Nineteenth Century Shipbuilding at Quebec National Historic Event
Québec, Quebec
Plaque location
(© Parcs Canada | Parks Canada)
Address :
100 Quai Saint-André, Québec, Quebec
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1957-01-01
Other Name(s):
-
Nineteenth Century Shipbuilding at Quebec
(Designation Name)
Importance:
25 shipyards in Québec built some 50 ships per year in mid 19th-century
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 100 Quai Saint-André, Québec, Quebec
During the Napoleonic Wars, rapidly growing British markets for Canadian timber created a demand for vessels to transport it, stimulating construction at Québec, the major timber port. At the peak of the trade about mid-century (1850) over 25 shipyards at the Port of Québec employed about 5,000 men and launched some 50 ocean-going wooden ships a year. After carrying a cargo of timber to Great Britain, most of these ships were sold to become a significant part of the British merchant navy on all the oceans of the world.