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Post by Low Light Mike on Sept 5, 2006 16:58:32 GMT -8
from: www.westcoaster.ca/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=1122================================= By Westcoaster.ca Staff A falling rock has killed the co-owner of one of British Columbia’s most famous and historic passenger-freight boats. Brooke George, 61, and co-owner of the Lady Rose, died Sept. 3 during a hiking accident on Victoria Peak, a 2,163 metres rock face located in the Sutton Range, north of Strathcona Provincial Park. Roland Smith, also co-owner and manager of the Lady Rose, said George was participating in a guided hike with an outdoor group, and the accident took place during a decent at about 1:10 p.m. “They were in a staggered line, so many meters apart on the line,” said Smith. “A very large rock dislodged up the slope. As the rock came down, it gained momentum. “The members in the party hollered ‘rocks, rocks.’” “Brooke turn to see and was hit by the rock”. “It knocked him approximately 100 meters down a very rugged and rough boulder field.” Smith said it took four hours for two very fit members of the group to trek out of the area to their car and another four hours driving to reach the rescue station. Smith said George’s body was recovered Sept. 4 by helicopter. Originally christened the Lady Sylvia when launched in Glasgow, Scotland in 1937, the Lady Rose has served the B.C. coast for more than 60 years. Based out of Port Alberni, the Lady Rose travels between Port Alberni, Kildonan and Bamfield in the winter and Port Alberni, Kildonan, Bamfield and Ucluelet in the summer. The Westcoaster.ca has called the Campbell River RCMP for more details and is awaiting a response. ==================== |
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Post by poeticlives on Sept 5, 2006 23:59:28 GMT -8
That is quite terrible.
His memory lives on in the ship eh? As well as many other avenues in his life.
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Post by Northern Exploration on Aug 13, 2008 10:52:00 GMT -8
I still have to make time to take the Lady Rose to Bamfield. My last trip I diverted because my traveler companion was too nervous due to high winds and waves so we drove to Tofino instead. She still looks the same today.
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Kam
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Post by Kam on Aug 13, 2008 21:32:28 GMT -8
The Lady Rose, in Union service to the Gulf Islands  Wow, she hasn’t changed much over the years! Changed her search light and added radar and moved her name...  I took this one of her last year I think..  |
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Post by Kahloke on Aug 14, 2008 18:02:01 GMT -8
Wow, she hasn’t changed much over the years! Changed her search light and added radar and moved her name... I took this one of her last year I think.. I've been on the Lady Rose before. It was years ago (1989, I think). I was on a school field trip to the Marine Sciences Center at Bamfield. We took Lady Rose from Port Alberni. We were out there for two days as I recall - fun trip! Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of this little ship. |
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Post by shipyard on Aug 14, 2008 20:49:17 GMT -8
Unfortunately, it appears the Lady Rose's sailing days may be over. Maintenance cost are really skyrocketing for the seventy-something year old ship. She hasn't been run all summer, so time will tell.
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Post by Northern Exploration on Aug 15, 2008 7:47:14 GMT -8
Oh that is sad news. So the Francis Barkley must be doing all the runs. The Barkley seems to be a rather big ship to do the winter runs and I would imagine more expensive for fuel etc. The days of these antique boats seem limited so maybe time to get up to see the MV Uchuck then in Nootka Sound - although much more time consuming to get to. The story located at the link below is quite interesting with the various pieces from other coastal steamers and historic vessels used for the conversion. www.mvuchuck.com/mv-uchuck-3.php |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Oct 8, 2008 17:31:03 GMT -8
Here's a news story from last week, re the uncertain future of the Lady Rose ship: www.bclocalnews.com/community/30216899.html================= Uncertain future for Lady Rose Published: October 02, 2008 7:00 PM • Could this be the last year for MV Lady Rose? The 71-year-old ship’s fate is hanging in the balance as new owner Mike Surrell considers whether or not it’s time to retire the vessel, long an icon of the British Columbia west coast. The Lady Rose faces competition from MV Frances Barclay, also owned by Surrell, which is larger, can carry more cargo and twice as many passengers. The question on Surrell’s mind is whether there’s enough business to employ two ships. As well, the venerable ship faces an expensive Transport Canada inspection process, due to her age. Surrell isn’t using the Lady Rose at this time and, if he decides to discontinue her use permanently, he may turn the west coast icon into a static display. news@pqbnews.com ====================== |
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Post by Northern Exploration on Oct 8, 2008 17:45:49 GMT -8
Lets hope he can follow through with saving and protecting the Lady Rose even if he can't keep both vessels in service. A static display would be a welcome addition to the Port Alberni harbour area. They need a few more things going on to round out that area a bit more.
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Mill Bay
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Long Suffering Bosun
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Post by Mill Bay on Oct 9, 2008 9:25:33 GMT -8
She's only 71... are you sure Washington State Ferries wouldn't be interested in rebuilding her and operating her for a few years...?
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 26, 2009 6:38:50 GMT -8
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Post by Northern Exploration on Jan 26, 2009 7:35:05 GMT -8
I really hope the town council accepts the donation of the Lady Rose. To open her to the public will no doubt require some safety work and repairs to get her to meet safety standards- albeit less than getting back into service.
I really regret not finding some time to take her on the trip through the Broken Islands. The last time I had a chance it was one of two choices given my Mom for Mothers Day. The plan was to see as much wildlife as possible. However there was a strong blow coming up Alberni Inlet and the waves were quite high. Nervous about the seas Mom chose Long Beach instead.
We saw bald eagles sparring, an Otter, a sealion flipping around a huge Salmon off the government dock in Tofino, and two bears. I have told the story before of the highlight being a mother Grey Whale bringing her calf into the bay at Chesterman beach to hide from the whale watchers. The baby cavorting around got everyone so excited, Mom spilt a glass of wine on me. So the trip was a success and she was very happy (wildlife not rebaptizing me).
I now will have to put Frances Barkley (mother of Charles?), who isn't quite the same Lady as Rose, on my list of "must do asap."
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Post by islandboy on Jan 26, 2009 12:45:53 GMT -8
Another article, this one from today's AV Times, regarding the Lady Rose: ========================= Original posted at: www.canada.com/albernivalleytimes/news/story.html?id=91436947-268b-491d-9ea6-51dfe153d3c7City offered gift of Lady RoseVessel's fate to be discussed at tonight's council meeting Shayne Morrow, Alberni Valley Times Published: Monday, January 26, 2009 The city has been offered the MV Lady Rose, to be developed as a marine heritage attraction. Council will be asked to consider a number of options tonight. Last week, Lady Rose owner Mike Surrell met with city officials to discuss the offer, which would keep the much-loved vessel in the Alberni Valley. "I've had people who are interested in purchasing her, but she would leave the Valley - she'd probably be leaving Canadian waters," Surrell says. To that end, he says he'd rather give up the vessel to be set up as a static display. He likens the Glasgow-built workhorse to the Mars Water bombers - a tangible part of our consciousness as Valley residents. Surrell says he discovered that fact shortly after taking ownership of the company last summer, just one year after Lady Rose celebrated her 70th anniversary. "Last year, when there were inklings that we might get rid of her, our phones were ringing off the hook," he says. "Last summer, when the (Frances) Barkley went out, people would come down to take pictures of her. Especially Europeans - they really love her. It got to where I was leaving the ramp out, so people could go aboard her." While the Frances Barkley, which celebrated its own 50th birthday last year, is a pretty historic vessel herself, she's never burned herself into the consciousness of marine enthusiasts in the same way as her smaller stable-mate. "Every day, when people call, they're asking to go out on the Rose - I try to explain to them that it's the Frances Barkley, but it doesn't matter," Surrell says. Surrell says that, mechanically, the Lady Rose is sound, and she could continue to operate as a small cargo carrier or a private vessel. But to have her re-certified as a commercial passenger ship would require about $2 million in re-fits. "We fired her up this morning (Friday). The engine, the generators - everything is running," Surrell says. "But the main issue is, we have to make changes for passengers. And we need to make an extra exit out of the engine room - there's only one way out of the engine room, and they (Department of Transport) want two. "But even if she were up to code, we wouldn't be able to run her, anyway, because she can only carry 100 passengers, whereas the Frances Barkley can carry 200," Surrell says. On most travel days in tourist season, the company now has over 100 passengers, which in her later years relegated the Rose to special cruises and backup duty to the Frances Barkley, he explains. Several proposals have been made to preserve the ship, including a secure cradle which would maintain the ship at eye level. Another option would be installing the ship on dry land. The goal would be to allow the public to board the ship during specified hours. Tonight, council will be asked to consider what role to take in the fate of the Lady Rose. City economic development manager Pat Deakin acknowledges that the city does not have the budget to take on a major preservation effort. "I met with Mr. Surrell on a couple of occasions, and he broached the subject with Ken Hutcheson of the (Port Alberni) Maritime Heritage Society (MHS)," Deakin says. "He expressed his interest in trying to preserve her, but he contacted us to advise that they would like to have a part in the project, but they didn't have the resources to lead it," In Deakin's report to council, he advises that MHS conducted a preliminary investigation which concluded that the cost of a secure cradle to be prohibitive - about $500,000. "We've done research into other vessels that are preserved as heritage attractions. Other communities have done it more cheaply," Deakin says. In some communities, the ship is brought into a trench, then filled in, he noted. "Or in others, they can leave the vessel moored, because they won't be facing the same stresses as we have in the Inlet." Surrell has suggested leaving the Lady Rose moored at her usual location as an informal attraction, with supervision by his company. SMorrow@avtimes.net ========================= |
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 27, 2009 19:58:02 GMT -8
The owners of the 71 year old Lady Rose have offered the vessel free to the city of Port Alberni, for use as a static tourist attraction. It's official; the boat will never again carry passengers on a revenue run.
Not that this will interest too many on this forum- the Lady Rose was not a car ferry. in this 'historical' section of the forum, there are five threads devoted to the Albert J. Savoie, a vessel with zero historical importance, other than being named for a very significant ferry pioneer. The Lady Rose, in service on this coast continuously since 1937, has not one dedicated thread.
Recent months have seen hundreds of posts and pictures, and many forum trips, on some of the retiring BC Ferries vessels that were among the first of the major vessels constructed in the flurry of shipbuilding from 1960 through 1965. People have spent the better part of their weekends riding back and forth on the Queen of Vancouver , and one could get the impression that an era is ending, even though three of the original nine major southern fleet vessels still remain, and likely will be here for quite some time.
I think the retirement of the Lady Rose represents something considerably more significant than the end of the Queen of Vancouver, or the 'Saanich. It represents the final break with the pre- BC Ferries era on the coast. All of the old CPR boats are long gone, and now the last Union Steamship vessel is gone. These companies played a huge role in the development of our coast, and now we've lost the last functioning link with that past.
The Queen of Vancouver has carried hundreds of times more passengers than the Lady Rose in her career, but I would argue that more people will miss the Lady Rose, and more will accord the more significant role on our coast to the old Union boat. There might also be a lot of old mariners who maintain that the Lady Rose was more of a ship than the 'Vancouver ever was, despite her diminutive size. In the public's mind, a vessel like the 'Vancouver can easily be replaced by a Coastal Celebration, with it's improved amenities and interior aesthetics, but the Lady Rose is more than a self-propelled floating carpark, and has a special place in our maritime history.
So why do people focus so much on car ferries, and so little on vessels with more character, and, arguably, much more historical import? Is it our addiction to cars that makes vessels that carry them seem more interesting?
A chapter in our history is closing with the Lady Rose's retirement. I'll miss the original BC Ferries vessels, and I respect the fact that they were built here and gave us long service, but I doubt the Queen of Vancouver will be remembered fifty years from now the way the last of the old coastal steamers will .
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Mill Bay
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Long Suffering Bosun
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Post by Mill Bay on Jan 27, 2009 20:08:32 GMT -8
Neil. I completely agree with you... I've been obsessively reading and re-reading the history of the Union Steamships for the last few weeks, and I am extremely shocked to hear of the Lady Rose's final retirement. She truly is the last member of a fleet that can only be described as being as intimately close to the past residents of the coast as any member of their families.
Perhaps the reason the Lady Rose does not have her own thread, though, is because so few of us on this forum have content we could add to it. Not many of us have experienced a passage on the Lady Rose, or any Union ship. We have no stories to tell: no long trip reports well documented with humorous anecdote and numerous photos. We simply don't have a way we can really contextualize the Lady Rose as fully as we maybe should, or might want to, because for the most part, she is simply beyond our reach in terms of relevant experiences. I only wonder who might be more upset by her passing, though... those who remember her so well, or those who may come to strongly regret never having had the chance to experience her at all.
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Post by Taxman on Jan 27, 2009 20:22:09 GMT -8
As a former Alberni-ite it is too bad to hear that she has finally been retired. She was the first single screw vessel to cross the Atlantic or some claim like that... ya I am great at research.
I hope that the City jumps on this, they have poured so much money into MacLeans mill and the Railroad (I am a railfan so it was sorta neat to have a "local" railroad.), but to add the Lady Rose to the heritage network (perhaps use her to expand the cramped Maritime Discovery Centre) would be a major addition to Alberni's Museum network.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 27, 2009 20:29:39 GMT -8
Nice thread Neil, and nice contributions to it. I echo your sentiments re the Lady Rose.
I am already regretting my lack of experience on the ship. I never made the effort to drive 1 hour from my home to take a day cruise on the Lady Rose. And now it's too late.
I just finished reading Rob Morris' book "Coasters" which includes a profile of the Lady Rose. I found it very interesting reading. Again, my reading was much too late; I should have made the effort to understand this ship years ago.
My regrets have made me start to seriously consider doing a multi-day trip on the Uchuck-III, this coming summer. Not the same history as the Lady Rose, but the Uchuck-III has her own coaster history and current-day adventure.
And I can still do a day trip on the MV Frances Barkley, which travels the same route that the Lady Rose served.
Regarding the comparison of sentiments between ferries and coasters, my coaster-interests have been growing in the past year. My multi-day trip on the ferry-coaster Queen of Chilliwack to Bella Bella, Klemtu, etc last year was a taste of what the coaster trips might have been like. I want to experience that type of trip once again. With the Uchuck-III and the Frances Barkley, I still have a chance.
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 27, 2009 20:41:12 GMT -8
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Post by WettCoast on Jan 27, 2009 21:24:36 GMT -8
Yes, Neil, very nice thread, and I too am completely in agreement with your thoughts.
I have travelled on the Lady Rose twice. Once in 1979 and again in 1987. Both journeys were from Bamfield to Pt Alberni and at the end of West Coast Trail hikes. I have slides somewhere. I will dig them out and scan a few for you.
And yes, I too should look at doing another Coaster trip such as aboard the Uchuck III.
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 27, 2009 22:04:59 GMT -8
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Post by islandboy on Jan 28, 2009 0:00:16 GMT -8
LOL already posted in the original thread, all good :-) Oh and before I forget: apparently the Lady Rose hasn't been on a scheduled run since last summer, if not earlier. Heard that in discussion with a couple of old-timers, I'll try to find actual confirmation... OK, my $0.02 worth... Ever since the new owners took over it seemed only a matter of time before this took place - several times they've indicated to the community that they didn't have the finances to do the required upgrades. As for getting external financing for the upgrades, IANAF (I Am Not A Financier) but seeing that we are in the middle of an economic crisis (to put it mildly) would any bank/financing corporation really green-light doling out $2 million in financing? Unless they had a good business case in front of them, probably not. And quite frankly why would the owners pursue that route when they already had a vessel (M.V. Francis Barclay) with greater capacity and met saftey requirements? Unfortunately the deck was stacked against her... Personally I"m saddened by this - as a long-time resident of the Alberni Valley I find it disappointing that another part of this community's history is about to be taken out of active service. My crystal ball says that at some point the Lady Rose will be brought ashore as a static display (I can see someone at City Hall filling out a request for funding from Ottawa in the near future); although we've been able to reactivate some aspects (steam trains, McLean's Mill, etc) of our historical industrial past, I don't see this community being in a position to fund the necessary upgrades and operate her on the water again. |
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 28, 2009 7:40:08 GMT -8
There is now a separate thread lamenting the Lady Rose. To avoid further posting duplication, on a go-forward basis, we should post any Lady Rose related discussion in that new separate thread. This new thread is also on this Historic-Ship page of this forum, and is called something like "Who, of those who didn't see this here thread, still care about the Lady Rose" ;D ferriesbc.proboards20.com/index.cgi?board=qa&action=display&thread=4448(And the 3 of us on the forum can keep this here thread as our little secret. Don't tell any of the NorEx delivery thread posters that this thread exists.... ;D) |
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FNS
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The Empire Builder train of yesteryear in HO scale
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Post by FNS on Jan 28, 2009 7:53:39 GMT -8
(And the 3 of us on the forum can keep this here thread as our little secret. Don't tell any of the NorEx delivery thread posters that this thread exists.... ;D) Confidentially speaking, the secret has already been revealed. I know this thread exists! HE HE ;D |
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 28, 2009 9:59:54 GMT -8
Oops. I knew I'd seen that story somewhere, but I thought it was maybe in my e-mail and I had deleted it, so I re-posted it elsewhere. Sorry, 'islandboy'.
I was also a bit off the mark in noting that the Lady Rose had no threads in the 'historical' section of this forum, since, until recently, she's still been operating. Although I suppose a ship can be current and 'historical' at the same time.
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Post by Northern Exploration on Jan 28, 2009 10:06:51 GMT -8
There is now a separate thread lamenting the Lady Rose. To avoid further posting duplication, on a go-forward basis, we should post any Lady Rose related discussion in that new separate thread. This new thread is also on this Historic-Ship page of this forum, and is called something like "Who, of those who didn't see this here thread, still care about the Lady Rose" ;D ferriesbc.proboards20.com/index.cgi?board=qa&action=display&thread=4448(And the 3 of us on the forum can keep this here thread as our little secret. Don't tell any of the NorEx delivery thread posters that this thread exists.... ;D) And what three is that? |
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