The Aviators of Hudson Strait

Last updated
The Aviators of Hudson Strait
Screen shot The Aviators of Hudson- Strait.png
Screenshot: Title frame
Written by William Weintraub
Produced byWilliam Weintraub
CinematographyGeorge H. Valiquette
Edited byMarion Meadows
Production
company
Distributed byDepartment of National Defence (Canada)
Release date
  • 1973 (1973)
Running time
28 min., 20 sec.
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The Aviators of Hudson Strait is a 1973 Canadian short documentary film produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) for the Canadian Department of National Defence. [1]

Contents

Synopsis

In 1927, a railway was being built through northern Manitoba in order to ship grain from the Prairies to Europe via Hudson Bay. In that year, N. B. McLean, a Department of Marine and Fisheries official, led an expedition to Ungava Bay and Hudson Strait to undertake an aerial survey of the strait to study ice conditions and determine how long the annual navigation season might be for ocean-going freighters.

Royal Canadian Air Force Squadron Leader Thomas A. Lawrence, in charge of air operations for the 1927-28 expedition, was responsible for the six RCAF pilots and their six Fokker Universal aircraft. A total of 44 men, 22 being military personnel, made up the group of mechanics, riggers, wireless engineers, storekeepers, cooks and doctors, essentially every trade needed for a major Arctic expedition.

From Halifax, Nova Scotia, the expedition set out on July 17, 1927, on the CGS Stanley icebreaker, accompanied by the supply ship S.S. Larch, carrying 25 tons of general cargo and 27 tons of coal. Their first stop was Port Burwell, where men and supplies were dropped off to set up an outpost. Two other posts were set up on Nottingham Island and at Wakeham Bay. At each location, prefabricated buildings were constructed that included barracks for housing, storehouses, a radio shack and hangars for the aircraft.

The challenges of flying in Arctic conditions meant that the Fokker Universals flew on pontoons during the short spring and summer, and then converted to skis for the fall and winter months. Constant attention to snowdrifts that might trap the men and equipment and keeping runways and waterways clear meant that in the 14-month operation proceeded slowly.

One of the main advantages was the use of Inuit supplies of parkas and clothing that were much better suited to the Arctic than regulation clothing provided by the RCAF. [Note 1] Inuit hunters also acted as guides and accompanied the pilot and mechanic (who also acted as a photographer) aboard each aircraft. The Inuit guides proved particularly important when one aircraft went down on an ice floe, and the crew only managed to get back safely after a 13-day ordeal by following the guidance of the Inuit hunter, who was able to provide not only food but shelter for the trek.

When the expedition completed its work, over 2,000 photographs had been taken of the region in the course of 227 patrols. The work of the aviators provided invaluable information needed to ensure the future of navigation in Hudson Strait.

Production

The 1927-28 Arctic expedition to Ungava Bay and Hudson Strait was documented by the RCAF, with the film footage providing the basis of the NFB documentary film. [2] The technical advisor was retired Air Vice-Marshal Thomas A. Lawrence, who provided his personal recollections and acted as a narrator for many key sequences. [3]

Reception

The Aviators of Hudson Strait was released as part of the NFB Video collection In Celebration of Nunavut - Charting the North - Volume 7. [4] This video collection consists of nine videos chronicling the efforts to explore and map the Arctic. The films describe land, air and even under water developments. Volume 7 also includes Across Arctic Ungava (1949), a 19 min. first-person account of a 1949 canoe journey from Fort Chimo (now Kuujuaq) to Povungnituk, by four pioneering scientists and their four native guides (from southern Quebec). [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iqaluit</span> Capital city of Nunavut, Canada

Iqaluit is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, its largest community, and its only city. It was known as Frobisher Bay from 1942 to 1987, after the large bay on the coast on which the city is situated. In 1987, its traditional Inuktitut name was restored.

Belcher Islands Island group

The Belcher Islands are an archipelago in the southeast part of Hudson Bay near the centre of the Nastapoka arc. The Belcher Islands are spread out over almost 3,000 km2 (1,200 sq mi). Administratively, they belong to the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the territory of Nunavut, Canada. The hamlet of Sanikiluaq is on the north coast of Flaherty Island and is the southernmost in Nunavut. Along with Flaherty Island, the other large islands are Kugong Island, Tukarak Island, and Innetalling Island. Other main islands in the 1,500–island archipelago are Moore Island, Wiegand Island, Split Island, Snape Island and Mavor Island, while island groups include the Sleeper Islands, King George Islands, and Bakers Dozen Islands.

Nunavik Proposed autonomous area in Quebec, Canada

Nunavik comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, part of the Nord-du-Québec region and nearly coterminous with Kativik. Covering a land area of 443,684.71 km2 (171,307.62 sq mi) north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the Inuit of Quebec and part of the wider Inuit Nunangat. Almost all of the 13,181 inhabitants of the region, of whom 90% are Inuit, live in fourteen northern villages on the coast of Nunavik and in the Cree reserved land (TC) of Whapmagoostui, near the northern village of Kuujjuarapik.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Igloolik</span> Hamlet in Nunavut, Canada

Igloolik is an Inuit hamlet in Foxe Basin, Qikiqtaaluk Region in Nunavut, northern Canada. Because its location on Igloolik Island is close to Melville Peninsula, it is often mistakenly thought to be on the peninsula. The name "Igloolik" means "there is a house here". It derives from iglu, meaning house or building, and refers to the sod houses that were originally in the area, not to snow igloos. In Inuktitut the residents are called Iglulingmiut.

Sanikiluaq Place in Nunavut, Canada

Sanikiluaq is a municipality and Inuit community located on the north coast of Flaherty Island in Hudson Bay, on the Belcher Islands. Despite being geographically much closer to the shores of Ontario and Quebec, the community and the Belcher Islands lie within the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada.

Ungava Peninsula

The Ungava Peninsula of Nunavik, Quebec, Canada, is bounded by Hudson Bay to the west, Hudson Strait to the north, and Ungava Bay to the east. This peninsula is part of the Labrador Peninsula, and covers about 252,000 square kilometres (97,000 sq mi). Its northernmost point is Cape Wolstenholme, which is also the northernmost point of Quebec. The peninsula is also part of the Canadian Shield, and consists entirely of treeless tundra dissected by large numbers of rivers and glacial lakes, flowing generally east–west in a parallel fashion. The peninsula was not deglaciated until 6,500 years ago and is believed to have been the prehistoric centre from which the vast Laurentide Ice Sheet spread over most of North America during the last glacial epoch.

Cambridge Bay Hamlet in Nunavut, Canada

Cambridge Bay is a hamlet located on Victoria Island in the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is the largest settlement on Victoria Island. Cambridge Bay is named for Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, while the traditional Inuinnaqtun name for the area is Ikaluktutiak or Iqaluktuuttiaq meaning "good fishing place".

Resolute, Nunavut Place in Nunavut, Canada

Resolute or Resolute Bay is an Inuit hamlet on Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, Canada. It is situated at the northern end of Resolute Bay and the Northwest Passage and is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region.

Ungava Bay Body of water

Ungava Bay is a bay in northeastern Canada separating Nunavik from Baffin Island. Although not geographically apparent, it is considered to be a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean for climatic reasons. The bay is roughly oval-shaped, about 260 km (160 mi) at its widest point and about 320 km (200 mi) in length; it has an area of approximately 50,000 km2 (19,000 sq mi). It is generally fairly shallow, under 150 m (490 ft), though at its border with the Atlantic Ocean depths of almost 300 m (980 ft) are reached.

District of Ungava

The District of Ungava was a regional administrative district of Canada's Northwest Territories from 1895 to 1920, although it effectively ceased operation in 1912. It covered the northern portion of what is today Quebec, the interior of Labrador, and the offshore islands to the west and north of Quebec, which are now part of Nunavut.

The Canadian territory of Nunavut covers about 1.9 million square kilometres of land and water including part of the mainland, most of the Arctic islands, and all of the islands in Hudson Bay, James Bay, and Ungava Bay which belonged to the Northwest Territories. This makes it the fifth largest country subdivision in the world. If Nunavut were a country, it would rank 13th in area, after the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Nunavut has land borders with Manitoba, the Northwest Territories on several islands as well as the mainland, and a tiny land border with Newfoundland and Labrador on Killiniq Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nunavut</span> Territory of Canada

Nunavut is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, which provided this territory to the Inuit for independent government. The boundaries had been drawn in 1993. The creation of Nunavut resulted in the first major change to Canada's political map in half a century since the province of Newfoundland was admitted in 1949.

Digges Islands

The Digges Islands are members of the Arctic Archipelago in the territory of Nunavut. The two islands, West Digges and East Digges, are located in Digges Sound, an arm of Hudson Bay, where the strong currents of the bay meet Hudson Strait.

Killiniq is a former Inuit settlement, weather station, trading post, missionary post, fishing station, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police post on Killiniq Island. Previously within Labrador, and then the Northwest Territories, it is now situated within the borders of Nunavut. The community closed in 1978.

CGS <i>Stanley</i> Canadian icebreaker

CGS Stanley has been described as Canada's first effective icebreaker. She was launched in 1888, and remained in service until 1935. Constructed in the United Kingdom, Stanley was deployed along the East Coast of Canada for use as a ferry and lighthouse and buoy supply vessel and was used for icebreaking during winter months.

<i>Aces: A Story of the First Air War</i> 1993 Canadian film

Aces: A Story of the First Air War is a 92-minute 1993 Canadian historical drama film directed by Raoul Fox and produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The film chronicles the career of a fictional Canadian aviator during the First World War. From his commissioning in 1914, he becomes an observer and then wins his wings as a fighter pilot, and by 1918, is involved in the deadly air combat over the front lines.

<i>Radar Station</i> (film) 1953 Canadian film

Radar Station is a 1953 Canadian short documentary film produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the On The Spot series made specifically for television. The documentary involved an account of a visit to a radar station while it is involved in a simulated air attack, and is based on first-person interviews of the staff at the radar station.

<i>Portrait of Canada</i> 1959 Canadian film

Portrait of Canada is a 10-minute 1959 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the postwar Canada Carries On series. The film, directed by Guy Glover, described the creation of the All Canadian Atlas. The film's French version title is L'Atlas du Canada.

<i>Air Cadets</i> (film) 1944 Canadian film

Air Cadets is a 15-minute 1944 Canadian documentary film, made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the wartime Canada Carries On series. The film describes the Air Cadet Movement in 1944 during the Second World War. Air Cadets was directed by Jane Marsh, who was also the writer and editor on the production. The film's French version title is Les Cadets de l'air.

<i>Arctic Mission: The Great Adventure</i> 2003 film

La grande traversée is a 2003 Canada-France short documentary film written and directed by Jean Lemire and Thierry Piantanida, as well as co-produced and co-narrated by Jean Lemire, made to foster awareness of global warming as seriously jeopardizing a fragile Arctic ecosystem, the first installment of the documentary series Mission Arctique, encompassing a five-month 2002 scientific expedition aboard the Sedna IV on a voyage from Montreal to Vancouver through the Northwest Passage, with the "beauty and fragility" of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago on full display.

References

Notes

  1. Throughout the film, Inuit are referred to as "Eskimos".

Citations

  1. Ellis and McLane 2005, p. 244.
  2. Fleming 1957, p. 88.
  3. Weldon, Carolyne. "Jets, Floatplanes and Bombers: 15 NFB Films about Planes." National Film Board of Canada, June 14, 2012. Retrieved: January 14, 2016.
  4. Lerner 1997, p. 1352.
  5. "In Celebration of Nunavut - Charting the North - Volume 7." National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved: January 14, 2016.

Bibliography

  • Ellis, Jack C. and Betsy A. McLane. New History of Documentary Film. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2005. ISBN   0-8264-1750-7.
  • Fleming, Howard A.. Canada's Arctic Outlet: A History of the Hudson Bay Railway. Berkeley, California: University of California, 1957.
  • Lerner, Loren. Canadian Film and Video: A Bibliography and Guide to the Literature. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997. ISBN   978-0-8020-2988-1.