Clan Lamont Causes: The Ship Hector
The Ship Hector in Pictou, Nova Scotia, is a replica of the original ship that brought the first permanent Scottish immigrants to Canada in 1773. (The first Scottish settlers who landed in Annapolis Royal in 1629 were forced to return to Scotland three years later, but the descendants of the Ship Hector settlers still live near by.)
In 1991 the Ship Hector Foundation was formed to build and maintain a replica that would tell the story of the ocean voyage and the settling of the land in and around Pictou. The groups initial task was to raise funds and gather the knowledge and expertise required. Their goal was, as close as possible, to use the same materials and tools that had been available to the original builders, though some concessions had to be made (the foundation choose to use galvanized nails instead of iron to give the ship a longer life).
The original ship had been built in Holland. c. 1770. She had three masts, was 85 feet long, 22 feet high, and had a gross tonnage of 200. In early July of 1773, the ship set sail from Scotland with 170 highlanders consisting of 23 families and 25 single men. They were promised free passage, one years provisions, and a farm.
The 11 week voyage ran into a gale off of Newfoundland that blew the ship far back to the east, causing a 14 day delay. This was compounded by wretched living conditions on the ship. The passengers were crammed into the hull with little ventilation and poor sanitation. They suffered outbreaks of dysentery and smallpox that claimed the lives of 18 children.
Yet, when the ship finally reached Pictou Harbour on the 15th of September, everyone rushed up to the deck to joyously greet their new home and a secreted set of bag pipes was brought out and played (the English had forbidden the playing of the pipes in an attempt to destroy Scottish nationalism). The new immigrants took to clearing the forests and establishing their new homes with a sense of freedom and glee. They became prosperous merchants and farmers and their descendants still inhabit the land.
The Ship Hector Foundation began by building the Ship Hector Company Store, which remains a vital source of funding, and the Hector Heritage Quay where visitors can see the tools and methods used to build the ship as well as trace their genealogy and view a diorama depicting the history of the voyage.
J.B. McGuire Marine Associates Ltd., a world renowned marine architectural firm, was engaged to research the original ship and to draw up blueprints. The foundation choose Scotia Trawlers of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, to construct the ship. Lunenburg is a town with a long history of ship building that included the Blue Nose and the Blue Nose II.
Construction began with the laying of the keel on the 19th of August 1990 on land directly behind the Quay. Visitors were allowed to watch the construction and to even go onboard to inspect the work. On the 17th of September 2000, the Hector replica was launched before a cheering crowd that filled the town. Afterward, her masts were set in place and she was rigged.
In 2003, Hurricane Juan struck Nova Scotia and tore the Hector from her moorings. She was driven against rocks by the wind and there was grave concern that her hull had been damaged. Divers were send down and reported that there was no structural damage. She was returned to her birth where she remains today as a popular tourist attraction.
