D'IBERVILLE

This scale model of the D’IBERVILLE icebreaker was crafted by Philippe Desmeules of Sorel. It represents the ship built at the Chantier Davie shipyard in Lauzon (Lévis), in 1953. The ship is the first modern icebreaker built by Canada. It was fitted with a fully-equipped sickbay, an X-ray station and a dental care room. The ship also has a hangar for two helicopters. The hull of the vessel has a very heeled shape.

The D’IBERVILLE icebreaker was used on the St. Lawrence River during the second half of the 20th century. From the time it was launched in 1953 to the launch of the JOHN A. MACDONALD in 1960, the ship was considered as the largest icebreaker built in North America.

The same year the D’IBERVILLE was launched, Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Several war ships of the Royal Canadian Navy and the D’IBERVILLE set sail for the United Kingdom for naval review, a ceremony that the Sovereign performed during festivities for her coronation. Then, in 1959, the D’IBERVILLE became the first ship to sail the newly completed Saint Lawrence Seaway at the head of an international contingent of ships.