BC Ferry Sinks off Queen Charolette's
ThePolitician @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 5:51 am
Holy shat! This is scary.
[web]http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060322/ferry_sink_060322/20060322?hub=TopStories[/web]
1andonly @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 6:01 am
was that the same ship that ran the pier last year?
ash_wednesday @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 6:13 am
Don't think so...
BartSimpson @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 6:24 am
Glad everyone is okay. The incident says volumes about Canada's Coasties - in the Third World 2/3 of the passengers would be dead as a matter of course in such an event.
GunPlumber @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 7:01 am
have to say there's too many conflicting details in the CTV story
- the headline says "Ferry sinks off B.C.'s Queen Charlotte Islands" but the decribed location - Grenville Channel near Hartley Bay is nowhere near the Queen Charlottes, it's about 300 km due east of the nearest landfall on the QC's
- the story descibes winds up to 75 kph but the weather network report for the previous 24 hrs reports windspeeds ranging from 5 to 20 kph in the area. For the time of sinking, the likely windspeed seems to be 7.5 kph.
- the B.C. ferries schedule shows that ferry departing from the QCI's at 2000h, stopping at Prince Rupert and then proceeding to Port Hardy along the Inside Passage (i.e., Grenville Channel). why is it reported that the ferry departed PR at 2000h and only proceeded 135 km in 5 hrs (2000h - 0100h)? That's less than half speed for that boat. If weather or ship's malfunction reduced speed so greatly, why didn't the Captain return to PR?
- if the ship sank 135 km south of PR, why were the passengers taken to Hartley Bay? why weren't the passengers flown to PR as Hartley Bay is about 160 km away from that location?
ziggy @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 7:04 am
GunPlumber GunPlumber:
have to say there's too many conflicting details in the CTV story
- the headline says "Ferry sinks off B.C.'s Queen Charlotte Islands" but the decribed location - Grenville Channel near Hartley Bay is nowhere near the Queen Charlottes, it's about 300 km due east of the nearest landfall on the QC's
- the story descibes winds up to 75 kph but the weather network report for the previous 24 hrs reports windspeeds ranging from 5 to 20 kph in the area. For the time of sinking, the likely windspeed seems to be 7.5 kph.
- the B.C. ferries schedule shows that ferry departing from the QCI's at 2000h, stopping at Prince Rupert and then proceeding to Port Hardy along the Inside Passage (i.e., Grenville Channel). why is it reported that the ferry departed PR at 2000h and only proceeded 135 km in 5 hrs (2000h - 0100h)? That's less than half speed for that boat. If weather or ship's malfunction reduced speed so greatly, why didn't the Captain return to PR?
- if the ship sank 135 km south of PR, why were the passengers taken to Hartley Bay? why weren't the passengers flown to PR as Hartley Bay is about 160 km away from that location?
- the headline says "Ferry sinks off B.C.'s Queen Charlotte Islands" but the decribed location - Grenville Channel near Hartley Bay is nowhere near the Queen Charlottes, it's about 300 km due east of the nearest landfall on the QC's
- the story descibes winds up to 75 kph but the weather network report for the previous 24 hrs reports windspeeds ranging from 5 to 20 kph in the area. For the time of sinking, the likely windspeed seems to be 7.5 kph.
- the B.C. ferries schedule shows that ferry departing from the QCI's at 2000h, stopping at Prince Rupert and then proceeding to Port Hardy along the Inside Passage (i.e., Grenville Channel). why is it reported that the ferry departed PR at 2000h and only proceeded 135 km in 5 hrs (2000h - 0100h)? That's less than half speed for that boat. If weather or ship's malfunction reduced speed so greatly, why didn't the Captain return to PR?
- if the ship sank 135 km south of PR, why were the passengers taken to Hartley Bay? why weren't the passengers flown to PR as Hartley Bay is about 160 km away from that location?
Sounds like they hit a rock. CBC has a bit better coverage right now.
GunPlumber @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 7:08 am
I'd turn on the tv but the rabbit ears aren't connected or aligned right now. it's an exercise in frustration i reserve only for important oilers games on mothercorp.
ThePolitician @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 7:10 am
This is the report right from the BC Ferries website.
$1:
For Immediate Release 06-014 March 22, 2006 5:00 a.m.
QUEEN OF THE NORTH GROUNDED AND SANK IN WRIGHT SOUND ALL PASSENGERS AND CREW SAFELY EVACUATED VICTORIA
– At approximately 12:43 a.m. on Wednesday, March 22, the Queen of the North hit a rock off Gil Island in Wright Sound. BC Ferries Emergency Operations Centre confirms that all 101 passengers and crew were safely evacuated via BC Ferries lifeboats. Some of the passengers and crew have been taken to Hartley Bay, which is approximately 75 miles south of Prince Rupert. Others are on the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Sir Wilfred Laurier. Passengers and crew will then be transported to Prince Rupert via Canadian Coast Guard vessel. Canadian Coast Guard vessel Sir Wilfred Laurier was on the scene by 2:15 a.m. Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board have been notified. The vessel had departed Prince Rupert at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday bound for Port Hardy.
- 30 - Media Contact: BC Ferries, Communications Victoria: (250) 978-1267
QUEEN OF THE NORTH GROUNDED AND SANK IN WRIGHT SOUND ALL PASSENGERS AND CREW SAFELY EVACUATED VICTORIA
– At approximately 12:43 a.m. on Wednesday, March 22, the Queen of the North hit a rock off Gil Island in Wright Sound. BC Ferries Emergency Operations Centre confirms that all 101 passengers and crew were safely evacuated via BC Ferries lifeboats. Some of the passengers and crew have been taken to Hartley Bay, which is approximately 75 miles south of Prince Rupert. Others are on the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Sir Wilfred Laurier. Passengers and crew will then be transported to Prince Rupert via Canadian Coast Guard vessel. Canadian Coast Guard vessel Sir Wilfred Laurier was on the scene by 2:15 a.m. Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board have been notified. The vessel had departed Prince Rupert at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday bound for Port Hardy.
- 30 - Media Contact: BC Ferries, Communications Victoria: (250) 978-1267
BartSimpson @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 7:12 am
ThePolitician ThePolitician:
This is the report right from the BC Ferries website.
$1:
For Immediate Release 06-014 March 22, 2006 5:00 a.m.
QUEEN OF THE NORTH GROUNDED AND SANK IN WRIGHT SOUND ALL PASSENGERS AND CREW SAFELY EVACUATED VICTORIA
– At approximately 12:43 a.m. on Wednesday, March 22, the Queen of the North hit a rock off Gil Island in Wright Sound. BC Ferries Emergency Operations Centre confirms that all 101 passengers and crew were safely evacuated via BC Ferries lifeboats. Some of the passengers and crew have been taken to Hartley Bay, which is approximately 75 miles south of Prince Rupert. Others are on the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Sir Wilfred Laurier. Passengers and crew will then be transported to Prince Rupert via Canadian Coast Guard vessel. Canadian Coast Guard vessel Sir Wilfred Laurier was on the scene by 2:15 a.m. Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board have been notified. The vessel had departed Prince Rupert at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday bound for Port Hardy.
- 30 - Media Contact: BC Ferries, Communications Victoria: (250) 978-1267
QUEEN OF THE NORTH GROUNDED AND SANK IN WRIGHT SOUND ALL PASSENGERS AND CREW SAFELY EVACUATED VICTORIA
– At approximately 12:43 a.m. on Wednesday, March 22, the Queen of the North hit a rock off Gil Island in Wright Sound. BC Ferries Emergency Operations Centre confirms that all 101 passengers and crew were safely evacuated via BC Ferries lifeboats. Some of the passengers and crew have been taken to Hartley Bay, which is approximately 75 miles south of Prince Rupert. Others are on the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Sir Wilfred Laurier. Passengers and crew will then be transported to Prince Rupert via Canadian Coast Guard vessel. Canadian Coast Guard vessel Sir Wilfred Laurier was on the scene by 2:15 a.m. Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board have been notified. The vessel had departed Prince Rupert at 8:00 p.m. Tuesday bound for Port Hardy.
- 30 - Media Contact: BC Ferries, Communications Victoria: (250) 978-1267
Thanks for the info!
QBC @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 8:05 am
Sounds as if no one was really hurt which is a great thing to hear.
ThePolitician @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:33 am
I just heard on the radio that there are reports that there were actually 102 people on the manifest and that there may be one person still missing.
Hopefully that information is wrong.
Regina @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 3:04 pm
How does this happen with all the GPS systems these days? I have a Garmin that can navigate me to within inches of a door at over 100kpm, but a boat going 1/10th of that bumps into a rock that's been there for thousands of years. How???
xerxes @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 3:14 pm
It can happen if the crew doesn't pay attention. If the winds are strong, they can push the ship off course despite the auto-navigation systems which aren't programmed to compensate for drift like that. I'm not saytinhg that's what happened in this, I'm just saying.
Props to the crew for getting everyone off in the middle of the night in rough seas.
canadian1971 @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 4:35 pm
Regina Regina:
How does this happen with all the GPS systems these days? I have a Garmin that can navigate me to within inches of a door at over 100kpm, but a boat going 1/10th of that bumps into a rock that's been there for thousands of years. How???
Shit happens.
Regina @ Wed Mar 22, 2006 6:46 pm
Yeah but shit floats.