A New Naval Museum for Manitobans

There is a large amount of naval artifacts available for display in Manitoba. Most of this memorabilia will remain in people's homes until proper museum display space opens up.

The Naval Museum of Manitoba proudly opened it's doors in 1980 and was housed in the old "Wren's Mess" at HMCS CHIPPAWA in Winnipeg. These quarters were good at first, but it quickly became apparent that many of the artifacts donated in the following years would not be able to be put on display. There just wasn't enough room. And the collection still continued to grow!

For the last 10 years, the board of directors has dreamed of having museum quarters that would befit such a large and extensive collection. Many visitors to the museum have told the board that they have artifacts at home, but they would keep them there until the museum has room enough to display them.

Why is there so much naval memorabilia in Manitoba?

People appear to be amazed at the rich Naval tradition held in Manitoba. Some 20,000 Manitobans joined through the Winnipeg Division dating back to 1923 (75 years) and between 8,000 to 9,000 joined during World War II. Wartime recruiting in Winnipeg was the largest in Canada, outside the east and west coasts.

Also, people have a tendency to relate to Manitoba as being so far inland. Manitoba has its own seaport in Churchill. The first modern warship to visit the port of Churchill was HMS SCARBOROUGH (British destroyer).

A Proposed New Museum

The good news is that there are plans to rebuild the Winnipeg Naval Division HMCS CHIPPAWA on its present location at 51 Navy Way. The proposed project is slated for 3,700 square metres, 2 stories high, the outside being masonry and special glass. The proposed completion date of the project is October 1999. This project was officially announced in Winnipeg on 21 July 1998.

The project also includes a Naval Museum. But the proposal only calls for a smaller space than we require. This is all that DND is able to contribute to our cause. If we want more space to be built, we have to fundraise on our own. And we have proposed to get more space. This is our chance to get a state of the art facility, in the downtown core of Winnipeg!

The Naval Museum is fundraising so we may have some 2,000 square metres at a cost of $1,200.00 per square metre. We are proposing the type of museum that all Manitoban's will be proud of. Part of the proposal is to have the museum laid out by museum professionals. Displays and exhibits will be professional and interesting. The type of Museum that will reflect the history of a proud and professional navy, for all the public to discover.

Currently we have moved out of our present quarters at 51 Navy Way to make room for the construction. Our collection is in proper storage, and the Board of Director's are busy raising funds for the next step, the finalization of the construction plans.

A Huge Chance for Naval Heritage

This is a huge chance for Naval Heritage in Manitoba and in Canada. The proposed location is in downtown Winnipeg, very close to a burgeoning tourist area of the city (the Forks). The History of Canada's Navy has the potential to reach thousands every year, perhaps millions over time.

Of course, we still require donations to make this happen. We are an official accredited Department of National Defence Museum, but they only support us to a certain point. Donations make up a large part of our operating budget. Our charitable donation number is 0795815-50.

A Donor Recognition Wall

We will be listing all donors of $100.00 or more showing city, or town, etc. on a Donor's Recognition Wall in our new Naval Museum. We presently have received donations from coast to coast, USA, UK and Belgium. Cheques made payable to Naval Museum, 1 Navy Way, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3C 4J7, tax receipts will be issued.

Help us preserve our immortality.

The Board of Director's
The Naval Museum of Manitoba

 

New Museum Update Sep 2002

The new CHIPPAWA building was completed - 21 Sep 99. The museum space is located on the main floor at the right-hand-side front of the building.

Construction of the New Museum space is stalled. As of 4 Oct 99 the museum has been given 200 square feet of space available in the new Naval Reserve Division CHIPPAWA. Now all we have to do is get some more funding to complete our planned displays. Without more funding our proposed plan may be on hold indefinitely.

In the past two years, some funding has been allocated and two phases of the new museum have been constructed. The Museum is currently in the process of setting up the 20mm Bofors display that is pictured below. Funding for the centerpiece of the new museum, the ship's hull pictured below, is still required.

©1996-2004 - The Naval Museum of Manitoba - 1 Navy Way - Winnipeg Manitoba - R3C 4J7