Sould the Tsawwassen be saved for museum?

[Cool Ray]

With the Sidney too far gone to be saved, it’s twin the Tsawwassen sould be part of the Pacific/Arctic Maritime Museum, that will open in 2010 at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. She was built in the shipyard that will become the site of the new museum and should be restored to how she appeared when she enter service in June 1960.

The Tsawwassen is due for retirement in June 2008, so the museum has almost two years to restored her.

How do you feel about that.

Cool Ray

[Curtis]

That would be great we just need to find a way to get them to buy her

[Ferryman]

Yeah that would be a great idea! I just saw the article on BCTV with the announcement of the new maritime museum. It would be a better idea to put the Tsawwassen in one of the old buildings that they're going to renovate, or practically rebuild, as that's what Cascade stated with it obviously being cheaper to have the vessel out of the water on land. But it's almost too bad that they're not going to use that site to build ships anymore, but that has already been discussed many times. If anything they could just use the old CFI building to build ships if they have to, or Victoria will get to handle building any new ships. No that it would be a bad thing, it's just too bad there isn't a ship building industry anymore. Hard to imagine seeing the Tsawwassen in one of these buildings, but it's worth trying to get them motivated thats for sure.
ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chris_iscool2001/detail?.dir=ff61&.dnm=70e0re2.jpg&.src=ph

[Balfour]

I think seeing that would be great! BC Ferries is a huge part of the Maritime history here in Coastal BC, and having the "original BC Ferry" available for the public to see would be awesome.

[Cool Ray]

I'm sure that Heritage Canada, Western Canadian Diversification Fund, The BC Government, The City of North Vancouver could likely funds the purchase of her. Heck, three of these groups already give $225,000 to the West Coast Railway Association to return the Royal Hudson steam locomotive to service.

Us Canadians love our Heritage and not saving the Taswwassen would be like 1870’s grain mill in New Brunswick, being knock down to make way for a highway in the 1920’s. No one would miss it at first, however, sixty years later I’m quite sure the CBC would not make a half-hour documentary on the 1920’s highway (That was likely rebuild a few times be then.), they would do one on the 1870’s grain mill.

But, the Taswwassen is not the first BC Ferry, (since the Sidney’s gone.) she deserve a chance to be the last of her generation.

Cool Ray

[Doug]

It would be a good idea...but it had better start soon as a few hundred thousand doesn't just grow on trees in two years.

Chris: isn't the Tsawwassen a little big for any building...ferries could be compared to the high rises in Vancouver. How about this: remove the superstructure and put it on land if the hull would be too hard and expensive of a job...?

[Cool Ray]

I'm sure that Heritage Canada, Western Canadian Diversification Fund, The BC Government, The City of North Vancouver could likely funds the purchase of her. Heck, three of these groups already give $225,000 to the West Coast Railway Association to return the Royal Hudson steam locomotive to service.

Us Canadians love our Heritage and not saving the Taswwassen would be like 1870’s grain mill in New Brunswick, being knock down to make way for a highway in the 1920’s. No one would miss it at first, however, sixty years later I’m quite sure the CBC would not make a half-hour documentary on the 1920’s highway (That was likely rebuild a few times be then.), they would do one on the 1870’s grain mill.

Though, the Taswwassen is not the "Original" member of the BC Ferry fleet, the Sidney is gone, so she deserve a chance to be the last of her generation.

Cool Ray

[Ferryman]

dougubell said:

Chris: isn't the Tsawwassen a little big for any building...ferries could be compared to the high rises in Vancouver. How about this: remove the superstructure and put it on land if the hull would be too hard and expensive of a job...?

Yeah they could do that as well I guess. But wasn't the Tsawwassen built in one of those buildings, or was it built outside? If anyone knows anyway...wait..come to think of it...it was built along the side of the outside of one of those buildings. But I don't remembering seeing any type of floor in those buildings when I was there last week. So they might be able to fit it in the larger building, which was the one in Homeward Bound II I believe.
As for the Hudson, they got alot of donations from people visiting the Railway Heritage Park in Squamish, plus with a bit of Federal Support I think. So someone was determined to get that train going again. Now only if we could do the same for the Tsawwassen.

[hergfest]

Anyone have the link for info on this new museum?

[Dane]

hergfest said:

Anyone have the link for info on this new museum?

I havent been able to find a site about it, hopefully some one else knows. You can get info from the City of North Van, and they have an office down on the waterfront area that has a small amount of info, too.

[hergfest]

It is kind of a drive for me to go to North Vancouver from the Seattle area...lol

[Dane]

Details....

[Dane]

Speak of the Devil... Guess what's in today's "North Shore Outlook" ?





Maritime Museum a go



By JENNIFER MALONEY Staff Reporter
Jan 12 2006
After months of speculation, the North Vancouver City Mayor announced yesterday the City is taking steps to create the National Maritime Centre on The Pier development site in Lower Lonsdale.
“It will be an integral part of this community and Canada,” Mayor Darrell Mussatto said to the crowd of politicians and media representatives at the Tantra Lounge Wednesday morning. “The National Maritime Museum will be the anchor tenant.”
The City will now create The National Maritime Society to govern the new institution and obtain the necessary funding to develop a design concept.
The centre’s amenities will include a multi-use theatre, a maritime resource centre, a seaside restaurant and marina and space to host business forums and festivals.
The $32 million project is to be funded by all three levels of government with the intent of it becoming self-sustainable in its third year.
North Vancouver City will contribute waterfront land, significant heritage structures and maintenance of the pier and public plazas.
“We support it,” said Federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh, who was at the announcement. “I’m simply here to say your federal government will support you in wherever you want to go.”
However, Cindy Silver, the North Vancouver Conservative candidate, criticized the timing of the announcement, contending it was a premature political promise.
“I think it’s a great project,” she said. “My only hesitation is due diligence hasn’t been done.”
Silver noted the Pacific Environment Centre was promised by Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal government to the North Shore during the 1974 election.
However the centre was never built and the site located under the Lions Gate Bridge is now contaminated with heavy metals. It remains vacant while tax payers continue to pay for its 71-year lease.
“It’s a disappointment to the City of North Vancouver and to the committee who have worked so hard to promote this,” North Van Liberal MP Don Bell said of Silver’s comments. “The timing is based on the City of North Vancouver moving the project forward. It’s not my project, but I’m very happy to support it.”

[Dane]

cascade said:

I wonder and really hope I am totally wrong - BUT isn't this just campaign speak?

We had the same problem here in the UK - the parties just promised everything - then after the election nothing has happen. The spin and promises all sound so truthful - that even I believed a few of them - now I am totally ashamed to admit that I believed a politician.

Well, the elections of the people responsible are pretty much over and done. You're right to a degree, but it has been in the works for a long time and projects on the North Shore ussually come to fruitation.

[Dane]

Well theyve already got the end of a Navy ship sitting there, thery better do something! Curently it's in the eye sore department.

[EGfleet]

I really hope the museum goes through, with the Tsawwassen as part of it, since the Sidney seems to be destined to be scrapped at this point...maybe the lunkheads down here will learn by example and come up with a maritime center in time for the first WSF ferry, the Evergreen State to be a part of it. This is good news, I'd sure be up for a trip to a real maritime center that wasn't located 800 miles away!

[Doug]

Big Mac indeed...and "Mr. Horn, sir" sounds about right too.

[Kam]

I think if she was returned to her original configuration she would fit just fine, but that kind of project would be in the millions i'm sure..

[Deleted]

Tie her up at the pier, and use her for a restaurant and a museum. Maybe rent out some space for meetings and such.
Some of her deck space could be used for meeting rooms. The use for this ferry can be limitless, if a person uses their imagination.

When my daughter graduated from high school a few years back, one of the Supermarket chains sponsored a Club Grad. This consisted of a BC Ferry decked out with lots of stuff for the grads to do. The Ferry did leave the dock and a fun time was had by all. Grads were checked to make sure no drugs or alcohol were brought on board.

Dancing and games on the car decks. Karokee on one of the passenger decks. Entertainers on other decks. A buffet in the cafeteria or restaurant. The night cost 75$ a person(slightly less if one saved grocery receipts from that particular store.) and it was a lot of fun. The Ferry was rented out for three consecutive nights---4 local high schools per night.

The Paddle Wheeler which sits on the shore line of Okanagon Lake in Penticton, operated as a restaurant and museum for many years. The last time I was on that boat, she was just a museum and was being restored to her former glory. I think that she had lots of volunteer hours and donations to help with the restoration work.

[Koastal Karl]

That would of been Thrifty Foods that sponsored the Club Grad as I work there so I remember that. I think they used the Princess Margurite/Queen of Burnaby for the grad events for a few years but I also thought one year they used the Queen of Saanich. Why dont they just rent a cruise ship??, lol! I see they have cruises now around that time of year called Dinner and Dance cruises on some big cruise ships. That would work out good too.

[Ferryman]

I had my Grad Party on the MV Britannia. She used to transport people down Howe Sound, from Squamish, after travellers had gone up on the Royal Hudson. It was still pretty nice. But I think slow dancing with your lover on the cardeck of the Queen of Burnaby or Saanich would have been way better...

[Deleted]

The year(2000) my daughter went to Club Grad, the ferry left from Swartz Bay. We had to drop her off and pick her up at one of the schools in Sidney, Buses then drove the grads to the Ferry. This was done to prevent massive congestion at Swartz Bay. By the time my younger daughter graduated, Fairway was sponsoring the Club Grad----it was at Silver City.

[SS San Mateo]

evergreenfleet said:

This is good news, I'd sure be up for a trip to a real maritime center that wasn't located 800 miles away!

I'm assuming you are refering to the one in San Francisco.

[Neil]

shipdaughterwife's idea for the 'Tsawwassen is an excellent one. The only thing better might be if the 'Tsawwassen could still be useful as a training vessel at Duke Point, as someone suggested might happen, as part of BC Ferries' Nanaimo training operations.

[Koastal Karl]

You think it would be noisy down there on the car deck to have a dance floor down there, lol! That would of been interesting. I graded in 2000 but never went on the grad cruise thingy.