Come visit us
Opening Times
Fees
A complete site visit takes approximately 3 hours :
*For the visit of the submarine, there might be a waiting time. Thank you for your understanding.
Our parking lot can easily accommodate several buses.
MUST SEE
PERMANENT EXHIBIT
DISCOVER ITS HISTORY
Built in 1906, this 168 m long ship belonged to the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. For eight years, it transported thousands of travelers, workers and immigrants between the cities of Quebec and Liverpool, before knowing a tragic end off the shore of Pointe-au-Père on the night of the 29th of May 1914. Its terrible sinking, in 14 minutes, remains to this day the greatest maritime tragedy in Canadian history. Fifty years later, the wreck is located and protected as cultural property (since 1999).
AN IMMERSIVE COURSE
When entering our exhibit, you will have to go through four major zones:
Immersed at more than 45 m, the wreck of the Empress of Ireland sparked a lot of curiosity. Discover its actual state, the men and the underwater expeditions that marked its history, and the difficult diving conditions and techniques used to resurface artefacts before the definitive protection of the site in 1999.
Thousands of women and men facing tragedy: discover the testimonies of some of the passengers and their descendants on their lives after the shipwreck and their memories of the last voyage of the Empress of Ireland.
It took 14 minutes for the Empress of Ireland to disappear at the bottom of the St. Lawrence river. The ship sees the Storstad appear, the fog thickens and the ships are about to pass each other …What happened on the night of the 29th of May 1914?
Over 200 objects, photos, videos, archival documents and written testimonies of survivors and their descendants, will make you relive the entire history and secrets of the transantlantic liner. From the diving expeditions to the mysterious wreck to life on board the ship during its crossings, you will travel back in time in our museum experience!
For the young ones, follow the traces of Emmy and her « cat stories » who will tell you, in a playful way, all of the steamship’s secrets!
THE LAST JOURNEY - AN IMMERSIVE SHOW
Discover the ship in this astounding presentation, winner of the Société des musées du Québec’s best audiovisual show award in 2013. This 20-minute show features visual and sensory effects that will make you feel like you are actually on board the Empress of Ireland in the hours leading up to her tragic end.
You want to learn more about the tragedy of the Empress of Ireland and read the testimonies of the descendants?
Consult the historical section.
WELCOME ABOARD!
Come aboard the Onondaga, Canada’s first publicly accessible submarine, and learn what life was like for the 70 men aboard this 90-metre behemoth that criss-crossed the North Atlantic from 1967 to 2000.
Your self-guided audio tour inside the submarine is full of surprises. You’ll see everything from the powerful motors, the narrow beds, the control room, sonar and periscopes to the layout of living quarters, the galley, the electrical and hydraulic systems and the impressive torpedo room.
Sample of your audio tour
Throughout your tour, a narrator will explain the functioning of various technical systems on board. You will learn more about the tasks assigned to the crew members and the logistic surrounding the living areas.
THE EDUCATIVE GAME “THE SUPERPOWERS OF THE ONONDAGA”
With a digital tablet, go on an open-air mission to understand how the ship works and discover the main equipment on board through a series of educative games!
"Load a torpedo, manage the atmosphere of the crew, spot a target, etc.": here are a few manoeuvres you will have to perform! Locate the equipment on the screen to know their function as well as "Top-secret" files which will reveal details on the systems and the life of the Onondaga!
The course is structured around 5 stations corresponding to a “superpower” and a compartment of the ship: the torpedo room - FORMIDABLE, the living area - SELF-SUFFICIENT, the control room - CLAIRVOYANT, The engine room - STEALTH and the rear compartment - ELUSIVE.
LIGHTHOUSE TOUR
Constructed in 1909, the Pointe-au-Père lighthouse played a key role in the history of navigation on the St. Lawrence River. Follow your guide up the 128 steps of Canada’s second-highest lighthouse (33 m) and admire the 360° view of Pointe-au-Père, the river and the shoreline. Learn about why and how it was built and how all of the different parts work.
Come and admire this giant of the past which was entirely renovated in 2017!
VISIT THE LIGHTHOUSE STATION
The SHMP and Parks Canada invite you to explore the buildings that make up the Pointe-au-Père lighthouse station, which was operational until 1998.
Presented in the Keeper's house, the River Sentinels exhibition guides you through the captivating world of the lighthouse keepers and the pilots of the St. Lawrence, at the time when the pilot station was based in Pointe-au-Père.
Through stories, artefacts, models and personal testimonies, the exhibition takes you into the daily lives of these unsung heroes, responsible for keeping sailors and ships safe on the river.
Visit the Fog Alarm Shed to learn about sound signals. From the cannon to the electronic fog horn, from the Scotch siren to the diaphone, you will discover some of the systems housed in the shed over time to signal the presence of ships on the river in foggy weather.
Gift Shop & Services
Visit one of the few maritime-themed gift shops in the region. Located in the Onondaga flag, our gift shop proposes you numerous and exclusives items, quality crafts, in connection with our themes:
Most of these objects and accessories are made here, in Quebec! An ideal place for an uncommon present!
Playground and Outdoor Seating Areas
Relax a while at the picnic tables on our grounds. Kids can get some fresh air while they enjoy the playground boat and the swings!
Parking
The SHMP's two free parking lots can only accommodate small vehicles and SUVs. Parking for all kind of vehicles (including trailers and RVs) is available on the Pointe-au-Père wharf.
We offer only to our visitors the possibility of parking at night on the wharf for a MAXIMUM duration of 24 hours! Please pay your entrance fees on our opening hours and respect the area.
Bicycle path
Located right on the Route Verte, Quebec’s network of bikeways, the SHMP offers cyclists a breathtaking view of the marine estuary. What a great place for a bike ride! Bike racks are available.
OPEN FROM MID-JUNE TO EARLY SEPTEMBER
Located in Hangar 14 next to the Empress of Ireland museum, le Café du Hangar offers :
Picnic tables are available in Hangar 14 for visitors who have brought a lunch.
A preview of your visit
THE HEART OF OUR HISTORY: THE EMPRESS OF IRELAND
The Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père (formerly the Musée de la mer) is a non-profit organization founded in 1980 by a group of divers who were all passionate about the Empress of Ireland. They assembled a collection of artifacts recovered from the wreck in the hopes of sharing the story of the May 29, 1914, sinking of the transatlantic liner with as many people as possible. The tragedy claimed the lives of 1,012 people and is, in many ways, comparable to the sinking of the Titanic.
1982 The Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père (SHMP) left the exhibit space it had occupied for two summers at the Institut maritime du Québec in Rimouski, partnered with Parks Canada, and moved to the Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse National Historic Site, which it began to develop. The SHMP is located on a spit that reaches out to the river near the former St. Lawrence pilots’ station and the wharf. These elements combine to create a distinctly maritime feel and show off a magnificent view of the marine estuary.
2000 The SHMP built the Empress of Ireland Pavilion, which houses a multimedia projection room, an exhibit hall and a visitor centre.
2014 The SHMP marked the hundred-year anniversary of the sinking of the Empress of Ireland. Descendants of passengers were invited to participate in the commemorative activities, and the event was a resounding success. A website has been created to gather their testimonies: empress2014.ca
Hangar 14 was inaugurated that same year, complementing the SHMP experience with an exhibition that takes visitors back in time to explore life in Quebec in 1914. Between 2018 and 2019, Hangar 14 hosted a puppet show "Folie sur l'épave", featuring characters inspired by the aquatic fauna of the St. Lawrence whose transformed the wreck of the Empress of Ireland into a museum. Since 2021, Hangar 14 has been transformed into a rest area for our visitors.
2017 The Empress of Ireland Museum expanded, tripling its exhibit surface. With a modernized and immersive scenography, the exhibit introduces visitors to numerous artifacts and testimonies from passengers, along with the history pertaining to dives on the wreck. At the same time, important construction work has been undertaken by Parks Canada to restore the Pointe-au-Père lighthouse and station.
THE ONONDAGA SAGA
2005 The organization broadened the range of experiences available to visitors by acquiring the Onondaga submarine, which was decommissioned by National Defence in 2000.
After a number of setbacks, the Onondaga submarine finally came to rest alongside the Pointe-au-Père wharf. Over 92,000 people visited in 2009, the first year she was open to the public.
2016 A mural has been painted on the bow of the Onondaga submarine by Stéphane Dufresne, a local artist, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Yellow Submarine song from the Beatles. Several artistic events took place during the season, as we welcomed nearly 65 000 visitors.
2021 A wooden sidewalk is built along the submarine and the St-Lawrence River to welcome a new activity: "The Superpowers of Onondaga". This tour is done on a digital tablet and invites visitors to play through a series of educative games to understand the systems on board (armament, navigation, crew survival, etc.). The activity is inaugurated in 2022.
OUR MISSION
Showcase the wealth of maritime history and heritage on offer at Pointe-au-Père through our collections focusing on the Empress of Ireland, the Onondaga submarine and the lighthouse station.
OUR VISION
Enhance exposure across the region and beyond by building on SHMP’s reputation as a leading source of maritime history: rigorous, creative, popular and accessible.
OUR VALUES
From Highway 20, take exit 621 toward Père-Nouvel Avenue. Continue straight to the St-Lawrence river (you’ll see easily the submarine and lighthouse from the road)
Via Route 132 (Boulevard St-Anne), turn left (coming from Rimouski) / right (coming from Matane) at the intersection with Avenue Père-Nouvel.
The bike path connects Rimouski to Pointe-au-Père along the St-Lawrence river.
A very nice run of 30/40 min.
Via the TAXIBUS network of the Société de transport de Rimouski. Transit stop 180 (blue zone). Departures from the train station. You need to reserve your taxibus before! For more information, call STR at 418-723-5555. Check the timetables at https://www.rimouskibus.com/pages/zone-bleue-rimouski-est-pointe-au-pere