A 106-year-old vessel moored in the Halifax Harbour is ready to receive visitors once again, the Nova Scotia government announced on Wednesday.
The Canadian Scientific Ship Acadia or CSS Acadia will open to the public on Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m., to 4 p.m., with the province billing it as an opportunity to see the progress of the restoration to the only vessel to have survived The Halifax Explosion
“The CSS Acadia is an important piece of our Nova Scotia Museum collection both for its historical significance and as a waterfront attraction,” said Leo Glavine, Minister of Communities, Culture and Heritage in a press release.
“The public access will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about our maritime history.”
CSS Acadia, known as Halifax’s Grand Old Lady, has been a central attraction at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax for years.
In December, the government announced plans to repair CSS Acadia, with the decision coming after Global News reported that the vessel had not been drydocked since 2010 and left to suffer from the destructive forces of salt water and time.
WATCH: The slow destruction of the CSS Acadia in Halifax Harbour
Now the vessel — thought to be the only Canadian ship still afloat to have served in the First World War and Second World War — will open for the first time this season.
In December, the province said they will repair the deck and sub-deck of the vessel while drydocking the vessel to repair the hull, electrical systems and ballast tank.
Much of that work still needs to be completed.
A cost estimate on the repairs has not been released publicly, but documents obtained under a Freedom of Information request revealed that long-term upgrades documented in 2013 such as asbestos abatement and determining the integrity of the propeller and shaft are estimated to cost approximately $1.4 million.
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