CP's Princess Patricia

[WettCoast]

I am going through old slides and negatives and finding interesting stuff, such as this view of the ship that CP used to use for coastal cruising. This is the vessel from which Princess Cruise lines took its name.



This photo was taken in Prince Rupert harbour on June 14 1980, just prior to my first journey on the Queen of the North. I will post another P Patricia photo tomorrow.

[Fenklebaum]

Only these three words truly capture the sheer awesemity of that shot:

Funk. Doctor. Ape.

Thank you!!

[Mike C]

Kewl.

Thanks.

[Retrovision]

Thanks for those great shots, wetcoastkidjst.

fenklebaum said:

Only these three words truly capture the sheer awesemity of that shot:

Funk. Doctor. Ape.

Thank you!!

And I was starting to feel old because these youngins are getting to the point where they don't know some of the great artists of my time (Chris not knowing who Dennis Leary is comes to mind ). Thanks 'F' (Grade ); by putting a referrence that went right over my head, you've made me feel younger, and thereby made my night.

Cheers,
Graham (23 years young)

[Low Light Mike]

Wow, I do wish I had my time-machine handy, because I'd like to ride on that ship.

How rough/smooth would she have been in Queen Charlotte Sound or Milbanke Sound ?

I like the deck just below the boat-deck, where it's covered, and then enclosed at mid-ships.

[Retrovision]

flugelhorn said:

I like the deck just below the boat-deck, where it's covered, and then enclosed at mid-ships.

That's one of those features that makes a CP ship a CP ship; gotta love 'em.

[Curtis]

Nice Photos. Never Really Heard of this CP Ship though. How Many were there Anyway?

[Low Light Mike]

Here's something from the site that Gypsy just mentioned:

PRINCESS ELAINE Was built by John Brown & Company, and launched at Clydebank, Scotland on October 26, 1927, she was christened by Mrs. Stockwell Day. She was a triple screw steam turbine of 2125 gt. with a speed of just under 20 knots, with an average speed of 18.5 knots, her length was 291 ft. and width of 48 ft.


I thought that the Day family was only interested in Jet-Skis ?

[Ferryman]

She had a triple screw? I wonder how that worked.....Unless it means, 2 stern props, with one bow thruster....

[bcfcbccsscollector]

Bow thrusters did not exist back then. The "Elaine" had three screws at the stern, one port and starboard and one at the rudder, much like Titanic. I'll post a pic shortly from one of my books on CP.

Here it is....

[Ferryman]

Ohh ok, I get it now. I never even thought of the format of the Titanics hull. Very interesting!

[bcfcbccsscollector]

Funny thing Graham,

I saw the pics you posted from the website. Some great ones indeed!, but one pic that had to be a promotional tool, was the one of the skipper at the wheel. They never man the wheel. That is what the quartermaster is for. The look on his face kinda spells that fact too (Like, "Hurry up and take the G** D*** shot you twit"...) I have been on the bridge numerous times on the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen route, including Active Pass and at no time did the master ever come close to the wheel. Did you ever see Captain Kirk sitting beside Sulu or Chekov?? I rest my case................

[Low Light Mike]

I had dinner with my parents tonight, and I asked them about which ferries they remember travelling on, in the 1950's & '60's.

Dad disappointed by saying that he never rode the Blackball Kahloke or Chinook.

However, Mom said that she took both the Princess Patricia & Princess Marguerite from mainland to Victoria, during the early 1950's.

I asked Mom about her memories of those Princess ships, and she told me about a bad-memory that still bugs her:
- It was 1952 or so, and she was travelling to Victoria to attend "Normal School" (the old guys will know what that term means!)......and she was travelling from her home in Okanagan with a school friend, for both of them to attend school in Victoria.

Her friend was of Japanese heritage, but her family had grown up in Summerland (can you guess where I'm heading with this?). On the Princess Patricia or Marguerite, this friend of my mom's was not allowed into the dining room, and was not allowed to have a stateroom for the overnight trip.......because of her Japanese heritage. My mom said she didn't rent a stateroom for herself, as she was disgusted by the racism of it.

1952 coastal BC, and that's my mom's most vivid memory of travelling on those beautiful Princess ships - too bad.

Can anyone confirm those kinds of experiences? ie. have you heard similar stories? Remember, this was 1952, not 1942......