by Roger Klein
It was June 26, 1959, when a crowd of 20,000 gathered at the St. Lambert Lock in Montreal to see the royal yacht Britannia sail through a decorated gate and officially open the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip attended the ceremonies with U.S. President Dwight D.
Eisenhower and Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. In her address, the Queen called the seaway project “one of the outstanding engineering accomplishments of modern times. We can say in truth that this occasion deserves a place in history.”
Indeed, the occasion was historic, because for the first time ever, oceangoing vessels could travel from the Atlantic Ocean to ports on Lake Superior in the heart of the continent.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip seized the opportunity to tour four of the Great Lakes aboard Britannia as part of their royal tour of Canada. The royal yacht made stops in Kingston and Toronto before passing through the Welland Canal on July 1st en route to Chicago. Britannia and her royal passengers cruised under the Mackinac Bridge on the 5th before arriving in the windy city to much fanfare on the 6th of July.
After 14 hours of parades, parties and speeches in Chicago, Britannia set sail for Sault Ste. Marie. The royals were greeted there by a flotilla of nearly 60 other boats—including the RCMP, the U.S. Coast Guard, warships, freighters and sightseeing boats. The royal couple landed at Clergue Park, then toured Algoma Steel and the canal where the Soo Locks connect Lake Huron to Lake Superior.
Again it was a short stay. The royal couple returned to Britannia and sailed across Georgian Bay to Parry Sound, where they landed to greet the community before sailing on to Midland on July 8th. From Midland the royal tour continued by train.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip spent a total 45 days touring Canada in 1959. One day was “On The Bay.”
TOP: From Midland the royal tour continued by train. ABOVE: During its 44 years of service, the royal yacht Britannia sailed the equivalent of once around the world for each year, calling at over 600 ports in 135 countries, including the U.S., Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
