The ship provided an inexpensive taste of an Inside Passage cruise. She was originally built as the Stena Danica. Details: Here

[ 03-22-2006: Message edited by: joe at travelpage ]

I really hope the Rupert isn't too far into her refit that they cant put her back in service as they will have NO choice now!!

PRINCE RUPERT, B.C. (CP) - The orderly rescue of dozens of people from a sinking ferry in the dead of night early Wednesday off B.C.'s north coast was nothing short of miraculous, the president of B.C. Ferries said Wednesday.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Anytime you have a major incident and you have no one hurt or killed in this type of thing, I think you always think it's a miracle," David Hahn said. "You always think, thank God, and you (are) thankful for the crew. That's what they're trained to do. They've done their job once again."

Rescuers plucked dozens of people from lifeboats after The Queen of the North, sailing south on a 450-kilometre overnight trip from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy along what's known as B.C.'s Inside Passage, hit a rock just after 12:30 a.m. and sank in choppy seas and high winds.

All of the 101 people aboard - 42 crew members and 59 passengers - were rescued and accounted for.

Most of them were taken to a community centre in Hartley Bay where the town's residents brought them blankets and coffee; others were aboard the Coast Guard vessel the Sir Wilfrid Laurier. None were immediately available to speak to the media.

The 125-metre-long vessel was reported to be completely submerged about 135 kilometres from Prince Rupert after hitting Gil Island in Wright Sound, listing to one side and then sinking.

"It's unfortunate to lose the ship, but if that's the cost of having nobody really hurt or killed, then fine, I think we'll live with that," Hahn said.

Hahn and Premier Gordon Campbell were headed to Prince Rupert to meet with those rescued from the ferry. An eight-member team from the Transportation Safety Board was also due to be in the area later Wednesday.

Nicole Robinson, a receptionist at the nursing station in Hartley Bay, said she talked to several members of the ferry's crew who were sleeping when the ship began to take on water.

"They heard a loud bang like it grinded a bit and they said the cabin started filling with water," she said.

Some people were hurt, but not seriously, said Robinson. Many were "stunned."

"We've just had a few patients come and go, minor injuries. The community all got together with blankets; everybody's pretty cold but they're all down at a community hall," Robinson said.

Hartley Bay resident Wally Bolton, helping out at the village cultural centre where the ferry evacuees were taken, said a medivac helicopter was taking some passengers with minor injuries from Hartley Bay to Prince Rupert.

"I know there's one head injury and I think there's a sprained wrist and a case of high blood pressure," Bolton said. "All the rest of the other people are OK."

Bolton said the evacuees were shaken and tired.

Rescuers were on the scene soon after the boat hit the rock, said Capt. Leah Byrne of the Search and Rescue Centre in Victoria.

"The joint rescue co-ordination centre dispatched a large number of assets to the scene, including a cormorant helicopter and buffalo aircraft," she said.

Shelby Robinson, 13, said the entire village of Hartley Bay, with about 200 residents, pitched in when the distress call came in.

"I stayed here to get ready for them when they came in, get blankets ready and everything," she said.

Robinson confirmed fishermen from the isolated village rushed out to help evacuate the sinking ferry.

"Most of the guys went out and got their boats running right away and they took people in by groups," she said, adding witness said the ferry was listing to one side.

Seas were reported to be choppy and winds were blowing at about 75 kilometres per hour.

"From what we hear, it took about an hour for the ship to sink so most of the people did manage to get onto lifeboats," Byrne said. "There was an orderly evacuation of personnel from the vessel, including passengers and crew."

According to the B.C. Ferries website, the ship was built in Germany in 1969 and refitted in 2001. It can hold up to 700 people and 115 cars.

The book The Ships of British Columbia says B.C. Ferries bought the boat for $13.8 million in 1974 and named it the Queen of Surrey. The ferry was retired in 1976 until it was decided to put her on the Queen Charlotte run in 1980. More than $10 million was spent to prepare her for her days as The Queen of the North.

A list of some recent accidents involving B.C. Ferries:

June 30, 2005: Ferry Queen of Oak Bay loses power as it enters the Horseshoe Bay terminal at West Vancouver, slamming into a nearby marina and crushing 22 boats. There were no injuries.

Sept. 14, 2000: Ferry Spirit of Vancouver Island hits a 10-metre power boat outside the Swartz Bay ferry terminal near Victoria. Two people on the power boat are killed.

Nov. 7, 1995: Ferry Mayne Queen crashes into private marina on Bowen Island, damaging several moored boats. Blame is placed on mechanical or human error in transferring control between two consoles as ferry left dock.

Aug. 13, 1992: Two people are killed at the Departure Bay terminal in Nanaimo when the ferry Queen of New Westminister sailed from the terminal as a van was driving across the ramp leading to the ship's upper deck and plunged 15 metres into the water.

March 12, 1992: B.C. Ferries vessel en route to Nanaimo slams into Japanese coal freighter Shinwa Maru shortly after leaving the Tsawwassen ferry terminal south of Vancouver. Seventeen ferry passengers injured.

Feb. 6, 1992: Private high-speed catamaran passenger ferry Royal Vancouver collides with B.C. Ferries' Queen of Saanich in early-morning fog in Active Pass. Some 23 Royal Vancouver passengers injured. Inquiry blames fast ferry for not tracking bigger car ferry on radar.

Was a lovely vessel, very cruise ship-like. I've been aboard her years ago and she was by far B.C. Ferries' prettiest ship.

As far as salvage, it may indeed happen, but not to put her back into service but rather to remove the wreck for navigational safety.

It is my understanding that she sank in a relatively narrow passage and though completely submerged, it sounds as though she is in farely shallow water which would make her a navigation hazzard.

It is fairly obvious, however, that with the ship being nearly 40 years old and being completely submerged, she will never sail again.

Thank God that all have been saved.

quote:

---

Two Passengers Missing After Canadian Ferry Sinks (Update1)
March 22, 2006

British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. said two people are still missing after one of its vessels sank off the north coast of the province today, after earlier reporting that all 101 passengers aboard were rescued.

Other passengers reported seeing the two at a rescue center in Hartley Bay, British Columbia, the government-owned transport agency said in a statement today. The company, which didn't identify them, is checking passenger lists to ensure they were taken back to Prince Rupert by the Coast Guard with the others.

B.C. Ferries' Queen of the North struck a rock at 12:25 a.m. while making the 450-kilometer (280-mile) trip to Port Hardy from Prince Rupert. Eleven people, including three injured crew members, were flown to Prince Rupert by an armed forces helicopter, BC Ferries said.

The two people may have found their own transportation back to Prince Rupert, the company said.

Bloomberg

---

******

quote:

---

Couple feared missing after B.C. ferry sinks
CTV.ca News Staff
March 22 2006

The RCMP has taken over the search for a couple who remain unaccounted for, hours after a ferry sank in the dead of night off B.C.'s rugged Pacific Coast.

So far, 99 passengers and crew have been accounted for, rescued by the heroics of locals from the remote aboriginal community of Hatley Bay, and the efficiency of coast guard crews who launched the rescue in the inky darkness.

But B.C. Ferries have been unable to find two passengers, Gerald Foisy and Shirley Rosette.

Although officials say passengers reported seeing the couple on land after the rescue, they have yet to be found.

In the meantime, however, the search has been turned over to the RCMP.

There is speculation the couple may have attempted to make their own way back to Prince Rupert.

The 'Queen of the North' went under after it hit a rock off Gil Island in Wright Sound, about 125 kilometres from Prince Rupert.

Capt. Leah Byrne, of the Search and Rescue Centre in Victoria, said many passengers were asleep when the ferry ran aground at 12:43 a.m. local time (3:43 a.m. ET). The vessel sank within an hour.

The 125-metre-long 'Queen of the North' was making the 450-kilometre overnight journey south to Port Hardy from Prince Rupert, through B.C.'s coastal Inside Passage.

Seas were reported to be choppy and winds were blowing at about 75 kilometres per hour.

Lt. Cmdr. Hubert Genest told Canada AM that the ferry ran aground while it was navigating the narrow passage of Wright Sound, which is no more than five kilometres in width .

Nicole Robinson, a receptionist at the nursing station in Hartley Bay, said she talked to several members of the ferry's crew who were sleeping when the ship began to take on water.

"They heard a loud bang like it grinded a bit and they said the cabin started filling with water," she told reporters.

Some people were hurt, but not seriously, said Robinson.

"It took about an hour for the ship to sink so most of the people did manage to get onto lifeboats," Byrne told CTV Newsnet.

"There was an orderly evacuation of personnel from the vessel, including passengers and crew."

Genest said cormorant helicopters from Comox, B.C. assisted in the rescue effort and Byrne said fishing trawlers also responded to the initial call and helped in the rescue.

Many of the 42 crew members and 59 passengers were plucked from lifeboats and taken by local fishing vessels to Hartley Bay, about 630 kilometres north of Vancouver.

Others were hauled onto the 'Sir Wilfrid Laurier,' the coast guard icebreaker which was one of the first rescue vessels on the scene. In Hartley Bay, locals mobilized at the community centre to provide the shaken passengers and crew with blankets, coffee, and hot chocolate.

After daybreak, the passengers who were not being treated at medical clinics were shepherded onto the 'Sir Wilfred Laurier,' to make the three-hour-plus voyage back to Prince Rupert.

The tiny coastal community of Hartley Bay, located about 120 kilometres south of Prince Rupert, is accessible only by air and water.

The coast guard vessel scoured the choppy waters for several hours to ensure all passengers had been accounted for because of apparent discrepancies about the number of people on board.

Earlier reports suggested there may have been 102 people on board, instead of 101.

The rescue of 99 passengers has been described as nothing short of miraculous.

David Hahn, president of B.C. Ferries, praised the crew for the safe evacuation of the 'Queen of the North', which sank after hitting a rock early Wednesday.

"Anytime you have a major incident and you have no one hurt or killed in this type of thing, I think you always think it's a miracle," Hahn told reporters.

"It's unfortunate to lose the ship, but if that's the cost of having nobody really hurt or killed, then fine, I think we'll live with that," he said.

Investigation

Hahn said the hit would have had to have been significant enough to sink the ship so quickly, but he wouldn't speculate on the cause of the disaster.

"It was clearly off course. There's no other way to look at it. The question is, how did it get to be where it was?"

Meanwhile, a "shocked" B.C Premier Gordon Campbell is promising a full and thorough investigation into the incident.

"It's frightening," said Campbell, who travelled to Prince Rupert Wednesday.

"I've heard this morning that some of the passengers were awakened in their nightgowns and I imagine it's pretty darn scary. . . Thank God that we've got all these people apparently safe (but we have to) recognize that these things last for people for some time."

Both Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board have been notified of the incident.

B.C. Ferries says family members of passengers and crew aboard the 'Queen of the North' can contact 1-888-223-3779 to enquire about those aboard the ship.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Ferry Operators Association sought to reassure Canadians that the ferry transportation industry is "extremely safe."

"Canadian ferry operators are amongst the best, if not the best in the world," the CFOA said in a written statement.

"Accidents occur in every industry. How we respond to these accidents is vitally important. … The crew's response to today's incident speaks volumes."

History

According to the B.C. Ferries website, the 'Queen of the North' was built in Germany in 1969 and refitted in 2001. It can hold up to 700 people and 115 cars.

The book The Ships of British Columbia says B.C. Ferries bought the 125-metre long boat for $13.8 million in 1974 and named it the 'Queen of Surrey'.

The ferry was retired in 1976 until it was decided to put her on the Queen Charlotte run in 1980. More than $10 million was spent to prepare her for her days as the 'Queen of the North'.

B.C. Ferries hit the headlines in July 2005 when a vessel lost power while docking and smashed into a marina in Horseshoe Bay near Vancouver.

No one was injured but 22 pleasure boats were damaged or destroyed. Investigators believe the ferry lost power as a result of the mechanical failure of an engine speed control device.

And in September 2000, The 'Spirit of Vancouver Island' hit a power boat outside the Swartz Bay ferry terminal near Victoria. Two people on the power boat were killed.

In March 1992, a B.C. Ferries vessel slammed into a Japanese coal freighter shortly after leaving the Tsawwassen ferry terminal south of Vancouver. Seventeen ferry passengers were injured.

And in February 1992, a private Royal Vancouver catamaran passenger ferry collided with a B.C. Ferries vessel in early-morning fog in Active Pass. Some 23 Royal Vancouver passengers were injured.

CTV Vancouver /The Canadian Press

---

******

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tim Agg:

Reports tonight indicate that she went down some 300 metres ....

---

Thanks Tim, I did not think she sank so deep. So no need to salvage her as she is in no way a navigational hazard way down there. I'm sure though that they will want to take a look at the wreck and perhaps try to get the voyage data recorder - the so called ship's "black box" - to help the investigators determine what went wrong.

Does anyone know where those devices are usually kept on a ship? My guess would be on the bridge but I really haven't a clue.

quote:

---

Couple missing after B.C. ferry sank believed dead
CTV.ca News Staff
March 23, 2006

Two passengers missing after a ferry sank off B.C.'s northern coast are now believed to have perished in the disaster.

A day after the initial relief that all passengers aboard were safely rescued came the grim realization that Shirley Rosette and Gerald Foisy could not be accounted for.

On Thursday, B.C. Ferries president David Hahn said officials now have to consider that the couple from 100 Mile House died in the accident.

"It's more looking for bodies at this point," Hahn said Thursday.

"The ship settled at around 1,400 feet, so I think retrieval of the bodies is going to be almost impossible at this point and salvage of the ship, that would be an issue going forward.

"It just doesn't look good."

The Queen of the North was making the 450-kilometre overnight journey south to Port Hardy from Prince Rupert, through B.C.'s coastal Inside Passage, when it struck a rock and sank in choppy waters near Gil Island in Wright Sound.

The couple, who was visiting Foisy's family in Prince Rupert, was apparently bunking in a cabin, but why they didn't get off the boat is a mystery.

Hahn said it's hard to believe Foisy and Rosette slept through the crisis, with the alarms ringing and crewmembers banging on doors.

Passengers said they heard a crash and a grinding noise at about 1 a.m. before sirens went off and they were hurried out of their cabins and into lifeboats.

"The amount of noise and effort, it's pretty hard to imagine somebody couldn't have heard it," Hahn said.

"Did they go through and open each and every cabin door? I don't know the answer to that yet," he said.

Adding to the confusion, a passenger reportedly told police the couple was seen on Hartley Bay during the rescue effort, but a search of the remote aboriginal community by police turned up nothing.

Gerald's brother George Foisy carries the guilt that the couple almost certainly went down with the ship.

"I'm the one that convinced them to take the ferry because it was a beautiful ride," Foisy said.

His anguish was compounded by B.C. Ferries' reluctance to acknowledge the couple didn't get out in time, he said.

The Canadian Coast Guard called off its search for the couple Wednesday evening, saying too much time had elapsed for them to have survived in the icy Pacific waters.

Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said the fact the couple have yet to appear is "obviously deeply troubling but it sounds like hopes are diminishing for that prospect."

"It's a very tragic situation that has all of us feeling pretty shell shocked," Falcon told CTV Newsnet.

Officers continue to talk to crew members, passengers and people in Hartley Bay, Const. Alain Beulieu of Prince Rupert RCMP said Thursday.

"What we're doing right now is checking into all the rumours and unconfirmed reports that we heard yesterday that the people were seen here and there," he said.

Ferry passenger manifests

Exactly how many people were aboard the Queen of the North when it hit a rock and sank Wednesday was unclear for some time. At first, officials said there were 102 passengers and crew on board. Then the number was later changed to 101 and then to 99.

More than 12 hours after the ferry went down, the number of passengers accounted for didn't match the total on the ship's manifest.

"There were at least three or four instances of, if you will, shifting of passengers on board the vessel," said Hahn.

For example, an employee gave his girlfriend a pass, which is against the rules.

In another case, one member of a party of four decided not to travel aboard the ferry. There was also a school group aboard in which one student was substituted for another without changing the name, Hahn said.

Federal Transportation Safety Board spokesman John Cottreau told The Canadian Press that investigators will look at the rules concerning ferry passenger manifests.

"I don't know what they are but the rules will be explored during the course of the investigation," he said, adding he's not sure which level of government has jurisdiction for that.

Investigators will concentrate in particular on how the vessel veered off course.

"We're going to be checking to see what happened. We're going to take the time we need to do a thorough investigation," Cottreau, told CTV's Canada AM Thursday.

"We're going to be taking a look at all aspects of this accident and obviously ship construction is one of them."

Hahn earlier insisted the vessel was seaworthy, but he did concede the vessel was not following its regular route.

"There is a GPS (global positioning system), an automatic pilot, three radars, electronic charting, there was enough electronic information there that one would think this shouldn't happen," he said.

Instead, the ship crashed into a rock, he said.

"The issue with this ship in this particular incident had very little to do with anything other than she was going somewhere around 19 knots and ran aground, ran into an island.

"I don't care whether that was a new ship or an old ship, you don't take a ship at that size (and crash) at 19 knots and not just tear it apart."

Cottreau said divers might be able to retrieve electronic data on board the vessel to gain a clearer picture of the accident.

B.C. Ferries says it does not plan to salvage the ferry, which is leaking diesel fuel.

The Canadian Coast Guard estimates the vessel was carrying around 222,000 litres of diesel fuel and 23,000 litres of lube oil when it sank.

The ferry was also carrying 16 vehicles, which could potentially leak gasoline.

Cottreau said the board will assess the environmental impact of the accident in a report, but declined to say when it would be ready.

Speaking at a news conference in Quebec Thursday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he was "very impressed with the rescue effort, in particular the help showed by local residents in Hartley Bay."

With a report from CTV's Todd Battis

CTV Inc.

---

******

quote:

---

Originally posted by Linerrich:
This is how QUEEN OF THE NORTH looked in the late '80s when I was on board--taken from a postcard I got on her:

Rich

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Linerrich:
This is how QUEEN OF THE NORTH looked in the late '80s when I was on board--taken from a postcard I got on her..

---

She was indded a most attractive ship (especially compared to the Stena boxes that followed her). She would not have look edout of place as a Cruise ship in the Carribean in the early '70's.

Its tragic that two people now appear to have gone down with her. I hope the world media has emphasized the heroic actions of the residents of Hartley Bay. Apparently the VHF radios are always on in their homes throughout the night, in case a fishing boat gets in trouble. They were out to the Queen of the North within minutes.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Linerrich:
This is how QUEEN OF THE NORTH looked in the late '80s when I was on board--taken from a postcard I got on her:

Rich

---

The mini sub spent about three hours surveying the vessel today. There was no sign of missing persons. The video tape is being processed this evening and, based on a review, a dive plan for tomorrow will be formulated to gather further information. There is also very little oil emanating from the vessel."
See BC Ferries

quote:

---

Passengers sue BC Ferries for alleged negligence
Monday, March 27, 2006

Two passengers on the ferry that sank off northern British Columbia last week have filed the first lawsuit against the operator of the vessel, CBC News has learned.

Alexander and Maria Kotai allege in their statement of claim that negligence by BC Ferries is to blame for the loss of their possessions on board the Queen of the North.

The Kotais accuse BC Ferries of failing to:

* Train the crew adequately.
* Supervise the crew on the bridge.
* Keep a proper lookout.
* Operate at safe speed.
* Conduct an evacuation of the ferry in a way that prevented or minimized injuries.

The Kotais lost all their clothing, family photos and heirlooms. They were in the process of moving from Kitimat to Nanaimo to be closer to their son and grandchildren.

A moving truck took most of their belongings, but they felt it would be safer to keep their most valued possessions, along with their car, on the Queen of the North, the couple said.

The ferry was heading south on an overnight trip to Port Hardy from Prince Rupert when it went down near Hartley Bay after it hit a rock.

Shirley Rosette and Gerald Foisy, of 100 Mile House in the B.C. Interior, have not been seen since and are presumed drowned. The other 99 passengers and crew members were brought to shore safely.

Couple in ferry sinking tallying their losses

The Kotais have not specified how much they're seeking in compensation. But their statement of claim says they're ready to supply a list of expenses and what they've lost.

CBC's Andree Lau reported that the couple's lawyer, David Varty, said he still has to contact each passenger and family member who may be included in the lawsuit and assess their losses. He said the damages have "the potential to be in the millions."

Meanwhile, the ferry appears to be in one piece, according to images captured by a miniature submarine equipped with special cameras.

A spokeswoman for BC Ferries said Monday the ship appears to be resting on silt up to its keel 427 metres beneath the surface of Wright Sound, southeast of Prince Rupert.

The Transportation Safety Board is not releasing the images taken by the submarine during a three-hour dive Sunday.

The submarine detected no sign of Rosette and Foisy.

CBC News

---

******