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Post by northwesterner on May 9, 2006 22:03:59 GMT -8
Question:
What were the last regular assignments these two vessels held down ... and what kind of fill-in work did they do between the end of those assignments and their retirement?
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Post by Curtis on May 10, 2006 6:49:26 GMT -8
I think they were both serving their named routes before the Bowen and Howe Sound Queen Arrived, I think they were retired right after that
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Post by Quinsam on May 10, 2006 7:18:44 GMT -8
No, they were retired in 1995. The Bowen and Howe Sound Queens arrived in 1965 or 1967.
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SHipbuilders daughterwife
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Post by SHipbuilders daughterwife on May 10, 2006 8:53:52 GMT -8
Wasn't the Vesuvious Queen up for sale?
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Post by NMcKay on May 10, 2006 11:19:32 GMT -8
the vesuvius queen did regular work @ albion, as well as during the sea to sky highway landslide, she was pushed into service between HSB and Squamish
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Post by Ferryman on May 10, 2006 14:50:14 GMT -8
The Saltspring Queen was sold in 1996, and the Vesuvius Queen was sold in 1997. These two ferries were replacements for the Minors, and were probably not needed once the Capilano and Cumberland came around. They did go from Horseshoe Bay to Squamish when the highway was closed, due to landslides. Then it wasn't long until one of the berths at Swartz Bay (Minor Berth) was taken out, and moved to Porteau Cove, which is the halfway point between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish. I believe the Nicola also assisted the Vesuvius Queen as well on that route. But I don't think they've had to use a Ferry on Howe Sound since.
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Post by Curtis on May 10, 2006 17:46:17 GMT -8
No, they were retired in 1995. The Bowen and Howe Sound Queens arrived in 1965 or 1967. Not what I meant. I should rephrase that They were on their Said Routes Before the Bowen and Howe Sound Queen Replaced them |
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Neil
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Post by Neil on May 10, 2006 18:18:26 GMT -8
The Porteau Cove dock seems to have been like a good luck charm for the Squamish Highway- there have been, as Chris mentioned, very few major road closures since it was built.
Both the Vesuvius and Saltspring served on seasonal supplementary Gulf Islands runs from time to time after they left their long time routes, and one of them (can't remember which) ran in tandem with Kahloke at least one summer to Denman Island.
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Post by Airchime on May 11, 2006 10:57:40 GMT -8
My apologies for hijacking this thread, but Chris said they removed a berth from Swartz Bay? Where there originally 6 berths their at one time? I've often wondered if that slab of concrete with a gate at the end was once a berth. I suppose that's the berth that was closed?
The Vesuvius was sold to a company in the Dominican Republic. (If memory serves, it's the same company that bought the Victoria). And the Saltspring was scrapped locally (in Delta).
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Post by northwesterner on May 11, 2006 11:56:28 GMT -8
The Porteau Cove dock seems to have been like a good luck charm for the Squamish Highway- there have been, as Chris mentioned, very few major road closures since it was built. Both the Vesuvius and Saltspring served on seasonal supplementary Gulf Islands runs from time to time after they left their long time routes, and one of them (can't remember which) ran in tandem with Kahloke at least one summer to Denman Island. So - circa 1991, the Vesuvius Queen was bumped off of Crofton-Vesuvius, and Saltspring Queen was bumped off of Fulford-SWB by bigger boats (Howe Sound Queen and Bowen Queen) that were bumped off by the new I-Boats. After that point, the vessels served only as overload and fill-in boats. Thanks for the info. Another question the - both the Bowen Queen and Howe Sound Queen are substantially larger than the Vesuvius Queen and Saltspring Queen were. Were they too big for the routes when they took over? Or were the Vesuvius and Saltspring much too small for the routes they ran and had to be supplimented by additional sailings and vessels? Obviously Fulford-SWB has seen some growth, as the Bowen Queen lasted less than a decade before being replaced by the even larger Skeena Queen. |
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Neil
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Post by Neil on May 11, 2006 13:01:59 GMT -8
Bowen Queen took over the Fulford run before she was lengthened, in '74, so she spent about 23 years on that route. Saltspring Queen took about 32 cars (not 36, as claimed), and the Bowen, before stretching, took 50. Howe Sound Queen's capacity may not have been needed when she first ran to Vesuvius, but there was no available ferry of an intermediate size, and the Vesuvius Queen was too small.
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Post by kylefossett on May 11, 2006 14:38:45 GMT -8
the howe sound queen is needed on that route now for the majority of the time
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Neil
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Post by Neil on May 11, 2006 15:46:41 GMT -8
....and, in the category of useless trivia, the only time in BC Ferries history where one ship replaced another of the same name, was when the present Bowen Queen was launched in 1965, replacing the previous Bowen Queen, which was re-named Vesuvius Queen. There's something to wow the crowd with at your next party.
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Post by Curtis on May 11, 2006 16:24:50 GMT -8
I'd find that so funny if there was a service notice saying
Starting June 1st the Bowen Queen will be put into service on the Horseshoe Bay-Bowen Island Route Permanently. It will be replacing the Bowen Queen which will be moved To the New Crofton-Vesuvuis Route and renamed Vesuvius Queen
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SHipbuilders daughterwife
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Post by SHipbuilders daughterwife on May 11, 2006 17:56:54 GMT -8
Berth 2 was demolished at Swartz Bay, in January. It is being replaced by a $25 Million floating berth, which will accommodate larger Spirit boats. Construction is going on now and it should be ready for late June, early July. Most of the structure has been
pre-fabricated and is being put into place.
There is an article on page C3 of Thurs/May 11 Times Colonist.
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Post by Ferryman on May 11, 2006 19:24:17 GMT -8
My apologies for hijacking this thread, but Chris said they removed a berth from Swartz Bay? Where there originally 6 berths their at one time? I've often wondered if that slab of concrete with a gate at the end was once a berth. I suppose that's the berth that was closed? The Vesuvius was sold to a company in the Dominican Republic. (If memory serves, it's the same company that bought the Victoria). And the Saltspring was scrapped locally (in Delta). I'm not too familiar with Swartz Bay, but that would sound like that would be original spot for the Porteau Cove dock. When we went for the tour on the Garibaldi II, one of the members asked the captain where that dock came from. He said it was no longer needed at Swartz Bay, and seeming there was a temporary Ferry service to substitute the Sea to Sky Highway, it would be necessary to install a Ferry dock at the halfway point, to detour traffic for half of the highway, instead of the full way up to Squamish, if they didn't need to. The landslides usually happened between Porteau Cove, and some parts of the road that lead to where a bridge once was, is now a drop off into a creek. Slowly, that's changing now the the latest improvements, as the Construction crews are working at full speed ahead at the moment, with there being construction zones almost right up to Whistler. Anyways, back on to the topic with the Porteau dock....I believe it was only used once or twice since it was installed in the early to mid 90's. If it were needed right now, crews would need to work on it for a few days, to remove the picnic tables, and benches off of the dock, as it's more of a tourist pier now. But, from a distance, it looks like a regular BC Ferry dock. photosbychris2006.fotopic.net/p25615227.htmlAlso, for anyone who's wondering, the Garibaldi IIs dock at Darrel Bay is in the same state it was, when the Garibaldi II was in service. You would think the ferry is still operating, but yet the ferry is no where in sight. I like that dock, as it's old technology, with the creosote covered logs. |
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Post by Dane on May 11, 2006 21:47:10 GMT -8
If it were needed right now, crews would need to work on it for a few days, to remove the picnic tables, and benches off of the dock, crews replace with: Dane days replace with: no more than 4 hours, not like they'd be able to get a ferry that fast but that's how it's supposed to be. A contractor maintains the dock and its operations once a year, it was last done 3 weeks ago. |
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Post by Scott on May 11, 2006 22:28:44 GMT -8
Here's some inside info on what happened to the Vesuvius Queen...
She was renamed Elupina I and moved to the Dominican Republic. She developed engine trouble and barely made it into port in Baja California where it underwent repairs. The ferry was abandoned off the coast of Mexico in a hurricane... the crew was rescued by the Mexican Coast Guard. A couple days later, they found the ferry floating near some islands. Finally after arriving at the Dominican Republic, she was put into service between Samana and Sabana de la Mar. Although the new car ferry service was met with much "fanfare" and an "onboard celebration"... it lacked proper docking facilities and was a lot slower than the smaller and faster passenger ferries. After that venture fell apart, they used her for whale watching a couple time... and last word (3-4 years ago) she was just left anchored off the coast of one of the islands down there.. basically just rotting away.
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Post by NMcKay on May 13, 2006 17:23:17 GMT -8
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Post by NMcKay on May 13, 2006 17:24:32 GMT -8
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Post by Mike C on May 13, 2006 19:03:46 GMT -8
Highly under-maintainenced. oohhh god, I can't l  k. It would take a lot to bring it back to BC Ferries, but it could be good for Thetis-Chemainus-Kuper. |
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Post by Ferryman on May 13, 2006 20:02:14 GMT -8
Wow, that's crazy to see the Vesuvius Queen nearly a decade after she was sold. Looks like they added more passenger deck space above. She's in the kind of condition where she'll be taken to the scrapyard very soon.
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Post by Quinsam on May 21, 2006 10:32:10 GMT -8
That's a nice photo, but why is she all grey instead of the blue line?
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Post by Curtis on May 21, 2006 10:35:16 GMT -8
She actually is in the Pastel Blue the photo just makes it look grey
Great find by the Way
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Post by Queen of Nanaimo Teen on May 21, 2006 10:50:09 GMT -8
Where is that old photo of the Vesuvius Queen taken?
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