Ships, ships, and more ships. Yvon Lehoux is on his way to building a fleet.
The Cloverdale resident and Navy veteran has been building replicas of sea vessels for a few years now—all entirely handmade from wood—and commissions to build ships have skyrocketed.
Now he’s working on a replica of the SS Komagata Maru for a neighbour.
Komagata Maru
“This is going to be the first model of the ship, as far as I know,” said Lehoux. “There are two places around here, one in Vancouver and one in Abbotsford, that have exhibits about the Komagata Maru and what happened, but as far as I am aware, they only have pictures of the ship, no models.”
The SS Komagata Maru was involved in what is now known as the Komagata Maru incident. In April 1914, the Japanese steamship Komagata Maru sailed into Vancouver carrying 376 South Asians who hoped to immigrate to Canada. They were all British subjects of Indian descent, including 337 Sikhs, 27 Muslims and 12 Hindus. Even though they were British subjects, most were denied entry. Only 24 passengers were admitted into Canada. The ship was forced to leave and the prospective immigrants aboard had to return to India.
Those onboard were also persecuted upon their return to India when they disembarked in Kolkata. The incident was one of many during the early 1900s where specific exclusion laws in both the U.S. and Canada were used to bar people of Asian origin from immigrating to North America.
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Despite the tragic history of the Komagata Maru incident, Lehoux feels honoured to have been given the opportunity to construct a sea ship with such historical significance to the Lower Mainland, B.C., and Canada.
As for build time, he figures he’ll have the Komagata Maru done by the end of the summer.
HMCS Algonquin
He recently completed a replica of the Royal Canadian Navy ship Algonquin. HMCS Algonquin, DDG 283, was commissioned in 1973 and decommissioned in 2015. Lehoux served on the ship from ’81 to ’85. When he built the vessel, it brought back a lot of good memories from his time serving onboard.
“To me, this is my masterpiece so far,” he said. “I am most proud of it. I really enjoyed building it too.”
He said because he worked on the vessel for several years in the ’80s, and again for a brief stint in the mid-2000s, the process of building the replica took him back in time. He both walked the deck and the passages below.
After he completed it, he sent pictures of his Algonquin to the CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum.
“When they looked at it, they said, ‘Holy Smokes, man! This is amazing.’ They were really impressed by it and asked me to build them two ships.”
He’s since been commissioned by the museum to construct two generic Canadian sea ships, a Halifax-class frigate and a Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel (MCDV)—a Kingston-class coastal defence boat. When completed, both ships will go on display in Esquimalt.
Community Treasures
Part of building a fleet of ships is the recognition that comes with it. Now the Museum of Surrey has approached Lehoux about doing a Community Treasures exhibit at the museum. And he was more than happy to entertain their offer.
“I showed them all the memorabilia that I have from the ships and I shared all the stories I have from all three ships I served on,” he explained. “Then they asked me to take part in a community treasures exhibit in 2025.”
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The exhibit will feature some of the ships he’s built, along with other memorabilia he’s collected over the years.
Lehoux also recently built a replica of the Bounty for a private collector in White Rock. Lehoux was commissioned to build the ship for very personal reasons. The collector’s wife, born in New Zealand, is a direct descendant of one of the Bounty mutineers. (The famous mutiny on HMS Bounty took place in the south Pacific in 1789.)
After he finishes the SS Komagata Maru, Lehoux plans to build the original Algonquin, HMCS Algonquin (R17), a V-class destroyer, in operation from the end of the Second World War until it was scrapped in 1971.
“I’m gonna build the first Algonquin—this ship’s mother—the World War II-era Algonquin,” Lehoux explained, pointing to the Iroquois-class destroyer he just finished. “And I’m going to donate it to the (Cloverdale) Legion when it’s done.”
Lehoux said barring any unforeseen cataclysm, he intends to have it completed by Remembrance Day this year.
Lehoux added he’ll continue to build ships as long as he lives. It’s his way to keep his sea legs in shape, even if only in his heart and in his thoughts.
Lehoux added he’s open to building any ships and will take any orders.
“Some people appreciate the artistic quality of models and some want them for sentimental value,” Lehoux explained. “And they become family heirlooms.”
Lehoux said if anyone wants to commission a ship, he can be contacted through the Cloverdale Legion, Branch 6.