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Post by Low Light Mike on Feb 19, 2012 17:31:41 GMT -8
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Post by Low Light Mike on Feb 19, 2012 17:35:16 GMT -8
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mrdot
Voyager
Mr. DOT
Posts: 1,252
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Post by mrdot on Feb 19, 2012 19:11:26 GMT -8
:)those pics.posted of the sad looking Smokwa, in her last years of service, bring back a flood of memories, she was a floating junk pile in those last years, and langwished for some time as a direlect at the end of deas dock. she operated under tow, for some time before she went to the river junkyard, as have several of our northwest marine heritage! mrdot.
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Post by lmtengs on Oct 26, 2012 22:56:53 GMT -8
Along with the negative of the Chinook, this one on the deck of the Smokwa was listed as well. It too had turned very, very red/pink over the years, but the color correction did wonders to restore it. This photo.... my Lord. I love it.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Dec 8, 2012 11:51:05 GMT -8
Another wonderful old Kodachrome slide. The Jervis Queen late in the game. (On the large version of the photo you can clearly see the Jervis Queen name on her.) Wouldn't be surprised if this was during her last year in service. Sadly, the slide is not dated. What area some ideas on where this photo was taken from? If it is from Saltery Bay terminal, then she would be arriving from the correct direction, and that would be Nelson Island behind her. But maybe this is the Bowen Island run? Could this be her arriving at Horseshoe Bay?
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,175
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Post by Neil on Oct 26, 2013 21:45:19 GMT -8
on further reflection on the Black Ball purchase by bc ferries in the very early 1960's, I seem to remember Capt. Peabody thought he had won the lottery when he found a buyer for 6m. and change for his rag-tag fleet that comprised of one relatively modern vessel mv.chinook, a very antiquated kaloke, of 1903, and an curious collection of of smaller relics, not the least was smokwa. It was wac Bennet's key addition of a Nanaimo service that was key. however b.c. enherited a motley collection of rellics which were added to with the accusition of the gulf islands collection of rellecs. and years later the chickens have come in to roost as gov't wrestles with the cost of a modern fleet, and the true cost of maintaining it. mr.dot. I know that some people frown on quoting old posts and resurrecting topics, but, hey, this thread deals with vessels that have been gone since the mid-'60s, so, why not? mrdot raised an interesting question three years ago that didn't really get addressed; did Bennett and the BC government get fleeced when they bought out Black Ball and Gulf Island Ferries? As he says, Smokwa was a lemon, and Kahloke was a relic. The George S. Pearson and Cy Peck were too small for the modern Gulf Islands. ( Cy Peck also served Bowen from time to time.) But I think the purchase had to be made. The two old firms were simply not providing the necessary service, and even the vessels that were gone by '65 at least provided stopgap service until the new ferries were built. We also got docks at Departure Bay, Horseshoe Bay, Snug Cove, Earls Cove and Saltery Bay, and in the Gulf Islands. And what the heck... we were fishing our rivers dry, cutting forests with wild abandon and ripping minerals out of the ground faster than robins pluck worms... the treasury could afford it. We could certainly afford the cost of the tugs that regularly assisted poor old Smokwa across Howe Sound to Langdale. Actually... she wasn't that old, she was barely a teenager- just a rather citrusy one.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Oct 27, 2013 6:31:39 GMT -8
But I think the purchase had to be made. The two old firms were simply not providing the necessary service, and even the vessels that were gone by '65 at least provided stopgap service until the new ferries were built. We also got docks at Departure Bay, Horseshoe Bay, Snug Cove, Earls Cove and Saltery Bay, and in the Gulf Islands. Because the Government saw that a better (more reliable, and with growth potential) ferry service was needed, the Gov't realized that it needed to step-in and provide this service. Because Black Ball and Gulf Island Ferries already had the docks in place, connected to the local roadways, it made sense for BC Ferries to buy those existing companies. Otherwise, if BC Ferries planned to start their own service and compete with those existing companies, BC Ferries would have had the huge cost of building new terminals and roadways, with the related land acquisition costs. For example, can you imagine trying to find and build an alternate location for the terminals on either side of the Jervis Inlet route? You'd need to do some serious rock-blasting and road building, assuming that you can find a good terminal location somewhere near the existing highways. It made sense to acquire those 2 companies, and then upgrade the ships later. A lot of times in mergers and acquisitions, the real purpose of the transaction isn't to acquire the most-visible assets. Instead, the purpose is to acquire a market share or an opportunity, which might involve the secondary assets. In this case, the real item purchased by Bennett was the routes and terminals.
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dave2
Chief Steward
Deckhand!: Todo: Introduction post (I was born less than 100 feet from the ocean. The tide was...)
Posts: 155
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Post by dave2 on Nov 23, 2013 23:53:59 GMT -8
I was reading about the Blackball takeover in The Sun today (the Decembr 1 1961 Sun, not to be confused with today's Sun). The $6,700,000 price tag broke down as $4,600,000 for the the 5 ships $2,100,000 for the terminals and the land. 'Chump Change' compared to the BCE Takeover four months earlier. The news broke after the Final had gone to press. STOP THE PRESSES yelled the managing editor (?) EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALLABOUTIT. BENNETT SEIZES POWER, BC ELECTRIC BOARD FIRED. yelled the newsies. August 1 1961 by Splashcat, on Flickr Link to the paper. The Extra is 'Page 40' news.google.com/newspapers?nid=3DOefFFSZ7MC&dat=19610801&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
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Post by EGfleet on Apr 19, 2015 5:49:49 GMT -8
Last night, while doing some random searches, I discovered a photo of the Smokwa right near the end of her days, after she had sunk at Port Lions. If you didn't know what you were looking for, you'd have missed her completely--her entire structure had been built over and save for the two rather distinctive smokestacks poking out from the roof, you wouldn't have recognized her--she looks like a building. (It also doesn't help that most of the boat is underwater. It may have looked more "ferry-like" when not submerged.) historicfishing.smugmug.com/History/Salvagechief/i-ktDd6Pz/AThe Salvage Chief is the vessel that towed her out after she had been refloated. The site itself is quite interesting and worth looking at.
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gnaz
Oiler (New Member)
Posts: 18
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Post by gnaz on May 22, 2015 12:46:02 GMT -8
My apologies if these have been posted already. Mr. Horn had a posting back in 2012, but the links are dead now, these may have been in those postings. First pic found on PBase.com Second photo of Smokwa found on SteamshipHistorical webpage
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2015 14:12:14 GMT -8
My apologies if these have been posted already. Mr. Horn had a posting back in 2012, but the links are dead now, these may have been in those postings. First pic found on PBase.com Thanks for posting these, EGFleet. This first photo sure shows how much Horseshoe Bay has changed. That yellow building in the right corner is long gone, as are the houses in the West Parking lot. The Boathouse restaurant (formerly a Keg) now occupies that lawn just to the right of the pier. The pier is one of the only things still intact to this day, aside from the fact that the drop-off-dock has been moved directly in front of that little shack (now the RCM-SAR 1 station quarters). The Sewell's Marina West Moorage remains relatively unchanged, and one can see the old gas dock, which was replaced in the 1970s. The East Side, the docks next to the Smokwa, have changed a lot. The dock in that position is now solely the Sewell's Rental dock, something that didn't make an appearance until around 2003. All the seasonal East moorage was moved further East and is now right up against BC Ferries' berth 1. As it has been noted in the past, Sewell's was a summer-only marina.... Besides from all that, BC Ferries added a berth, and the West Parking Lot was expanded slightly to meet demand. That flat white building on the mid-left of the picture was purchased by Sewell's in 2003, at which point they made it their headquarters and added a second floor on which they opened "The Lookout Coffee House." It's worth noting that back in the 1950's, there were around 120 boats available for rent from two different companies, now there is only 40. With fishing becoming less profitable, Bay Boat Rentals collapsed, meaning Sewell's was able to expand. Aside from the Park, they now own all the Waterfront west of the Ferry Terminal.
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gnaz
Oiler (New Member)
Posts: 18
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Post by gnaz on May 27, 2015 9:37:31 GMT -8
From Sunshine Coast Living webpage Photo taken from the top deck of the Langdale Queen
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2015 10:18:22 GMT -8
Interesting that Langdale once had its two berths side by side, and at one time they were a lot closer to the shore. I imagine with the creek there it was probably best to extend the holding area further into the water, rather than having to dredge for larger vessels.
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Post by northwesterner on May 27, 2015 11:12:34 GMT -8
Interesting that Langdale once had its two berths side by side, and at one time they were a lot closer to the shore. I imagine with the creek there it was probably best to extend the holding area further into the water, rather than having to dredge for larger vessels. Additionally, when the Langdale berths were reconfigured, they were optimized for single-ended ferry service through their construction at right angles to the shoreline.
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Post by EGfleet on Jun 28, 2015 10:06:27 GMT -8
Finding this slide was a lucky accident. There aren't exactly a huge number of color photos of the Smokwa, and this is the first one I've seen of the ferry sailing for her original owners as the Scotian.
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Post by EGfleet on Feb 5, 2016 17:15:02 GMT -8
Just picked up this postcard of the Bainbridge...not one you see very often.
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Post by EGfleet on Mar 5, 2016 6:10:21 GMT -8
Another vintage slide, showing Horseshoe Bay in in the 50's with the Bainbridge approaching...
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Post by EGfleet on Apr 1, 2016 6:39:18 GMT -8
Press photo of Horseshoe Bay taken in 1956, with the Bainbridge and in the distance, Chinook.
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Post by kevins on May 14, 2016 9:50:39 GMT -8
Black Ball Can't recall seeing this site before. What is interesting is the schedules. It appears as though the amount of service has not changed much since 1955.
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Post by paulvanb on May 15, 2016 11:42:02 GMT -8
Black Ball Can't recall seeing this site before. What is interesting is the schedules. It appears as though the amount of service has not changed much since 1955. A very excellent find!
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Post by WettCoast on Sept 26, 2016 10:54:58 GMT -8
M/V Bainbridge in Howe Sound near Horseshoe Bay, likely from 1962, after BC Ferries purchased Blackball's Canadian operations (1961), but before the vessels were re-branded as 'Queens'. The Bainbridge became the Jervis Queen in 1963. Note the scaring from recent highway construction along the distant shoreline. Photo credit: BC Government, Dept of Travel Industry, collection of Mr David O Thorne. Scanning of b&w print done by me on 26-09-2016. M/V Bainbridge in Howe Sound ~1962 BC Govt, Dept of Travel Industry, collection of Mr David O Thorne by mrdot., on Flickr
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Post by WettCoast on Sept 28, 2016 16:06:08 GMT -8
Another scan from a photo in my brother's collection ...
SS Smokwa (ex Blackball Ferries) in Howe Sound circa 1962. She was the only steamer ever to serve for BC Ferries. This is the vessel that spent some time being pushed around by a tug while in operation with BCF. She was the first vessel in the fleet to be retired (IIRC). For more see this page on evergreenfleet.com: www.evergreenfleet.com/smokwa.htmlQuestion - She appears to have wheelhouses at both ends. Did she operate as a true double-ender? BC Govt, Dept of Travel Industry, collection of Mr David O Thorne
by mrdot., on Flickr
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Post by EGfleet on Sept 29, 2016 5:19:26 GMT -8
Another scan from a photo in my brother's collection ...
SS Smokwa (ex Blackball Ferries) in Howe Sound circa 1962. She was the only steamer ever to serve for BC Ferries. This is the vessel that spent some time being pushed around by a tug while in operation with BCF. She was the first vessel in the fleet to be retired (IIRC). For more see this page on evergreenfleet.com: www.evergreenfleet.com/smokwa.htmlQuestion - She appears to have wheelhouses at both ends. Did she operate as a true double-ender? BC Govt, Dept of Travel Industry, collection of Mr David O Thorne
by mrdot., on Flickr Everything I have read/seen about the Smokwa indicated she ran as a double-ender.
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Post by Queen of Nanaimo Teen on Sept 29, 2016 12:16:43 GMT -8
I find it interesting that we think of the Smokwa being some 'old steamer', but in reality, she wasn't actually that old! By 1962 she would have been only 18 years old, just passed the age of BC Ferries' 1/4 life upgrade!
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Post by EGfleet on May 7, 2017 11:56:57 GMT -8
I had heard of the Quillayute grounding, but not the Smokwa. From the 22 September 1956 Marine Digest.
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