel's passages, was to free the ice jams and lower the water levels by many feet; Before the intervention of icebrakers, the formation of ice jams on the river had elevated the water level as high as 53 feet! Encouraged by these results, icebreakers will patrol the river during winter season to prevent the formation of ice jams.
The arrival of the cargo ship Helga Dan, at the Port of Quebec in february and the passage of the canadian tanker Maplebranch between Montreal and Quebec on the 20th of march are exploits that shows the will and determination to use the St-Lawrence river to its full potential year round, be it for ocean going vessels and as well for home trade ships.
The Maplebranch will renew this feat on february 18th, 1961 as it transits upbound to From Quebec to Trois-Rivieres where it stops for the night. Reaching Sorel the next day, it becomes the first ship to come up the St-Lawrence in winter between Quebec and Sorel. As mentioned then in the "Nouvelliste", the Trois-Rivieres newspaper, "The Maplebranch is writing a page of history for winter navigation".
Although freed from the canals, the ice fields and jams spread throughout the river, would leave those ships with little or no hope to safely reach the seas. Amongst these imprisoned ships, a convoy of the strongest and most powerful ships that could face the challenges of ice was formed. Thanks to the determination and skill of the pilots, captains and crews, combined efforts from the icebreakers, for the first time, ships travelled between Montreal and Quebec in January; For the Port of Montreal, for the "Pilotes du Saint-Laurent Central, for the Coast Guard and the maritime industry alike, it was the begining of the "cold war" against the ice and the elements of the St-Lawrence between Quebec and Montreal.
In 1962 the federal government decides to give the icebreakers the task of maintaining the navigation channel opened between Quebec and Montreal. This decision will allow to avoid the formation and presence of ice jams on the river, wich in turn caused important floods in Montreal and on the lake Saint-Pierre region.
In 1964, the danish vessel Helga Dan becomes the first ocean going vessel to reach the Port of Montreal in january. From this day forward, the Port of Montreal has become opened for business year round.
The ship Netuno - 1971
Photo courtesy of the Port of Montreal archives
The ship Helga Dan
Photo courtesy of the Port of Montreal archives
With this article, the Corporation des Pilotes du Saint-Laurent Central wishes to bring attention to the work and deternination of the pionneers of winter navigation. These unknowned heroes, now retired pilots and brothers have shown us the way and made us aware of the St-Lawrence's difficult and many challenging faces.
In closing, we wish to invite our internet readers to pass along their comments or any complement of information they may have on hand that may shed more light on this text.