Incidents and Accidents
On August 9, 1979, the Queen of Alberni 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 tipped over and landed on her side in the Burrard Shipyards drydock during a maintenance layover, causing approximately CAD $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 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 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 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 MV Queen of Oak Bay for extensive details on this accident.
Read more about this topic: C Class Ferry
Famous quotes containing the words incidents and/or accidents:
“An element of exaggeration clings to the popular judgment: great vices are made greater, great virtues greater also; interesting incidents are made more interesting, softer legends more soft.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)
“The day-laborer is reckoned as standing at the foot of the social scale, yet he is saturated with the laws of the world. His measures are the hours; morning and night, solstice and equinox, geometry, astronomy, and all the lovely accidents of nature play through his mind.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)