| description: | Royal North West Mounted Police (Rnwmp) Patrol Boat "St. Roch" At Beechey Island After Completing A Trip, That Took 30 Months From June 1940 To October 1942 (Spending Two Winters Locked In The Ice), Through North West Passage From West To East. On The Western Trip In 1844 The 7,295 Miles Between Halifax And Vancouver Required 86 Days. The Crew Of 11 Anchored August 20th Off Beechey Island, Erebus Bay Amid Towering Cliffs Of Ice And Snow. Seen On The Left (In The Image) Are Memorials To Belcher And Franklin. The "St. Roch" Left On August 22nd And Not Until Sptember 4th Did The Ship Reach Holman Island, Having Completed For The First Time The Northern Route. In 1950, The "St. Roch" Sailed From Vancouver To Halifax Via The Panama Canal Became The First To Circle The Continent. The Tiny 80 Ton "St. Roch" Was Built In Vancouver In 1928 And Remains There Now In The Marine Museum. Image From A Painting By J.D. Kelly And H.B. Goodridge |