The One On The Dime

Here are some images of Billings models Canada'a Bluenose. From Wiki "Bluenose was a Canadian fishing and racing schooner from Nova Scotia built in 1921. She was later commemorated by a replica Bluenose II built in 1963. A celebrated racing ship and hard-working fishing vessel, Bluenose became a provincial icon for Nova Scotia as well as important Canadian symbol in the 1930s. The name "bluenose" originated as a nick-name for Nova Scotians from as early as the late eighteenth century". In my opinion Canadians have a tendency to be a bit to pragmatic. Pragmatic to the point of even rejecting their own history. The Bluenose is just such a case in point. Here you have a ship that attained all this fame and glory and Canadians couldn't have cared less about having her maintained despite many repeated pleas about donating to help maintain its upkeep. Even after its iconic image was placed on our dime the result was the same. No sense of history I guess. Anyway the ship was eventually sold to a West Indies trading company in 1942 which stuck an engine and a smoke stack into her and converted her into a salvage boat. She eventually sank off the coast of Haiti after striking a reef in January of 1946. A sad end to a part of Canada's heritage.