|
Post by Balfour on Jun 29, 2008 15:40:47 GMT -8
Greetings Soundy! There is tons of information and photos of the Queen of Sidney on this forum, so feel free to take a good look around. The Queen of Sidney is currently sitting up the Fraser River near Mission. The Ferry that you speak of is the ex-Queen of Victoria. It was used to shuttle to relief supplies to Ecuador at the end of 2000. At that time it was renamed Queen of Ocoa. Sadly, she has been broken up at Alang Shipbreaking in India
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Jun 29, 2008 16:34:56 GMT -8
Definitely the old Queen of Victoria (then renamed Queen of Ocoa). There was a fire on-board the ship in Vancouver, once she was loaded with relief supplies. We had a great debate on this forum about whether she was actually broken-up on the beach at Alang, India...or not. There was a photo of her on the beach, and we were trying to figure out who she really was. If you'd like one of us to point you towards some old discussion threads re Queen of Victoria (post BC Ferries), I'd be happy to. But it sounds like the Q-Sidney was your goal, so if you're finding what you need re 'Sidney, great. Our Proboards-forum has a good search tool at the bottom of the forum's home page. Just remember to switch the button to say "ferriesbc.proboards20.com" instead of "web". If you have other unanswered questions, go ahead and try us out for more direct questions, using this here thread. Lots of us have done lots of Sidney research, and some of our members have been "on board" at her current river location. Welcome, and I hope you find the info that you need....
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2008 22:35:40 GMT -8
Actually, I'm quite familiar with the QoS's location; I drive past it regularly (although until today, I didn't know that's which ship it was) I had been searching to see if it was the aforementioned "relief supplies" ship I'd been thinking about, and that search led me here... and now you've answered that question too. Thanks!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2008 17:46:12 GMT -8
The new owner of the Queen of Victoria, Queen of Ocoa transported supplies to the area from Vancouver---free of charge. He was going that way. The relief agencies in Vancouver had only 3 days to gather up what they did.
|
|
|
Post by Dane on Sept 6, 2008 1:09:50 GMT -8
Does anyone know when the Queen of Victoria ended her service life? I read a report today that said the vessel was expected to be unserviceable for the 1996 and 1997 seasons owing to need for fairly extensive work (which was not outlined). Yet, I have seen photos, even in this thread of her in service at least in 1996.
|
|
|
Post by Ferryman on Sept 6, 2008 7:54:46 GMT -8
I think she lasted right up until Summer of 1997. I have a copy of some of Karls Ferry videos, and in one of them the Victoria is sitting in Berth 1 at Departure Bay. I seem to recall her providing some sort of minimal supplemental service on Routes 2 and 30 that summer, and also saw her in Departure Bay with my own eyes. She was definitely the old slow boat as I remember just dreading a trip on her, and I wasn't comfortable being around the heavy vibrations she had near the end of her life.
|
|
|
Post by WettCoast on Sept 10, 2008 20:17:20 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 17, 2008 17:06:01 GMT -8
Here's a look-back in today's Victoria newspaper.
===================== Sept. 17, 1969: B.C. plans to stretch three more ferries This Day in History Times Colonist Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The provincial government announced its intention Tuesday to call tenders for the "stretching" of three more ferries, but a highways department spokesman later indicated it might take up to three years to complete the job.
A small newspaper advertisement appearing for the first time Tuesday, under the heading Notice to Shipyards, said tenders were being called for the lengthening by 84 feet each of the Queen of Saanich, Queen of Victoria, and Queen of Vancouver.
Department officials said later, however, that only one of the vessels -- the Queen of Victoria -- would be converted this winter at a cost expected to be over $2,000,000. The job will take until spring, and only one ferry at a time can be taken out of service. All available ferries, it is expected, will be pressed into service next summer to meet the tourist rush, which means a late fall 1970 start at earliest on the second of the new series of conversions. The third stretching operation would therefore be carried out starting late in 1971.
The Queen of Esquimalt was cut in half last winter and a new 84-foot midships section welded into place. The stretching operation added 55 new car spaces, boosting the total capacity to more than 200 cars, and providing room for 200 more passengers for a total of 1,200.
The job was done by Burrard Drydock, North Vancouver, for $2,200,000. During the election campaign, Premier Bennett announced that five ferries on the mainland-Vancouver Island run would all be stretched in the near future to meet the demands of increased peak traffic.
-- The Daily Colonist
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2008 ============
|
|
|
Post by CN2972South on Oct 8, 2008 3:47:17 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Oct 8, 2008 6:51:24 GMT -8
Thanks Tyler: I enjoyed the other stuff on the old archived webpage too, including the other ship profiles, the old Discovery Coast schedule, the inside-passage promotional paragraphs, etc. A good glimpse at the last years of the Dogwood-era.
|
|
|
Post by Ferryman on Jul 8, 2009 22:54:51 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by EGfleet on Jul 9, 2009 9:36:16 GMT -8
Given that at the bottom of that page it says:
Disposal Data:
BU Alang 5.1.06
I'd say yes, that pretty much puts the final nail in the coffin of the old girl.
|
|
Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,177
|
Post by Neil on Jul 9, 2009 11:08:51 GMT -8
Given that at the bottom of that page it says: Disposal Data:BU Alang 5.1.06 I'd say yes, that pretty much puts the final nail in the coffin of the old girl. But, EG, did you happen to look up the Sechelt Queen on that site? She's listed, but there's no disposal noted. Could it be...? Actually, I hope not. She might be rotting away somewhere, a la the Queen of Sidney.
|
|
|
Post by EGfleet on Jul 9, 2009 12:58:58 GMT -8
Given that at the bottom of that page it says: Disposal Data:BU Alang 5.1.06 I'd say yes, that pretty much puts the final nail in the coffin of the old girl. But, EG, did you happen to look up the Sechelt Queen on that site? She's listed, but there's no disposal noted. Could it be...? Actually, I hope not. She might be rotting away somewhere, a la the Queen of Sidney. I did look, actually. If there's anything left of her, it'd only be a hull. She was stripped all the way down in prep for a new superstructure to be built on her, which never happened. This is the last thing I've ever been able to find on her: Steamboat Bill # 222 Summer of 1997: The former Black Ball and b.C. Ferry Chinook b)Chinook II c) Chinook II d) Sechelt Queen, presently a stripped down hull has been put up for sale by auction at Mobile, Alabama after owner Monarch Casino & Resort failed to obtain a casino license to operate in Indiana.
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 15, 2009 15:45:49 GMT -8
Liferaft drill aboard MV Queen of Victoria, Deas Dock, 1998.
Fenk, who was a lousy cameraman at 10 years of age
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 15, 2009 16:33:53 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 15, 2009 17:59:06 GMT -8
I took them on Aug 1st, 1991. I'm glad I wrote the details on the backs of the pics..I knew it would come in handy some day! The Queen of Victoria at Swartz Bay as I was arriving on the Queen of Burnaby in order to catch the Chilli. WHY DIDN'T I GET ANY PICS OF THE BURNABY?!!! (yelling at myself)
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 15, 2009 18:34:27 GMT -8
found a few more from 66!
|
|
Kam
Voyager
Posts: 926
|
Post by Kam on Jan 24, 2010 22:48:24 GMT -8
I was looking at Alang beach on Google Earth and clicking on random Panoramio pictures and came acrross a pic of the QofVic.. www.panoramio.com/photo/1746315
|
|
|
Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 25, 2010 6:57:35 GMT -8
I was looking at Alang beach on Google Earth and clicking on random Panoramio pictures and came acrross a pic of the QofVic.. www.panoramio.com/photo/1746315Thanks for adding that to this thread. There are more pics of her at Alang, a page or 2 earlier in this here long thread. See post #242 for a better view. Some of the pics originally posted of her at Alang have now expired links, so it's good to have your current one posted again.
|
|
|
Post by Scott (Former Account) on May 10, 2010 12:05:07 GMT -8
One of my latest acquisitions...
|
|
|
Post by WettCoast on May 10, 2010 21:00:40 GMT -8
Scott,
I take it that you have acquired this life preserver, and not just a photo of same? By the style of this one (i.e. with BC provincial coat of arms) I would guess that it is from the 1960's. Perhaps there is evidence that it once read City of Victoria?
|
|
|
Post by Scott (Former Account) on May 11, 2010 11:11:11 GMT -8
Scott, I take it that you have acquired this life preserver, and not just a photo of same? By the style of this one (i.e. with BC provincial coat of arms) I would guess that it is from the 1960's. Perhaps there is evidence that it once read City of Victoria? Yes, I aquired this life preserver. I took a closer look at it, but cannot see any evidence that it use to say City beneath the Queen that is visibile. Do you happen to know what year BCF began replacing this style of life preserver? Upon first seeing it, I assumed that it was either from the mid-60's to sometime into the 70's. Unfortunately, the life preserver has no manufacture date, nor anything that could help place a specific time that it might have been used aboard the 'Victoria. The presever is a 30" Aer-O-Bouy made by Polyurcon Limited in Burlington, Ontario.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 12, 2010 21:13:52 GMT -8
I think that the life preserver is very old and could very well be one of the original ones. It is definitely one from the 60's. When we were kids, the life preserver mounted on the car deck was one thing we looked at when we would go on the boat. It was to tell us what boat we were on, as the sister ships looked alike. Dad was extremely proud that he had helped build all the Ferries that were built at VMD. Dad would always point out to us the parts he worked on as well.
|
|
|
Post by WettCoast on Jun 3, 2010 22:39:36 GMT -8
From the Cadieux & Griffiths book Dogwood Fleet - a photo taken at the stern on the sun deck of an unstretched V. Note the layout of ventilator, flag pole and search light. At that time V's and B's were virtually identical. That ventilator, BTW, brought odours from the galley wafting up to the sun deck resulting in either an intense hunger or the urge to toss your breakfast. The smell was usually like that from a large vat of french fry deep frying oil... In this photo you can also see some of the multitude of seagulls that used to follow the ferries. At that time food scraps used to be tossed from the aft of the galley over the side to feed the gulls. There was a slogan - follow the birds to Vancouver Island. Also visible is the wooden slat benches that were removed at the time of stretching. The QPR kept some of these on one of her aft decks until maybe 1990.l
|
|