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Post by BreannaF on Dec 14, 2008 21:20:55 GMT -8
Oh, just start typing Bryan -- quit trying to think of them in order! Ok. Here goes: The obvious one is the four Steel-Electrics. Since these ships were 35 years old when I was born, that is a tall barrier to get around. So, any random tour boat from my childhood would have needed to be 40-50 years old to be older than an S-E. Not likely. I hadn't really thought about this until now, but I hadn't thought of claiming that I had been aboard the 1921 SS Shasta based simply on the fact that I had been to the River Queen Restaurant a couple of times. I still think that is cheating, though. Things I looked up, even though I knew they were newer than S-E's: The Kulshan was 1954, but sure seemed older to me. The Rhododendron, of course. I suppose a replica of an old ship doesn't count, either. The 1989 Lady Washington.A couple of decades ago, a previous incarnation of my charter van business had a contract to get crew from ships and take them to medical appointments and other errands while the ship was in. I had to go aboard sometimes to get them going (this was pre-high-security days). But none of those ships would have been as old as the local ferries. Oldest BC Ferry I have been on was the Queen of Tsawwassen, so nothing particularly special there.
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Mill Bay
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Long Suffering Bosun
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Post by Mill Bay on Dec 14, 2008 22:38:14 GMT -8
Wow... talk about a fast growing thread.
I'll try and wager my way into this... the oldest ships I've been on are not ferries, although the Queen of Tsawwassen, NIP, and Mill Bay are all contenders.
I'm pretty sure the oldest ship I've been on is the old steam tug Master, and probably a couple other old tugs I don't remember the names of. There was also an old former forestry vessel that some acquaintances of ours were turning into a live-aboard, but I'm not sure of its name off the top of my head.
(Unless the Lytton reaction ferry counts as well, ha-ah.)
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Post by Queen of Nanaimo Teen on Dec 14, 2008 23:06:01 GMT -8
Hmm, I too had to think about this for awhile.
I guess this doesn't meet the criteria, but i'll mention it anyways:I think the C.P's S.S. Sicamous is the oldest ship that I've been on in BC. It would be the Milly after that.
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Post by WettCoast on Dec 15, 2008 0:36:39 GMT -8
I am fairly sure that I rode on Blackball's Kahloke (later known as the Langdale Queen) when I was about 5 years old. She dates from 1903. I also rode on some of the CPR coastal steamers, but their new dates would be more recent than than 1903. As for fresh water, I have ridden on the Anscombe which dates from the 1930's? I think. Right at the moment I don't have the time to go and look it up.
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Post by Starsteward on Dec 15, 2008 5:07:18 GMT -8
The Seven Seas Floating Restaurant in North Van. was the old North Vancouver Ferry No.5
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Nick
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Chief Engineer - Queen of Richmond
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Post by Nick on Dec 15, 2008 10:02:52 GMT -8
Hmmm. Oldest ship. I certainly have to think about that. The oldest ferry I have taken, like many others here, is definitely the Mill Bay. Oldest ship though.... that's a tougher one. Most likely candidates I can think of are the YAG training ships the Canadian Navy had for training reservists and sea cadets. There were 6 of them based here on the west coast, and 2 in use as auxiliary vessels in Halifax. They were wooden hulled, 75 feet long, and built in the early 50's. I don't know any exact build years, as it varies between ships. They were retired earlier this year as the ORCA class ships came online. www.casr.ca/bg-orca-project.htm - This website has a couple of photos of both the YAGs, and their replacements, the ORCAs. I'm counting ships I have been on while underway. I've been on tours of older ships, but I don't really remember a lot from them, and they weren't in service. There was an old wooden yacht I had a cruise on a number of years ago that I seem to recall dates from the late '30s, but I don't remember the name right now.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Dec 15, 2008 19:23:31 GMT -8
Mr Horn accuses me of being ancient enough to having been on the Princess Victoria (cheeky fellow), but I'll have him know that the 'Vic was in fact laid up six years before I was born. The Union, I believe, went out of business in '58, and at two years old my ferry memory chip wasn't functioning, if indeed I was lucky enough to be taken on board the Lady Alex'.
Like a few others on here, my oldest vessel was the Langdale Queen. WCK obviously beat me to it, as he rode her when she was still the Kahloke. It's an indignity to that ship's memory that the Highways ferry people gave the ugly little scow that goes to Hornby in the summer the same name.
Next oldest would be the Bainbridge (1928), in Bowen service, and perhaps one that people are overlooking, the T'Lagunna (1931), predecessor to the current k-barges on the Albion run.
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Post by Mike C on Dec 15, 2008 19:45:09 GMT -8
For me it would be the Quinalt and Klickitat (perhaps EGFleet can help me out as to which one is older ), and I've also been on that old paddle-wheeler tied up at Westminster Quay (not the casino one, the one further west)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2008 20:30:33 GMT -8
Three more old timers .... MV Scenic ( 1907) MV Harbour Princess (1924) & MV Hollyburn ( 1936) All operated by Harbour Ferries ( now Harbour Cruises Ltd. ) in Indian Arm and Vancouver / Howe Sound area. The Hollyburn is still moored at the North foot of Denman St., Vancouver and is not operational but still useful as a floating office. A link to the Company history ..... www.boatcruises.com/history.html ... I rode the Scenic in indian Arm when I was young and worked on both the Princess and Hollyburn .... they were neat ships and are an interesting part of our Vancouver port history.
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Post by SS San Mateo on Dec 15, 2008 20:43:44 GMT -8
This list covers anything built prior to 1950...
While in service:
M/V Quinault (1927) M/V Nisqually (1927) M/V Illahee (1927) M/V Klickitat (1927) (post 80's rebuilt only, the other 3 were pre/post 80's rebuilt) M/V Vashon (1930) M/V Olympic (1938) M/V Rhododendron (1947) (pre/post 90's rebuilt) M/V Steilacoom (1936?) TEV Princess Marguerite (1948)
Retired:
SS Shasta (1922) M/V Ocean City (1923) (technically not a west coast ferry, but she was brought over from the east coast to serve the Steilacoom/Anderson Island/Ketron Island route but never saw service) M/V Skansonia (1929) Canadian Princess (1932)
Possible may have been on (but too young to remember):
M/V Kehloken (1926) M/V Klahanie (1928) M/V Chetzemoka (1927)
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Mill Bay
Voyager
Long Suffering Bosun
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Post by Mill Bay on Dec 15, 2008 21:08:25 GMT -8
Alright, just an update on what I believe to be my oldest vessel... The SS Master was built in 1922, restored in the 1960s by World Ship Society of Western Canada (someone should have given the Sidney to them), then had her own preservation society set up in 1985. In the 1980s she went through a five year refit (take that QofNW) and was rededicated as the flagship of Expo 86. A quote from her society's website: The only surviving steam powered, locally built, wood hulled tugboat in British Columbia, and (we believe) in North America. The closest to original state of any of the surviving hulls produced by BC's master tugboat builder, Arthur Moscrop of Vancouver. Designated as a "Heritage Object" by the Province of BC, and the City of Vancouver.
The MASTER has survived by luck, not by planning, to become the sole representative of an early era of the tugboat industry and its concomitants, the forest and mining industries.www.ssmaster.org/The-Past.html(I was also going to say... with all this oldest vessel rostering, some of our members have inadvertently *ahem* dated themselves with regard to certain eras of recent history... What's the term they use for that? 'Your roots are showing' ;D. Oops did I say that on a public thread?)
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Post by EGfleet on Dec 16, 2008 8:05:01 GMT -8
For me it would be the Quinalt and Klickitat (perhaps EGFleet can help me out as to which one is older ), and I've also been on that old paddle-wheeler tied up at Westminster Quay (not the casino one, the one further west) Launch dates for the Steel Electrics are: Willapa 15 January 1927 Klickitat 5 March 1927 Enetai 17 March 1927 Illahee 23 March 1927 Nisqually 14 April 1927 Quinault 30 April 1927
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Post by kerryssi on Dec 16, 2008 9:25:17 GMT -8
The old Pender Queen (1929) Does the Cutty Sark count?
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Nick
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Chief Engineer - Queen of Richmond
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Post by Nick on Dec 16, 2008 10:07:13 GMT -8
Pender Queen (Ex Motor Princess) was built in 1923, not 1929. I'm guessing that was just a slip...
From what I have heard, I'm getting sorrier and sorrier that I never had the chance to ride her. I would have loved to see that huge wheel in action.
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Post by Starsteward on Dec 16, 2008 10:29:58 GMT -8
Dear Mill Bay: My reference to the MV El Primero could well land me in the 'dating ourselves' category:) however as long as we have no one recalling their voyage on the 'ARK' we should be ok. Tanks to excapg2 for reminding me of outings taken to Belcarra Park on board the old Harbour Ferries boats, Hollyburn, Scenic etc. Gosh, I am getting ancient.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Dec 16, 2008 19:25:43 GMT -8
Does the Cutty Sark count? ha ha: West Coast of Canada, not of England. What other famous ships did you visit when you visited (or lived in) England?
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Post by cohocatcher on Dec 16, 2008 19:46:48 GMT -8
I know that being aboard a replica of an original (even if the replica was built in 1988 using the same materials and tools as the original) but I was (in spirit anyway) aboard the Nina in Richmond (14??).
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Post by Northern Exploration on Dec 16, 2008 20:05:16 GMT -8
Maybe the liquid Cutty Sark ;D.
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Post by BreannaF on Dec 17, 2008 9:07:05 GMT -8
Launch dates for the Steel Electrics are: Willapa 15 January 1927 Klickitat 5 March 1927 Enetai 17 March 1927 Illahee 23 March 1927 Nisqually 14 April 1927 Quinault 30 April 1927 The one thing I find most notable about this list is that, in order to get these ferries out a couple of weeks apart over a couple of months, that there would have been quite a few ships being built at the same time. I suppose "things were done differently" way back then. But I am guessing that there are few facilities in the world now that have that many simultaneous projects going on at the same time. Dear Mill Bay: My reference to the MV El Primero could well land me in the 'dating ourselves' category:) however as long as we have no one recalling their voyage on the 'ARK' we should be ok. Tanks to excapg2 for reminding me of outings taken to Belcarra Park on board the old Harbour Ferries boats, Hollyburn, Scenic etc. Gosh, I am getting ancient. Naw, we're not getting ancient. We're just getting better at getting the youngsters to drool over what used to be. Besides, I thought the best part of "dating yourself" was that no one else could comlpain about where you went on your date....
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Post by kerryssi on Dec 17, 2008 10:19:05 GMT -8
I visited the Cutty Sark on one of my trips to England. It was amazing to see the conditions the crews lived under. The crew accomodation was a small dog house on deck with bunks 5 ft by 2 ft. Two people sitting on bunks opposite each other would be able to touch knees. The galley was not any bigger and was in a second dog house on deck. There was no room to stand up below deck. I had to duckwalk where the cargo was stored. On the same trip I visited the Golden Hind replica. It is amazing to see how small it realy is and to think how far it sailed in all conditions.
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FNS
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Post by FNS on Dec 17, 2008 12:08:24 GMT -8
Launch dates for the Steel Electrics are: Willapa 15 January 1927 Klickitat 5 March 1927 Enetai 17 March 1927 Illahee 23 March 1927 Nisqually 14 April 1927 Quinault 30 April 1927 The one thing I find most notable about this list is that, in order to get these ferries out a couple of weeks apart over a couple of months, that there would have been quite a few ships being built at the same time. I suppose "things were done differently" way back then. But I am guessing that there are few facilities in the world now that have that many simultaneous projects going on at the same time. The ILLAHEE and QUINAULT were built by Moore of Oakland. The WILLAPA, KLICKITAT, and NISQUALLY were built by Bethlehem of San Francisco. The ENETAI was built by General Engineering of Alameda. Amazingly, all the original Main Deck and Hull work was nearly or fully identical to each other despite being built by three yards. The yards, however, did their own slight variations in the cabin construction. The SF and Alameda yards followed the camber of the top deck for the top edges of the end and observatory windows, resulting in taller observatory windows than the Oakland twins (which were even in height all around on those two). The Oakland yard installed longer wheelhouse patios and added an extra curve to the handrails of the ladders behind the officer quarters (compared to the simple single curve on the SF vessels and the even simpler wood extensions on the Alameda vessel).
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Nick
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Chief Engineer - Queen of Richmond
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Post by Nick on Dec 17, 2008 13:11:36 GMT -8
So I'm curious, if they were virtually identical, was there any difference in final purchase price between the yards?
A similar situation happened 33 years later, with the construction of the Sidney and Tsawwassen. Sidney was built at VMD, and the Tsawwassen was built at Burrard. If I recall, there was a difference of about $50,000 in the final price between the two.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Dec 17, 2008 19:16:41 GMT -8
On the same trip I visited the Golden Hind replica. It is amazing to see how small it realy is and to think how far it sailed in all conditions. local author Sam Bawlf thinks the Golden Hinde made it all the way to Comox (in his book: "The secret voyage of Sir Francis Drake").
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Post by Northern Exploration on Dec 17, 2008 19:34:34 GMT -8
On the same trip I visited the Golden Hind replica. It is amazing to see how small it realy is and to think how far it sailed in all conditions. local author Sam Bawlf thinks the Golden Hinde made it all the way to Comox (in his book: "The secret voyage of Sir Francis Drake). That is the same thing with John Cabot's ship the Matthew. It mind boggling that such small ships sailed so many miles. But at the same time it explains why so many people died in shipwrecks or just disappeared.
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Post by kerryssi on Dec 18, 2008 17:07:07 GMT -8
Flugel.. Sam is a long time friend of mine and ex CEO of BCFC. he actualy figures the Hind made it all the way to Alaska. I read the proofs of his book which I found facinating. He lives in Vesuvius.
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