HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH arrival in Halifax

The 65,000 tonne lead ship of the Royal Navy's newest class of aircraft carriers, HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH, arrived in Halifax on Thursday. 

I was extremely privileged to be flown out to the carrier in a Royal Navy Merlin helicopter with other media for a tour of the ship, to interview senior RN personnel, and to ride the ship into the harbour. 

I'm still working on the images, but for a sneak peak you can follow this link.

The flight out in the Royal Navy Merlin helicopter.

RN Commodore Mike Utley and RCN Rear-Admiral Craig Baines stand on the ski-jump of HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH as she entered Halifax Harbour for the first time.

The crew lines the edge of the deck, including the top of the ski-jump, during the ship's arrival.

Commander Air, CDR Philip Harper, scans the horizon from the starboard bridge wing.

ARM Cuauhtémoc

While we were out for the Battle of the Atlantic service on Sunday, we caught the arrival of the Mexican Navy's sail training vessel, ARM Cuauhtémoc. A sister-ship to Gloria, Simon Bolivar, and Guayas, the barque is similar in design to the Blohm & Voss designs such as Gorch Fock, USCGC Eagle, and NRP Sagres (the latter visited about a year ago).

Cuauhtémoc appearing out of the fog.

If you look closely, you can see the sailors manning the yard arms.

Beam to, with the tugs hidden behind.

The lighthouses on Georges and McNabs Islands to the left.

Cuauhtémoc pulled into Pier 24.

Cuauhtémoc was open to the public over several days, and I managed to get onboard on the final day, Wednesday, before her departure. 

As with many similar vessels, Cuauhtémoc was flying a huge ensign from the mizzen mast.

Each stair tread bears the ship's name.

One of the ship's boats.

The rest of the photos can be found here.

Preview of Tall Ships 2017

Timed with Canada's 150th year, the 2017 Tall Ships Regatta has seen increased traffic of large sailing vessels in Halifax. The main festival in Halifax will occur between July 29 and August 1st.

The first of the season to visit was Italy's Amerigo Vespucci, which put in at Pier 20.

Amerigo Vespucci.

Amerigo Vespucci.

Next came Wylde Swan around June 15.

Wylde Swan.

Wylde Swan.

Wylde Swan.

On June 27th, The Chilean Navy's sail training vessel Esmeralda arrived, and initially went to anchor across from HMC Dockyard.

Esmeralda.

Esmeralda.

Esmeralda.

Four-masted Esmeralda in front of the four buildings at King's Wharf.

Rigging on Esmeralda.

Esmeralda at dusk.

Esmeralda at dawn.

Esmeralda with Maasdam to the left and USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER to the right.

Black and white image of Esmeralda silhouetted by the sun.

On Thursday Esmeralda moved to Pier 20, and was open for tours on Friday, at which time I took the kids over for a look.

I look forward to seeing more classic sailing vessels visit Halifax over the next month or so.

L'Hermione in Lunenburg - Part 1

L'Hermione is a replica of a French Navy frigate built in 1780, constructed between 1997 and 2014, and currently at the end of her North American tour. After leaving France three months ago, she sailed to the US and has been visiting ports up the eastern seaboard. Lunenburg (arrived July 18) is the only Canadian stop, and she will be leaving on July 19th to head for St. Pierre et Miquelon. 

Due to the shear number of photos I took of her arrival today, I am breaking this blog post into two parts, Part 1 covering her arrival and Part 2 covering detailed photos of the ship from the wharf.

Bluenose II led the way, followed by L'Hermione, HMCS GOOSE BAY, and CCGS Samuel Risley.

We headed out just before 9:00, and after rounding Battery Point outside Lunenburg Harbour we were greeted with the sight of the four ships already on their way in.

Bluenose II leading the way.

Bluenose II had four sails up, and there was enough wind to fill them and heel her slightly to starboard.

L'Hermione.

With the light winds and unhelpful direction, L'Hermione had her sails partly unfurled for show only, and arrived under power.

L'Hermione with CCGS Samuel Risley in the background.

Lunenburg Harbour isn't terribly big, and with all the private boats moored off the waterfront, space was somewhat limited. CCGS Samuel Risley peeled off early and kept to the Feltzen South side of the bay, while HMCS GOOSE BAY followed L'Hermione in as far as Battery Point before turning around. 

HMCS GOOSE BAY, L'Hermione, and CCGS Samuel Risley.

Lens distortion aside, Bluenose II had her sails hauled in tightly.

Bluenose II continued on past the harbour entrance to allow L'Hermione to enter first, and circled around to follow her in before proceeding to her own wharf.

L'Hermione with the Lunenburg waterfront in the background.

L'Hermione provided a little show of force by firing off cannon on both sides of the ship. Here, I managed to catch a muzzle flash from one of the port cannon. At 11 frames per second, I still managed to miss several of these.

The second of two muzzle flashes that I managed to catch (that were in focus).

Cannon fire complete, L'Hermione is enveloped in smoke.

L'Hermione running along the waterfront.

L'Hermione was greeted by horns from many of the fishing vessels along the waterfront, so much so that the crew was unable to hear commands from the captain and they had to request that the horns be silenced.

L'Hermione pulling up to the Fisheries Museum Wharf.

Unfortunately, L'Hermione was not open to the general public, and I didn't manage to gain access. My next post will therefore feature detailed photos taken from the pier rather than the onboard tour I had been hoping for.

A full gallery of my photos can be found on my Smugmug page.