Nova Scotia's Grand Old Lady prepares for Centennial Celebration

The newly restored mast of Nova Scotia's "Grand Old Lady", CSS Acadia, was raised this morning in a mast-stepping ceremony at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

As CSS Acadia prepares to mark 100 years in 2013, the mast stepping marks the end of a significant restoration project to prepare for the celebrations.

Mast stepping is a ceremony to place a silver coin on the foot of the mast, a tradition which is thought to bring good luck to the vessel and all who sail on it.

"I am honoured to help mark the completion of this important restoration project," said Communities, Culture and Heritage Minister Leonard Preyra, who hammered the coin into the mast. "CSS Acadia's 100th anniversary events next year, will provide a wonderful opportunity to highlight the ship's provincial and national heritage significance, including pioneering hydrographic service in Canada's North, service in both World Wars, and the distinction as the only surviving ship from the Halifax Explosion still afloat."

The restoration removed the Douglas fir mast and refinished and stabilized the whole structure by adding new wood, epoxy compounds and marine-grade coatings. The standing rigging was replaced with rust-resistant galvanized rigging, and a wound rope service was applied to replicate Acadia's period look. The work was completed on site by the museum's shipkeeper, Stephen Read, and should last 15 to 20 years.

Acadia was launched in 1913 at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England at the yards of Swan, Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd. It was the first vessel specifically designed and built to survey Canada's northern waters. In its early years, it was responsible for pioneering hydrographic research in Canada's Arctic waters. Near the end of its career, Acadia charted the coast of Newfoundland after the province joined Confederation in 1949, creating new charts and updating some that were nearly a century old.

Acadia is also the only surviving ship to have served the Royal Canadian Navy during both world wars. It received minor damage during the Halifax Explosion in 1917 while a guard ship in Bedford Basin, making it the only vessel still afloat to have survived the Halifax Explosion. Acadia was recommissioned as a warship in 1939, serving as a patrol vessel and later as a training ship until the war's end in 1945.

After 56 years of service, Acadia was retired in 1969. In 1976, it was designated a National Historic Site.

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is part of the Nova Scotia Museum, a network of 27 sites across the province.