Bay of Fundy so-called "plaster war" of 1820. The Bay of Fundy's ports and basins became major shipbuilding and shipping centres in the 19th century. Led at first by shipbuilders such as James Moran of St. Martins, New Brunswick, shipbuilding spread to all shores of the Bay of Fundy. Shipbuilders such as Joseph Salter in Moncton and William D. Lawrence of Maitland, Nova Scotia constructed some of the largest sailing ships ever built in Canada. Among other accomplishments, Fundy ports produced the fastest ship in the world, the ship ; the largest wooden ship ever built in Canada, the ship ; and the
Partridge Island (Nova Scotia) kilometres of water are forced through a channel that is barely five kilometres (3.1 miles) wide, raising and lowering the water levels inside the Minas Basin by 12 to 15 metres (39 to 49 feet). Tidal currents in the channel have been calculated to reach speeds of nearly 20 kilometres per hour (12.4 miles per hour). Bay of Fundy tides are the highest in the world and the highest of all occur in the Minas Basin. Several factors affect the Fundy tides including water depth and the shape of the coastline. Both contribute to a natural Fundy tidal oscillation, or