Dedicated to the memory of Capt. Joseph-Elzéar Bernier (1852-1934), who was a navigator and a pioneer of arctic exploration, the museum focuses on the maritime history of the St. Lawrence River. The collection includes elaborate models of different ships, in addition to nu-merous objects recovered from the 1914 wreck of the Empress of Ireland. Behind the museum, visitors can board the Ernest Lapointe, an icebreaker built in 1940. The other vessel, the Bras d'Or 400 (Golden Arm), is a hydrofoil used by the Canadian Navy between 1968 and 1972.