St-Lawrence 2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Brigantine St. Lawrence II |
|
| Career (Canada) | Canada |
|---|---|
| Name: | St. Lawrence II |
| Builder: | Kingston Shipyard |
| Launched: | 1953 |
| In service: | 1953 |
| Status: | In service |
| Notes: | Designed in 1952 by Francis MacLachlan and Mike Eames. |
| General characteristics | |
| Length: |
72 ft (22 m) (length overall) |
| Beam: | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
| Draught: | 8.5 ft (2.6 m) |
| Propulsion: | 125 horsepower diesel engine |
| Sail plan: | 2,500 square feet, 11 sails in a brigantine rig |
| Complement: | Accommodation for 25 officers and trainees in three cabins. |
| Notes: | GPS, VHF radio |
The St-Lawrence 2 is a 72 foot brigantine designed for youth sail training. It was designed in 1952 by Francis MacLachlan and Mike Eames. They designed it for the sole purpose of youth sail training. The hull was built in 1953 in the Kingston, Ontario shipyards. The rest of the ship was finished by local craftsmen. When the St-Lawrence 2 first started out she was attached to the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Corps, but after a little her program was opened to anyone of the ages 13-18 so they could sign on for a training cruise during the summer.
The St-Lawrence 2's home port is Kingston, Ontario. The St-Lawrence 2 stays mostly in the Great Lakes and the St-Lawrence river, but sometimes it will venture as far as New York City. On the ship there are three watches, Red, White and Blue. Each watch is under the direction of a Watch officer. Then there are 2 or 3 petty officers and up to 6 trainees. Those who sign on to the St-Lawrence 2 for a cruise during the summer become trainees who are the basic unit of the ship and do most of the tasks, directed by petty officers.
On each watch the watch officer is the senior officer and is usually at at the helm or plotting a course so its up to the petty officers to get the trainees to do their part. Other positions on the ship are the cook, the boatswain, the Executive officer or first mate and the captain.
The captain is the only one on the ship who is over 18 and he or she is the most qualified. The watch officers, cook, bosun and petty officers are all under 18 but they have participated in multiple training cruises and have gone during the winter to do further training.
