HMCS VENTURE / Harbour Craft 90
Sail training Vessel
Accommodation Vessel / Harbour Craft
The only sailing vessel among the thirteen ships serving in the RCN on the eve of the Second World War, this three-masted schooner was designed by W. J. Roue at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Mr. Roue was the one who designed the famous fishing vessel BLUENOSE. She was 143 feet overall in length and was built at Meteghan River, Nova Scotia. She was rigged as a tern schooner with three masts. Painted with a royal blue hull, gold stripe, varnished spars and a white boot topping, she commissioned on 25 Oct 1937 as a training ship.
With war imminent, VENTURE was paid off on 01 Sep 1939 to become an accommodation vessel at Halifax for ratings on the staff of the Rear Admiral, 3rd Battleship Squadron, RN. In Nov 1941, she was commissioned as guard ship at Tuft’s Cove, at the entrance to Bedford Basin. She gave up her name on 13 May 1943 to the former yacht Seaborn and thereafter was known as Harbour Craft 190. She served as Harbour Hopper 190 until she was sold to a Halifax firm on 10 Dec 1945. Upon being sold she was renamed to Alfred & Emily and served as a sealing vessel and a coal carrier, which she served as until she was lost in an explosion/fire off of Bellburns, Newfoundland on 03 Oct 1951.
Commanding Officers
Cdr Godfrey Musgrave Hibbard - 08 Jun 1938 - 19 Sep 1939
Lt John Campbell McCarty, RCNR - 13 May 1943 - unk
Skpr/Lt Dexter Elisha Freeman, RCNR - 01 Jul 1945 - unk
In memory of those who have crossed the bar They shall not be forgotten
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Former Crew Members
Anderson, Charles, AB, Torpedoman, RCNVR
Bragg, Percival Dean, Lt, RCNVR - 29 Jun 1945
Smith, Alexander, Skpr/Lt, RCNR - 29 Mar 1943 / 13 May 1943
Photos and Documents
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