QUEEN OF BURNABY - Photos & Discussion

[ferryfanyvr]

Apr 2, 2011 16:26:30 GMT -8 Low Light Mike said:

For those anticipating a replacement for the Queen of Burnaby (and Nanaimo too) before March 2016, you may be disappointed.

The news from this week regarding the Ferry Commissioner's review of the Performance term-3 submission suggests that the Commissioner will ask BCFS to come up with a cheaper alternative to a "like for like" replacement of each of these ships.

This might mean a delay, a life-extension, or some sort of smaller or cheaper replacement.

Well I must say I am happy the Burnaby may stick around until 2016. Of course I have to admit I don't like change and want to cling to our old ships as long as possible. With some money invested in her I'm sure she has a few more years left in her...it's just too bad she has to fall into a state of disrepair before being brought up to "snuff" again. But I guess that's what happens when the funding issue is so uncertain from term to term.

[Low Light Mike]

The Queen of Burnaby and the Texada Island ferry do a dance every night, off of the Westview wharf.

- The Texada ferry arrives just before 8:30pm, discharges traffic, then vacates the berth so that the incoming 'Burnaby can unload, load and depart.

Then the Texada ferry returns to the berth to take on her load of traffic bound for Texada. There is some transfer traffic between the ships.

Here's the dance, on Saturday night, May 21, 2011.
- playing the role of Texada ferry is the original Texada Queen, the Tachek.

[Low Light Mike]

Here are some Q'Burnaby photos from the May 2011 long-weekend:
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Interesting view of the funnel, showing how one slug-set ends and another starts




Deck 3:




Does anyone know what the metal bar across the top of the deck is for?





BCFerries is showing us that the 'Burnaby is all ready for the summer tourist season.

[Low Light Mike]

Queen of Burnaby at Little River on May 23, 2011.

- photo vantage point is the new "Harwood Estates" subdivision, just off Wilkinson Rd., next to the ferry terminal.











I was able to watch them load stores in-between their sailings.
- starting to lift the box



- part-way up



- unloading at the top

[lmtengs]

May 25, 2011 19:32:14 GMT -8 Low Light Mike said:

Does anyone know what the metal bar across the top of the deck is for?

I'm assuming that this attaches to a sort of lifting mechanism to transport large object between decks without having to maneuver them through the elevator or stairwells.

[mrdot]

:)gosh darnit! are we in a contest for the best rustbucket still afloat? the once imaculate Queen's of wacky Bennet's navy are all looking pritty awful under private management, and we better not point a finger at any other fleet! the tragedy at Swartz Bay is another downer, but for a pleasent uplift, how bout those cannucks? lets go for the cup, before my time is up! :)mrdot.

[Kahloke]

Wow! Burnaby's looking pretty sad these days. How much longer can they keep deferring maintenance on her? We can't even say Hyak is worse anymore because Hyak got repainted this winter.

[Koastal Karl]

She needs a paint job that's all I have to say!

[Nick]

May 25, 2011 20:42:54 GMT -8 Kahloke said:

Wow! Burnaby's looking pretty sad these days. How much longer can they keep deferring maintenance on her? We can't even say Hyak is worse anymore because Hyak got repainted this winter.

Nope. The Rustbucket of the Seas award has shifted north of the border.

I always thought that AMHS was genius for painting their vessels dark blue. Can't see the rust...

[ferryfanyvr]

May 25, 2011 20:42:54 GMT -8 Kahloke said:

Wow! Burnaby's looking pretty sad these days. How much longer can they keep deferring maintenance on her? We can't even say Hyak is worse anymore because Hyak got repainted this winter.

She is scheduled for some major work this fall so hopefully she'll look much better after that! Since her retirement date is now set at sometime in 2017 I guess they're finally willing to spend some money on her.

[WettCoast]

Yeah, the Burnaby now looks as if she would be fit to enter the Tamil migrant trade, bringing another load of would-be immigrants to Canada.

The words & phrases that come to mind: 'Cadillac', 'whole new level of service', etc.

Surely this is an embarrassment to D. Hahn & company?

May 25, 2011 19:32:14 GMT -8 Low Light Mike said:

Does anyone know what the metal bar across the top of the deck is for?

This bar would be used to mount a portable hoist/crane. I would think that the crane on the deck below for lowering & raising the rescue boat could be used to get other heavy equipment up to the Promenade Deck, and then this crane would bring it on up to the Sun Deck.

I have never seen any arrangement like this on any other V-0, V-1 or V-2 (Sidney, Victoria or Burnaby class, that is).

[Ferryman]

Jim has pretty much nailed it. The bar is for a block and tackle that hoists the link rafts up from deck 4 to deck 5. Then the canisters are wheeled into position on deck 5. The Burnabys LSA is brought aboard by helicopter, and I'm assuming that the former embarkation deck for the lifeboats is where they are placed by the helicopter. On the Nanaimo, there's hatches on deck 4 that access the car deck. So a block and tackle can be setup to bring the LSA up to the deck they need to be on without needing a helicopter.

[Low Light Mike]

The spinning Queen of Burnaby on May 23, 2011, as viewed from Harwood Estates at Little River.
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[mrdot]

:)egads, this is quite the rusticle spinorama of Burnaby shots! not flattering to the old girl, but the shots you snapped of the old higwy's ferry sure looked good in comparison. :)mrdot.

[piglet]

WAC must be rolling over in his grave the way one of his babies is looking. It makes me cringe to look at this grand lady.

[WettCoast]

May 27, 2011 22:22:58 GMT -8 piglet said:

WAC must be rolling over in his grave the way one of his babies is looking. It makes me cringe to look at this grand lady.

Well said!

[Low Light Mike]

Bow shots of the Queen of Burnaby arriving at Westview on May 21 and 23.
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And for those interested in the fine detail, here's a Spaulding ladder.

[mrdot]

:)once again mr. horn, your Burnaby photospread is supberb, but very troubling when you compare with brother wettcoast's shots from way back in the 60's when they were prime in Bennett's navy! yes wacky would roll over in his grave if he could see them now, in the rusty slug costume! :'(mrdot.

[Neil]

May 29, 2011 19:59:31 GMT -8 mrdot said:

:)once again mr. horn, your Burnaby photospread is supberb, but very troubling when you compare with brother wettcoast's shots from way back in the 60's when they were prime in Bennett's navy! yes wacky would roll over in his grave if he could see them now, in the rusty slug costume! :'(mrdot.

Don't be so sure of that. Bennett built his fleet on the strength of a provincial treasury flush with cash from indiscriminately mowing down old growth forests, ripping the ground open for pit mines, and fishing the seas with abandon. Given the economy that Gordon Campbell inherited, WAC might also have happily hired David Hahn and allowed him to paint his waves all over the privatized dogwoods. The 'Burnaby might not look any better.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and we've forgotten how happy so many people were to get rid of WAC in '72. Ferry fans have mythologized the guy a bit too much, methinks.

[mrdot]

:)yes neil voyager, I have been waxing prosaic over wacky, and my dad felt all the things you expressed about the man, but I reckon he would not have given lord hahn the stipend he now has when you compare it to what monte auldous received, and he paid out just over 3 million for his first ferries delevered, all from BC yards, most from VMD. but you are quite rite, these are different times and we must firm up orders at the former U boot yards! :'(mrdot.

[Starsteward]

B.C. Ferries corporate image sure takes a broadside hit with the current condition of the Queen of Burnaby and they should be totally ashamed to have the ship sailing in that condition.
I realize most of the 'condition' is cosmetic but what a bleeping mess!!
In July 1964, working out of Horseshoe Bay, we transferred from the wasted-out Sechelt Queen and took over the brand new Queen of Nanaimo, the 'Burnaby' followed shortly thereafter), and I can still smell the fresh paint, and the 'new-car' smell of the whole ship.
Brand new and in pristine shape back in the day, the passage of time and the state that B.C. Ferries has allowed both the Queen of Burnaby and the Queen of Nanaimo is enough to bring me to angry tears.

[Name Omitted]

Many of these shots have a line of rust on the hull below and just after the Bridge. It almost appears like there used to be an opening to the car-deck, but I can't find any older shots that has something there.

What about the architecture creates that line of rust?

Also, what was the arrangement by which she became the Royal Victorian? Earlier in the thread, it was mentioned that she underwent a $3.5 million dollar refit, and there have been mention a couple of times of her being repurchased by BC Ferries, but why was she sold in the first place, who bought her, and why was she re-purchased? This seems like a very strange situation from a fleet planing perspective.

Thanks

[Low Light Mike]

May 30, 2011 10:39:02 GMT -8 Name Omitted said:

but why was she sold in the first place, who bought her, and why was she re-purchased? This seems like a very strange situation from a fleet planing perspective.
Thanks

Sold in first place:
- she was a surplus ship and the Gov't controlled BC Ferries decided to sell her to a different Gov't controlled ferry company.
- this "different company" was set up by the Govt of the day to operate a car-ferry route from Victoria to Seattle, in hopes of creating tourism for the Province.

- the Victoria-Seattle route was not a sustainable idea, and so it died after a couple of years of losses.

So the ship because surplus to this special company, and BC FErries then had a need for the ship (because of some other ship retirements in the fleet), and so it was sold back to BC Ferries.

Basically shuffled from one Government department to another, and then back again.

[Kahloke]

May 30, 2011 13:17:10 GMT -8 Low Light Mike said:

Sold in first place:
- she was a surplus ship and the Gov't controlled BC Ferries decided to sell her to a different Gov't controlled ferry company.
- this "different company" was set up by the Govt of the day to operate a car-ferry route from Victoria to Seattle, in hopes of creating tourism for the Province.

- the Victoria-Seattle route was not a sustainable idea, and so it died after a couple of years of losses.

Basically shuffled from one Government department to another, and then back again.

Clipper Navigation operated the vessel for a short time, when it was named Princess Marguerite III. So, did Clipper Navigation (a private company) own the vessel at that time, or were they just leasing it from someone?

[Dane]

They owned it.