Koastal Karl
Voyager
Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
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Post by Koastal Karl on Mar 22, 2006 16:10:35 GMT -8
Well my opinion I think they could get by without the Discovery Coast Passage trip but the main route is to the Charlottes where people need to get on and off. Some of the coastal communities like Bella Coola have a main road to get there from the interior so it's not like they are totally cut off like the Charlottes. You could run the Queen of Prince Rupert on both the Charlottes and the Inside Passage along with the Chilliwack from Port Hardy to Mid Coast stops and to Prince Rupert. I was also planning to take the Queen of the North this summer on the inside passage route. We'll just have to see what happens for the summer, and you might still be able to do the route. Just not on the North! She is gone now, I just pic her like they said on the news like the Titanic going down, the cars crashing around on the car deck, her going under, just saddens me. A really sad day!
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Post by Curtis on Mar 22, 2006 16:26:12 GMT -8
I don't think the Chilliwack on a 15+ Hour Ferry ride would be such a good Idea this is definatly the worst thing to happen in the 46 year history of the company
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Doug
Voyager
Lurking within...the car deck.
Posts: 2,213
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Post by Doug on Mar 22, 2006 16:33:00 GMT -8
Maybe to prevent any accidents like this in the future, ferries that pass these types of rocky and rugged regions should have onboard sonar devices. Is it worth losing a ferry that would be worth $100 million to replace it, or even worse, several hundred panicked passengers?
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Post by Quinsam on Mar 22, 2006 16:38:07 GMT -8
Not like it IS gone forever, they might refloat her, she is 180 metres below the surface, true, but there might be a way for her to get swept nearer to shore, maybe a storm or tsunami will move her higher.
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Post by Ferryman on Mar 22, 2006 16:42:11 GMT -8
The Queen of the North has been on my mind all day, as I'm sure it has for everyone one here as well. Someone reported this morning that it wasn't that far down, and the funnel was still sticking out of the water. So I thought, that's good then, maybe after a year of the most major refit ever would bring the North back to life. Now it's 600 feet down, she would of sunk fast once she was fully submerged, meaning she would of smashed on to the ground hard. As I was sitting in history class, I was picturing the North going down, being similar to the Titanic sinking, without it breaking into 3 pieces though. I thought of being one of the passengers sitting in the Lifeboat with a blanket and a life jacket on, and watching the North slowly sink. Seeming it was obviously dark out, there was the thought of the ship sinking, and all of the sudden the lights cut out because the generators were ruined, and the North was then a black powerless hulk being lowered to her grave. Then there's looking at the interior photos of her, and picturing how wrecked everything is now. All of the seats, walls, ceiling, floors, everything ruined. The Queen of the North was a beautiful ship, and was probably the one BC Ferries spent the most money on to look her greatest at all times. Over the past few weeks, I've been studying the North, and how sharp her superstructure acutally looked. I thought it was neat looking at her bow while she was underway, by how she cut through the water, like a knife cutting through a piece of cheese. But after comparing her to her sibblings, the Danica 1, 3a, 3b, and 4, and I had decided that I was glad we got Stena Danica, II. Now we'll probably never see the North again, unless a little submarine goes down to take pictures of it. But I do hope that one day, they will surface the North, and at least scrap her, as horrible as it sounds, just so she doesn't wreck the sea life up there. I only got to see the North, 3 times in my life. The first was back in 98 or so at Esquimalt while in its winter refit, while I was viewing the Fort Rodd Hill exhibit. Then I saw it at North Vancouver in the drydock from the Second Narrows. My last time was seeing it for a brief second last month, while heading home from Tsawwassen via the Massey tunnel. Now, this Ferry is a thing of the past, and is a memory, from this day forward. Thank you Graham for this beautiful picture!
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Post by ferrytraveller on Mar 22, 2006 16:47:28 GMT -8
well if they refloated her, when you think about the steel of the ship itself, other then where she hit the rock, it most likely will be alright. The whole interior would have to be re done, but it would be possible to replace all that and a cost, much less then a new vessel. the question is, would it be economicly worth it?
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Koastal Karl
Voyager
Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
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Post by Koastal Karl on Mar 22, 2006 16:49:47 GMT -8
The Queen of the North has been on my mind all day too. I was suppose to work this afternoon but I dident go in cause I wanted to follow what was happening. This has been a very sad emotional day for a lot of people mostly probably the crew and passengers aboard and well us ferry fans too. That is an awesome photos of the North at Tsawwassen. I must say a thanks to everyone who got photos of the Queen of the North. I guess these are some of the last photos of her the ones I took on the positioning cruise last Oct. community.webshots.com/album/467262292HNrSTfI just wish now I had taken more interior photos.
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Post by tyty on Mar 22, 2006 17:05:28 GMT -8
well if they refloated her, when you think about the steel of the ship itself, other then where she hit the rock, it most likely will be alright. The whole interior would have to be re done, but it would be possible to replace all that and a cost, much less then a new vessel. the question is, would it be economicly worth it? No, it would not because this vessel was slated for mandatory retirement in 2010 anyway.
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Post by tyty on Mar 22, 2006 17:09:12 GMT -8
Well my opinion I think they could get by without the Discovery Coast Passage trip but the main route is to the Charlottes where people need to get on and off. Some of the coastal communities like Bella Coola have a main road to get there from the interior so it's not like they are totally cut off like the Charlottes. You could run the Queen of Prince Rupert on both the Charlottes and the Inside Passage along with the Chilliwack from Port Hardy to Mid Coast stops and to Prince Rupert. Well, I can't forsee the Chilliwack working on the Hecate Strait crossing from Rupert to Skidegate but with proper modifications she could probably handle the Inside Passage. Perhaps they could reduce the number of sailings to the Charlottes from 6 to 5 or 4 and have the QPR do one non-stop Inside Passage sailing each way per week, and leave the rest to the Chilliwack. Or something. But they will certainly have to be creative with the schedule. We know that the Queen of Chiliwack is capable of fitting in all the mid-coast ports so... who knows, it could run between Prince Rupert and Port Hardy with stops at some mid-coast ports along the way. Trying to serve them all in one voyage would make the trip very long, so maybe they could do something like McLoughlin Bay and Shearwater on one trip, then Klemtu and Ocean Falls on the other. (As you've suggested, forget about the whole Bella Coola / Discovery Coast idea.) Still, it's early to be throwing out ideas. The focus has to be on getting the QPR out of drydock as soon as possible and continue on with the existing spring schedule. Come June, though, BC Ferries better have some kind of alternate arrangement.
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Post by Ferryman on Mar 22, 2006 17:15:38 GMT -8
Watching the BCTV news, they showed the Coast Guard vessel holding the Norths only two lifeboats while on its way to Prince Rupert with the passengers and crew of the ferry. There is also a rumour now that the Ferry had hit Gill Island, ruptured the hull, and kept going out into the middle of Wright Sound. If that was the case, the ferry could of been salvagable if it stayed at Gill Island, as it was in shallow water there anyway. Instead she went out into the middle of the Sound where the deep water is, and sank. But we don't know if that's what actually happened. A passenger also said it sank till it got to Deck 6, then the Lights went out, and someone yelled "Put a Spotlight on it!", and then they watched the ferry pop out of the water, bow first, and then sank rapidly, to the sound of the cars smashing against each other at the stern of the ship.
That's just horrifying, I just can't believe it.
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Post by tyty on Mar 22, 2006 17:18:06 GMT -8
The Queen of the North has been on my mind all day, as I'm sure it has for everyone one here as well. Someone reported this morning that it wasn't that far down, and the funnel was still sticking out of the water. So I thought, that's good then, maybe after a year of the most major refit ever would bring the North back to life. Now it's 600 feet down, she would of sunk fast once she was fully submerged, meaning she would of smashed on to the ground hard. As I was sitting in history class, I was picturing the North going down, being similar to the Titanic sinking, without it breaking into 3 pieces though. I thought of being one of the passengers sitting in the Lifeboat with a blanket and a life jacket on, and watching the North slowly sink. Seeming it was obviously dark out, there was the thought of the ship sinking, and all of the sudden the lights cut out because the generators were ruined, and the North was then a black powerless hulk being lowered to her grave. Then there's looking at the interior photos of her, and picturing how wrecked everything is now. All of the seats, walls, ceiling, floors, everything ruined. The Queen of the North was a beautiful ship, and was probably the one BC Ferries spent the most money on to look her greatest at all times. My thoughts were almost exactly this today, as well. Just very disturbing. I feel privileged to have sailed on this vessel in 1991, 1994, and 1995. I was a very young kid at the time, but I remember being wowed by the vessel. It was the first ferry I ever rode on, sailing south from Prince Rupert en route to Vancouver and later Florida. It is definitely going to take a while for it to actually sink in - the Queen of the North is no longer. RIP QON 1969-2006
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Doug
Voyager
Lurking within...the car deck.
Posts: 2,213
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Post by Doug on Mar 22, 2006 17:20:07 GMT -8
Apparently there was only 16 cars aboard.
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Post by NMcKay on Mar 22, 2006 17:27:04 GMT -8
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Doug
Voyager
Lurking within...the car deck.
Posts: 2,213
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Post by Doug on Mar 22, 2006 17:30:48 GMT -8
I was just thinking of making one of those for myself.
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Post by EGfleet on Mar 22, 2006 17:47:35 GMT -8
There is a report here: www.940news.com/nouvelles.php?cat=23&id=322103That some passengers are saying that she broke in half as she sank. The answer to that won't be known of course until they go down and look at her...it isn't uncommon for ships to break like that when they're going down.
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Post by ferrytraveller on Mar 22, 2006 17:55:18 GMT -8
well the news jsut said BC Ferries are trying to figure out if it can infact raise the Queen of the North and what kind of costs would be associated with doing that. should be interesting to listen to and if they manage to pull it up or not.
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Post by tyty on Mar 22, 2006 17:56:39 GMT -8
Apparently there was only 16 cars aboard. Yeah, and remember that 100 people is only one-seventh of full capacity. Thank god that they and 16 or so vehicles were the only ones on board - not a full ship on a summer cruise.
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Doug
Voyager
Lurking within...the car deck.
Posts: 2,213
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Post by Doug on Mar 22, 2006 18:18:22 GMT -8
BCTV just had extensive historical video on the North, which included launching of the Queen of Surrey (don't ask...you know the media), a video of the North docked in Tsawwassen with other ferries coming in, footage of the North escorting Princess Diana and Prince Charles from Nanaimo to Expo 86 in Vancouver, which had several pleasure craft tagging behind the ship and a naval vessel to its side.
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Mar 22, 2006 18:20:06 GMT -8
It is very sad that I will never be able to go on that ship. She was one of the most intresting to me cause of her design and she will never sail again saddens me like it does all. The question now is, what to do about the route? Should BCF look at purchasing a vessel for the run to hold them over? Would it be a good idea to raise the vessel?
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Post by NMcKay on Mar 22, 2006 18:23:28 GMT -8
THEY JUST HAD A PHOTO OF THE NORTH FROM ABOUT % MINS BEFORE SHE SANK!!!
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Post by Ferryman on Mar 22, 2006 18:25:48 GMT -8
Who did?
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Post by NMcKay on Mar 22, 2006 18:26:11 GMT -8
GLOBAL
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Post by Ferryman on Mar 22, 2006 18:27:22 GMT -8
Dang! I was only recording CH and CTV! Now I know to record Global at 11 tonight!
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Post by Balfour on Mar 22, 2006 18:27:51 GMT -8
yeah I saw that. Pretty f--ing scary!
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Post by Ferryman on Mar 22, 2006 18:28:26 GMT -8
Hahn is on CTV.
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