Site Navigation:
Searchable Databases
Articles Archive
Pacific Nautical Heritage...
- Gallery of Light and Buoy Images
- Gallery of Mariners
- Gallery of Ship Images
- Gallery of Ship Wrecks
- Gallery of Monuments and Statues
- Gallery of Nautical Images
- Gallery of Freshwater Images
- Gallery of New Books
Canadian Naval Topics…
- Nautical History Videos
- UNTD
- British Columbia Heritage
- Arctic and Northern Nautical Heritage
- Western Canada Boat and Ship Builders
- Gallery of Arctic Images
- Reflections on Nautical Heritage
- British Columbia Heritage
Site Search:
Looking for more? Search for Articles on the Nauticapedia Site.
An Album of Images of the RCMP St. Roch
by Kirk Friederich 2016
RCMP Constable John Friederich with sled dog. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
My father, RCMP Constable John Friederich was an officer in the RCMP who served in the Arctic ship RCMP St. Roch as an Assistant Engineer from 1940 to the summer of 1941. RCMP Inspector Henry A. Larsen knew him as "Jimmie". He was born October 30, 1914 in Calgary AB. My father joined the ship in Esquimalt BC where she was undergoing repairs in the naval drydock. He was transferred off the ship at Herschel Island to take an RCMP post at Arctic Red River. He retired in a senior RCMP post as a Staff Sergeant Major. He passed away July 9, 1991 in Vancouver BC. These are some of his photographs from a Friederich family album, most of which have not been seen by the public.
The RCMP St. Roch in the dry dock at HMC Dockyard Esquimalt 1940. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
The RCMP St. Roch later in her life when she became a National Historic Site in Vancouver BC. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
The stern of the RCMP St. Roch while in the drydock in HMC Dockyard Esquimalt. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
Larsen was disappointed when he rejoined his ship in Esquimalt in 1940. The navy did not give priority to the work needed because naval work was taking priority. However the ship was modified to make her better suited for Arctic work. A small auxiliary engine to charge the batteries which operated the electric light was installed.
The old iron sheathing around the stem was removed and replaced and attached with heavy bolts. A new knife–edged bow enabled the ship to cut through ice that previously was an obstacle. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
RCMP St. Roch in drydock. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
After repairs and modifications, awaiting departure. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
Fitting out prior to departure to the Arctic (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
The RCMP St. Roch in British Columbia waters. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
Ship’s wheel (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
Crowsnest detail (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
RCMP Inspector Henry A. Larsen was the ship’s Master (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
RCMP Inspector Henry A. Larsen with wharfside onlookers inspecting the RCMP St. Roch (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
RCMP Constable John Friederich while serving in the crew. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
Taking a trick at the wheel. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
Under sail. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
Heavy seas. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
The RCMP St. Roch in her new rig. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
In the ice. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
In the ice (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
In the ice. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
Visitors to the ship. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
The crew at work. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
Unidentified crew members. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
RCMP Constable John Friederich in 1940. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
Dog sled on ice. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
Voter registration card. (Photo from the Friederich collection. )
To quote from this article please cite:
Friederich, Kirk (2016) An Album of Images of the RCMP St. Roch. Nauticapedia.ca 2016. http://nauticapedia.ca/Gallery/St_Roch_images.php
Site News: April 19, 2024
The vessel database has been updated and is now holding 92,229 vessel histories (with 15,629 images and 13,195 records of ship wrecks and marine disasters). The mariner and naval biography database has also been updated and now contains 58,616 entries (with 4,013 images).
In 2023 the Nauticapedia celebrated the 50th Anniversary of it’s original inception in 1973 (initially it was on 3" x 5" file cards). It has developed, expanded, digitized and enlarged in those ensuing years to what it is now online. If it was printed out it would fill more than 300,000 pages!
My special thanks to our volunteer IT adviser, John Eyre, who (since 2021) has modernized, simplified and improved the update process for the databases into a semi–automated processes. His participation has been vital to keeping the Nauticapedia available to our netizens.
Also my special thanks to my volunteer content accuracy checker, John Spivey of Irvine CA USA, who has proofread thousands of Nauticapedia vessel histories and provided input to improve more than 11,000 entries. His attention to detail has been a huge unexpected bonus in improving and updating the vessel detail content.