The Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian merchant marine, Nova Scotia small craft and shipwrecks are subjects well represented in the collection, much of which dates from 1850 to the present. The collection includes over 24,000 artifacts, most of which are on display. They can be found in gallery exhibits and in several specialized display areas including:

The William Robertson & Son Ship Chandlery, a restored early 20th century ship chandlery where hundreds of artifacts including navigational equipment, ships' fittings and supplies are displayed.

The recreated sail loft and ship carpenter's shop feature the tools of the sailmaker, rigger, ship carpenter and carver.

Click on the thumbnail to come inside the sail loft in the Days of Sail Gallery.

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Visible Storage allows you to view hundreds of artifacts including sailors' souvenirs, tableware, lanterns, Canadian Naval ships badges, octants, sextants and telescopes.

The Museum's collection of 20,000 photographs, its vessel plans and nautical charts are housed in, and accessible through, the Museum's library.

The Museum has the largest collection of ship portraits in Canada with over 300 ship portraits of ships such as the Barque John A. Harvie

The Museum also has an important small craft collection displayed in The Small Craft Gallery and two Boat Sheds. One of the oldest boats in the collection is the 19th century sloop Marila

Other notable artifacts in the Museum collection include the First Order Lens from Sambro Island Lighthouse and Shoes of the Titanic Unknown Child