History lover puzzled by federal plans to remove 85-year-old shipwreck

Government plans to remove a strange structure jutting out of a beach in Three Fathom Harbour, N.S., have inspired a local history hunt that may show the sandy ruin is the final remains of one of Halifax's hardest-working ferries. 

Calum Ewing lives in the area and before he retired in April, he worked for the Nova Scotia Museum. More than 30 years ago, he inventoried the province's 10,000 known shipwrecks. 

"Virtually every piece of the coast of Nova Scotia has had a ship run into it at some point," he told CBC Radio's Mainstreet. "It really is a reflection of the importance of shipping in the history of Nova Scotia."

Ewing said a quick look at the mysterious object on the province's eastern shore does not suggest it holds a particularly grand role in that history. Rather, it looks like the remains of an old wharf.

But inspect the heavy timbers closely and beachcombers will find they are curved — evidence it's not a lost wharf, but a hull.

"The wood is really remarkable. It's massive and all held together with wooden nails," said Ewing, noting that design shows the ship was likely built in the 1800s. 

Listen to Calum Ewing's interview with CBC Radio's Alex Mason:

Iron straps offer a clue

"One of the unusual things about this wreck is if you look closely at the wreckage that's there, in addition to the normal large timbers, hull planking and the ceiling, there are a number of large iron straps on the insides of the frame," he said.

Those straps are unusual, and suggest the ship needed extra strength on its sides — something a side-wheel steamer would require. 

When he checked that information against his atlas of naval destruction, he zeroed in on a potential match: Old Veteran, an unpowered vessel launched in 1888; but back then, it was called Dartmouth.

"In fact, Dartmouth was the longest-serving ferry in the history of the ferry service," he said. 

Halifax famously has one of the longest-operating saltwater ferry systems around, and Dartmouth was its backbone for nearly five decades. It was a paddlewheel boat, but with wheels on either side. 

From 1888 to 1935, the ferry paddled its way to Halifax, then reversed the paddlewheels and paddled back across the harbour to the city of Dartmouth. By 1935, the ferry was in rough shape.

"Especially after nearly 50 years of pounding back and forth across the harbour," said Ewing.

The Dartmouth Ferry Commission sold it to A. Pettipas, a Dartmouth firm, and they stripped it in December 1935. Many of the old passenger benches were repurposed as park benches around Dartmouth. The hull was sold though, and renamed Old Veteran and used as a sand barge 30 kilometres down the eastern shore of Nova Scotia.

Ewing said Old Veteran was likely in the Three Fathom Harbour area gathering sand for construction companies to use. He speculates that bad weather, or a slipped mooring, or possibly a very heavy load led to the vessel being stranded on the beach 85 years ago on Oct. 26, 1937.

Ewing said his evidence is circumstantial. Nothing like a name board would survive that long and there are other big wrecks in the area. But no others quite match the beach wreck.

"It's unclear why they have chosen to look at removing this wreck. It's fully in the intertidal zone on the beach. It's not in any navigable waters," he said. "It's hard to see what the possible hazard is. Someone climbing over it might slip and fall, but the highest part of it is less than half a metre above the sand."

He said locals often visit it, and kids especially love scrambling over it. He also worries the effort to remove it could damage the area. 

"There's a lot of concern from local residents. They don't want to see that piece of our heritage removed. It's a well-known local landmark," he said.

Transport Canada reconsidering removal

The notice placed in local newspapers on Oct. 13 describes it merely as "an unknown wooden vessel" that is "currently considered to be wrecked and abandoned." It says Transport Canada plans to remove it under the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vehicles Act by Nov. 13.

But Sau Sau Liu, a spokesperson for Transport Canada, said the department is now reconsidering the removal. 

"Although the keel and ribs of the vessel located near the beach at Three Fathom Harbour, N.S., could pose a minor safety hazard to the public, based on feedback received, Transport Canada has decided to consult with the community before a decision is made to remove this wreck," Liu said.

Ewing said it's a natural museum, showing the curious how big ships were built without metal nails or screws. 

"It's one of the few shipwrecks that people who are not scuba divers can get right up and close to," he said. "It's a great piece of our heritage to explore."