C class ferry - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The C-Class ferries (also known as Cowichan Class) are a class of five double-ended roll-on/roll-off ferries

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

operated by BC Ferries

BC Ferries

British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. or BC Ferries is a de facto Crown Corporation that provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry services for coastal and island communities in the Canadian province of British Columbia...

in the Strait of Georgia

Strait of Georgia

The Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...

in British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, all constructed between 1976 and 1981. When the vessels were first built, they were the largest ships of their kind in the world. The C-Class ferries are 139.29 m (457 ft) long, with a car capacity of 362, and a crew and passenger capacity of 1500 persons. Each vessels two MaK 12M551AK engines produce 11,860 HP

Horsepower

Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...

, which provides a service speed of 22 knots.

C class vessels

The first two C-class ferries were the Queen of Coquitlam
Queen of Coquitlam
M/V Queen of Coquitlam is a C class vessel in the BC Ferries fleet, launched in 1976. She first operated on BC Ferries' Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay route. For most of her life, she has been a replacement/relief vessel on all the major routes serving the Greater Vancouver Regional District...

and the Queen of Cowichan
Queen of Cowichan
M/V Queen of Cowichan is a BC Ferry vessel, built in Victoria, British Columbia in 1976. It joined the other two C-class ferries built that year, the Queen of Alberni and the Queen of Coquitlam, and was followed by the Queen of Surrey and Queen of Oak Bay. The ship, like all C-class ferries, is...

, constructed in 1976. The Queen of Oak Bay
Queen of Oak Bay
M/V Queen of Oak Bay is a double-ended C class roll-on/roll-off ferry in the BC Ferries fleet, launched in 1981 at Victoria, British Columbia. The long, 6,969-ton vessel has a capacity for 362 cars and over 1,500 passengers and crew. She normally operates on BC Ferries' Horseshoe Bay to...

and Queen of Surrey
Queen of Surrey
M/V Queen of Surrey is a double-ended C class roll-on/roll-off ferry in the BC Ferries fleet. The long, 6969 ton vessel has a capacity for 362 cars and over 1,500 passengers and crew. She normally operates on BC Ferries' Horseshoe Bay to Langdale route...

were built in 1981. There are some minor modifications to the design of these two ships compared to the earlier C-Class ships.

The Queen of Alberni
Queen of Alberni
M/V Queen of Alberni is a ferry that operates between Tsawwassen and Duke Point in British Columbia. It is part of the BC Ferry fleet.-History:...

was also constructed in 1976 along with the first two C-class vessels. Although this ferry is considered to be a C-Class vessel, it is significantly different in layout. It was originally designed to carry only overheight (truck) traffic. In 1984, an upper car deck was installed for 150 non-overheight vehicles. This ferry has a capacity of 292 cars and 800 passengers and crew, and has a maximum service speed of 19 knots. She underwent a refit in 1999.

The Queens of Coquitlam, Cowichan, Oak Bay, and Surrey each received extensive upgrades in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 respectively. From engine work to major modifications and improvements, the vessels were refitted to provide an additional 20 years of service.

Vessel	Launched	Length	Displacement	Car Capacity	Passengers and Crew
Queen of Coquitlam Queen of Coquitlam M/V Queen of Coquitlam is a C class vessel in the BC Ferries fleet, launched in 1976. She first operated on BC Ferries' Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay route. For most of her life, she has been a replacement/relief vessel on all the major routes serving the Greater Vancouver Regional District...	1976	139.29 m (457 ft)	6,969 tons	362	1,500
Queen of Cowichan Queen of Cowichan M/V Queen of Cowichan is a BC Ferry vessel, built in Victoria, British Columbia in 1976. It joined the other two C-class ferries built that year, the Queen of Alberni and the Queen of Coquitlam, and was followed by the Queen of Surrey and Queen of Oak Bay. The ship, like all C-class ferries, is...	1976	139.29 m (457 ft)	6,969 tons	362	1,500
Queen of Oak Bay Queen of Oak Bay M/V Queen of Oak Bay is a double-ended C class roll-on/roll-off ferry in the BC Ferries fleet, launched in 1981 at Victoria, British Columbia. The long, 6,969-ton vessel has a capacity for 362 cars and over 1,500 passengers and crew. She normally operates on BC Ferries' Horseshoe Bay to...	1981	139.29 m (457 ft)	6,969 tons	362	1,500
Queen of Surrey Queen of Surrey M/V Queen of Surrey is a double-ended C class roll-on/roll-off ferry in the BC Ferries fleet. The long, 6969 ton vessel has a capacity for 362 cars and over 1,500 passengers and crew. She normally operates on BC Ferries' Horseshoe Bay to Langdale route...	1981	139.29 m (457 ft)	6,969 tons	362	1,500

Queen of Alberni Queen of Alberni M/V Queen of Alberni is a ferry that operates between Tsawwassen and Duke Point in British Columbia. It is part of the BC Ferry fleet.-History:...	1976	139.29 m (457 ft)	5,863 tons	295	1,200

Routes

C-class ferries are double-ended; they have a separate bridge at each end, and therefore are not required to turn around during the sailing. These ferries generally run on the Duke Point

Duke Point, British Columbia

Duke Point is a geographical location in the extreme southeastern part of the city of Nanaimo in British Columbia. It is located on a thin peninsula to the east of the Nanaimo River estuary, just across the Northumberland Channel from Gabriola Island. Located at Duke Point is a major industrial...

-Tsawwassen

Tsawwassen, British Columbia

Tsawwassen is a suburban, mostly residential community located on a peninsula in the southwestern corner of the Corporation of Delta, British Columbia, Canada. Tsawwassen provides the only road access to the community of Point Roberts, Washington via 56th Street...

, Horseshoe Bay

Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver, British Columbia

Horseshoe Bay is a West Vancouver community of about 1,000 permanent residents. Situated right on the western tip of West Vancouver, at the entrance to Howe Sound, the village marks the western end of Highway 1 on the British Columbia mainland....

-Departure Bay

Departure Bay, British Columbia

Departure Bay is a bay in central Nanaimo, British Columbia, on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The surrounding neighbourhood is also referred to as "Departure Bay"—once a settlement of its own, it was amalgamated into the City of Nanaimo in the 1970s .- Geography :The bay is framed to the...

and Horseshoe Bay-Langdale

Langdale, British Columbia

Langdale is a small community on the Sunshine Coast of southern British Columbia. It is set in a verdant environment characteristic of many small BC communities. Its main feature is the BC Ferries terminal that links the Sunshine Coast to Vancouver via Horseshoe Bay, with connecting foot-passenger...

routes. At one time these ferries operated on the Swartz Bay-Tsawwassen route, but due to limitations placed on their speed when transiting Active Pass

Active Pass

Active Pass is a narrow passage separating Mayne Island and Galiano Island in British Columbia, Canada's Southern Gulf Islands. It is one of three passes leading from the Gulf Islands into the Strait of Georgia...

—after an accident they were required to operate in the more maneuverable docking mode rather than cruising mode—it is no longer feasible to run them on that route.

Incidents and accidents

On August 9, 1979, the Queen of Alberni
Queen of Alberni
M/V Queen of Alberni is a ferry that operates between Tsawwassen and Duke Point in British Columbia. It is part of the BC Ferry fleet.-History:...

was transiting through Active Pass when it ran aground on Galiano Island, tipping fifteen degrees to starboard. Several large commercial vehicles on board the vessel at the time were damaged. No persons were injured, but a racehorse onboard was killed.

On October 19, 1980, the Queen of Coquitlam
Queen of Coquitlam
M/V Queen of Coquitlam is a C class vessel in the BC Ferries fleet, launched in 1976. She first operated on BC Ferries' Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay route. For most of her life, she has been a replacement/relief vessel on all the major routes serving the Greater Vancouver Regional District...

tipped over and landed on her side in the Burrard Shipyards drydock during a maintenance layover, causing approximately CAD

Canadian dollar

The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...

$3 million in damage. She also gained the distinction of being the only BC Ferries vessel to have issued a mayday from drydock.

On August 12, 1985, three people were killed when the Queen of Cowichan
Queen of Cowichan
M/V Queen of Cowichan is a BC Ferry vessel, built in Victoria, British Columbia in 1976. It joined the other two C-class ferries built that year, the Queen of Alberni and the Queen of Coquitlam, and was followed by the Queen of Surrey and Queen of Oak Bay. The ship, like all C-class ferries, is...

ran over a pleasure boat near the Horseshoe Bay terminal.

In June 1989, the Queen of Alberni collided with the loading dock at Departure Bay causing significant damage to the ship and dock. 6 people were injured including a cook who suffered a fractured cheekbone as he was walking down a set of stairs.

On March 12, 1992, at 8:08 am (16:08 UTC), the Queen of Alberni collided with the Japanese freighter Shinwa Maru southwest of Tsawwassen. The collision occurred in heavy fog, with both vessels suffering minor damage. Injuries included 2 serious and 25 minor injuries for the 260 people on the ferry, while none of the 11 people aboard the freighter received injuries.

In October 1994, the Queen of Surrey
Queen of Surrey
M/V Queen of Surrey is a double-ended C class roll-on/roll-off ferry in the BC Ferries fleet. The long, 6969 ton vessel has a capacity for 362 cars and over 1,500 passengers and crew. She normally operates on BC Ferries' Horseshoe Bay to Langdale route...

crashed into the dock at Horseshoe Bay, causing $200,000 in damage.

On October 20, 1995, the Queen of Coquitlam experienced an engine shut-down while approaching Horseshoe Bay. She crashed into a dock at the terminal resulting in light damage.

On December 15, 2001, the Queen of Alberni got caught in a heavy wind storm which turned a regular 2-hour crossing into a 7½-hour ordeal.

On May 12, 2003, the Queen of Surrey was disabled as a result of an engine room fire. The Queen of Capilano
I class ferry
BC Ferries operates three Intermediate Class ferries:MV Queen of Capilano * 85 vehicles* 462 passengers* 96 metre length* 2,500 gross tons* 12.5 kts* 7305 HP* Route: Horseshoe Bay ↔ Bowen IslandMV Queen of Cumberland...

was dispatched and tethered to the Queen of Surrey while tugboats were dispatched. The vessel was then towed back to shore. None of the 318 passengers were injured, but several crew members were treated for minor injuries. Some buckling of the main car deck resulted from the heat of the fire. However, no vehicles were damaged in the incident.

On July 31, 2003, the Queen of Surrey experienced a mechanical problem with one of its propellers. As a result, she was removed from service for emergency dry-docking to facilitate repairs, which took about five days.

On June 30, 2005, the Queen of Oak Bay lost power while approaching the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. After the captain gave ample warning, the ship coasted into the nearby Sewell's Marina, where it overran more than a dozen boats before running aground. No one was injured, and the ferry sustained only minor scraping to a rudder and propellor blade. See for extensive details on this accident.

External links

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