I have a fascination for small warships called Fairmiles.

From 1952 to 1972, my family was the owner  of the Duc D’Orleans, ex-Fairmile Q105 of the Royal Canadian Navy that served as a subchaser during World War II.

At the end of the war, the boat was sold to a Quebec river pilot and, in 1948, he converted it to a sightseeing boat at the St-Laurent shipyard on the Island of Orleans.

The boat cruised along the St-Lawrence River (1947-1952) with its twin, Roseline, ex-Fairmile Q096. The Roseline was also converted at the same shipyard in 1947.

In the summertime during the late 1960s, I worked aboard the Duc D’Orleans for 3 years. I started as a deckhand, and then moved on to barman and waiter. All cruises started from the Chouinard Wharf in Quebec City, which was next to the Levis ferry dock and at the foot of the Chateau Frontenac. We had 3 cruises daily. In the morning, the boat departed at 10.00 A.M. for St-Anne de Beaupré (the ”Lourdes of America”); at 4.00 P.M. for a 2-hours cruise to the Quebec Bridge and the Montmorency Falls; and at 8.00 P.M. for a 3-hours moonlight cruise, including a pleasant stop-over at the Chateau Bel-Air on the Island of Orleans.

After all these years, I still have warm memories of this period of my life.

My family sold its interests in the Duc D’Orleans in 1972. The boat continued to cruise on the St-Lawrence River for 6 more years. In 1978, the boat was brought to Sarnia and cruised on the St-Clair River until 2006 when it was replaced by a newer ship, the Duc D’Orleans II.

The owner offered to donate the Duc D’Orleans to a volunteer group known as The Friends of Fairmile Q105. The Friends plan to restore the historic vessel to its original wartime appearance to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Navy in Halifax in 2010.

After the celebrations, she will sail back to Sarnia to be used as a training ship for sea cadets and eventually as a floating museum.

Marc-André Morin                                                                                                                       Québec

November 2009

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