MV Queen of Prince Rupert

M/V "Queen of Prince Rupert" is a RORO ferry operated by BC Ferries that provides the main surface transport link between the Queen Charlotte Islands and mainland British Columbia, connecting Skidegate with Prince Rupert across the Hecate Strait (thus linking two segments of Highway 16). The vessel also runs on the Prince Rupert-Port Hardy Inside Passage route during the low season. The current Fall-Winter schedule sees the "QPR" handling both runs from late September 2008 to March 2009 [ [http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/inside/prph.html BC Ferries Inside Passage schedule] ]

Built in 1966, the "Queen of Prince Rupert" is scheduled for decommissioning when the "Northern Expedition" is launched in 2009, and will be replaced by the "Northern Adventure" on the Prince Rupert-Skidegate Route.

History

The "Queen of Prince Rupert" was built by Victoria Machinery Depot Co. Ltd (VMD), Victoria and completed in 1966 as the first BC Ferries vessel to serve the Inside Passage from northern Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert. It was the flagship of the fleet until the "Queen of the North" was added to the run in 1980.

The designer of the vessel was Jorgen Baess, VMD's resident naval architect. The keel was laid on November 30, 1964 ["Dogwood Fleet : The Story of the British Columbia Ferry Authority from 1958". Cadieux and Griffiths, 1967, p. 114. ] and the ship launched on October 15, 1965. Pardon B.C. Ferry's Slip. "Vancouver Sun", Oct 16, 1965.] The launching did not proceed without incident. The traditional smashing of a champagne bottle against the hull was to be performed by the wife of the Speaker of the Legislature, W H Murray. Moments before, however, a young boy ran across the dock and tripped over the rope which restrained the chains holding the vessel to the ways. Instead of being launched by the pull of a lever, the "QPR" was sent down the ways prematurely by accident.

Mrs. Murray belatedly pulled a second lever to propel the champagne bottle, but it missed the boat. Harold Husband, president of VMD, grabbed the bottle on its return swing and tried to smash it against the hull, but the bottle only bounced off. Then the winds pushed the unpowered vessel directly towards a grain dock. Nearby tugs quickly moved in to keep the "QPR" out of danger. To ensure that there would be no bad luck associated with an improperly christened ship, Mrs. Murray later "threw another bottle of bubbly at the frisky ferry" as it lay tied up to a pier.

From 1966 to 1979, the route operated from Kelsey Bay, the northern limit of the highway system on Vancouver Island at the time.

In its inaugural year, the "QPR" made the journey in 20 hours, departing at 1:30 pm from Prince Rupert and Kelsey Bay on alternate days. A one way fare was $30, while the cost for an automobile and driver was $60. There were 16 deluxe staterooms on the Bridge Deck, with two berths, shower and bathroom ($11.50 per berth); 22 outside and 55 inside semi-deluxe staterooms on the Promenade Deck, with bathroom ($10.00 and $8.50 per berth); and on the Lower Deck or Tween Deck; 30 2-berth staterooms (5.50 per berth) and 9 4-berth rooms ($18 for the room). Public showers were located on the Tween deck.

In the 1977-1978 season, passenger rates were still $30 between Kelsey Bay and Prince Rupert, while cars were $40 alone. A notable change to the route was made that season during the fall to spring schedule. The ship departed from Tsawassen, enabling northerners to travel directlly from Prince Rueprt to Vancouver by sea. On the October-April schedule, the ship left Tsawassen Mondays at 8:00 am, stopping at Kelsey Bay and Bella Bella, arriving at Prince Rupert at 6:00 pm Tuesday. Turnaround time was quick, as it departed for the south again at 10:30 pm, reaching Tsawassen at 6.30 am Thursday. The Thursday to Sunday run called in at Ocean Falls. [BC Ferries MV Queen of Prince Rupert schedule, 1977-1978]

In 1979 the North Island Highway was completed through to Port Hardy, and a new terminal built at nearby Bear Cove. In 1980, the "Queen of the North" entered service on the Inside Passage route. The BC government decided to utilize the "Queen of Prince Rupert" on the tourist run from Victoria to Seattle, replacing the coastal steamship "Princess Marguerite". In what was seen by many as a politically expedient move, they leased the "QPR" to the BC Steamship Corporation when the "Princess Marguerite" was found to violate US pollution requirements. The vessel was renamed the "Victoria Princess". To enable loading at Victoria's Inner Harbour, a side-loading door was installed. The "Victoria Princess" only operated on the route for one summer, however, and in November, 1980, returned to the BC Ferries fleet as the "Queen of Prince Rupert" to begin its service between Prince Rupert and Skidegate.

When the "Queen of the North" sank on March 22, 2006, the "Queen of Prince Rupert" was in drydock undergoing its annual refit. It was quickly pressed back into service, and made its first voyage of the season less than a month later. On April 20, 2006, the vessel made its first crossing through Wright Sound where its sister ship had sunk. The "Queen of Prince Rupert" stopped at the spot and passengers threw into the water 99 white roses (the number of people rescued) and two red roses (for the two people missing and presumed dead) [ [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060420/ferry_bc_060420/20060420/ Sunken B.C. ferry honoured by passing ship] ] . The "Queen of Prince Rupert" continued covering both the Inside Passage and Queen Charlotte Islands routes until the replacement "Northern Adventure" was ready for service in March 2007. This necessitated considerably reduced service in the busy summer tourism season, and had a significant effect on the economies of coastal communities.

Previous to the "Queen of the North" disaster, crew's quarters on both vessels were below the water line, beneath the car deck. Passenger staterooms below the waterline had not been used for a number of years, but the crew's bunks and mess continued in use. Immediatly after the sinking, however, the passenger cabins on the "Queen of Prince Rupert's" Promenade deck were given over to the crew, greatly reducing the number of staterooms available to travellers, but ensuring the safety of the crew.

External links

* [http://www.bcferries.com/about/fleet/profile-queen_of_prince_rupert.html BC Ferries profile]
* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,835648,00.html By Boat to Alaska, Time Magazine, May 27, 1966]
* [http://www.hhvferry.com/can_al_06_3_8.html HHV Ferry.com Prince Rupert-Port Hardy]
* [http://www.evergreenfleet.com/northroute.html North Route Ferries]
* [http://www.geocities.com/ferries_bc/profiles/bcf_qpr.html Queen of Prince Rupert]
* [http://northword.ca/summer-2006/queen-of-prince-rupert Queen of Prince Rupert, A ferry trip down memory lane, by Heather Ramsay. Northward.]

References