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In 2004 the Leonard G. McCann Archives was named in honor of the museum’s Curator Emeritus, Leonard G. McCann. To date, the archival collection includes 40.0 meters of processed records that consists of 33 individual fonds and collections related to vessels, shipping companies and maritime personalities.
Image Library
The image library contains approximately 125,000 images of vessels and maritime events in the form of slides, negatives, prints, and paintings. Copies, reprints, and digital copies can be arranged by contacting the Librarian. However, a portion of the collection is available online at http://collections.ic.gc.ca/NorthernHeritage.
Henry A Larsen Rare Book Room
The Henry A. Larsen Rare Book Room contains an important collection of books on 19th and 20th century Arctic exploration. The collection of 359 books and manuscripts donated by the family of Henry Larsen has been certified as Canadian cultural property with “outstanding significant and national importance”. Many of these books are themselves artifacts of Larsen’s voyages on the R.C.M.P. St. Roch through the Arctic. Click here to view the booklist.
W.B. & M.H. Chung Maritime History Collection
Dr. Wallace B. Chung began collecting Canadian Pacific Railway memorabilia as a six-year-old child growing up in Victoria, B.C. His passion for 19th and early 20th century maritime history would endure throughout his lifetime and culminate in a collection of material donated to the VMM. The collection is comprised of 10.0 meters of textual records, ca. 1,444 photographs, 7400 postcards, and 3,828 books and periodicals. It is a comprehensive collection of maritime history as told through archival records, books, photographs, paintings and artifacts on the exploration of the Pacific Northwest, the history of British Columbia, and the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. We are pleased that this collection has been acknowledged by Heritage Canada as a certified Canadian Cultural Property.
Register of Seaman Shipped
The Register of Seaman Shipped consists of 47 volumes documenting the seamen who shipped out of the Port of Vancouver. The collection dates from 1898 to 1967 and is a unique record of merchant marine history. These large, hand-written volumes include the name of the ship, a list of the crew and their position on the ship, wages earned, and a home address. Popular with genealogists, the Register has also been used by Veteran Affairs in allocating merchant marine wartime service pensions. The records do not include lists of passengers, but some of these can be found at Library and Archives Canada’s immigration records.
Lloyd's Register of Ships
The Library has one of the largest and most complete collections of Lloyd's Register of Ships. The registers are printed in England and are used for insurance purposes and document construction and ownership details. Current holdings are from 1764 to 2006.
Ships Files
The Ships Files Collection contains 33.0 meters of records, organized according to ship or vessel name, with a specific emphasis on vessels that worked in the Pacific Northwest. The files include newspaper clippings, passenger schedules, menus, and assorted research materials.
The Union Steamship Collection
The Union Steamship Company was formed in Vancouver in 1899 and provided cargo and passenger service along the B.C. coast until 1959. This collection consists of material accumulated by the Museum over the past 40 years as well as material donated by Gerald Rushton and Arthur Twigg. Contents of these files include financial reports, maps, schedule notes, special operating circulars, company memos, sailing guides, menus, brochures, research notes, correspondence, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, manuscripts, assorted ephemera, and photographs. Click here to view a detailed finding aid to the collection.
Donald Graham Fonds
Donald Graham worked on BC lighthouses for 20 years, 18 of those at the Point Atkinson lighthouse in West Vancouver. He is author of two authoritative books on lighthouses on this coast. His fonds consist of his research files and photographs compiled during the research and writing of these books. Click here to view a detailed finding aid to the collection.
Norman Hacking Fonds
The Norman Hacking Fonds consist of the personal records (textual and graphic material) of Norman Hacking, maritime historian, journalist and author. Description and Finding Aids by Lisa Beitel. Click here to view a detailed finding aid for the collection.
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