T-class ferry
 Tachek sailing the Discovery Passage | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | T class |
| Builders | Allied Shipbuilders |
| Operators |
|
| Built | 1969 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Active | 1 |
| Retired | 1 |
| General characteristics MV Tachek | |
| Tonnage | 797.0 GT |
| Displacement | 807 tonnes |
| Length | 49.53 m (162 ft 6 in) |
| Beam | 14.63 m (48 ft 0 in) |
| Installed power | 1,700 hp (1,300 kW) |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Crew | 7 |
| Notes | Retired on June 26, 2026 |
| General characteristics MV Quadra Queen II | |
| Tonnage | 865.32 GT |
| Displacement | 819 tonnes |
| Length | 49.61 m (162 ft 9 in) |
| Beam | 14.63 m (48 ft 0 in) |
| Installed power | 1,700 hp (1,300 kW) |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Crew | 7 |
BC Ferries operates one T-class ferry for use on small inter-island routes, having retired the second. They have raised bows, which make it easier for the ships to travel in the rough seas often found on British Columbia's central coast. The ferries carry 30 cars and 150 passengers. Both were built in 1969. They were originally owned and operated by the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation until 1985, when the Ministry's saltwater ferries and routes were transferred to BC Ferries, including the T-class vessels. The two T-class ferries are Tachek and Quadra Queen II.[1][2]
Ships in class
[edit]MV Tachek was built in 1969 in Vancouver, British Columbia by Allied Shipbuilders.[1][3] She was originally named Texada Queen and was used on the Powell River-Blubber Bay route, serving her namesake Texada Island. She was renamed Tachek in 1977, and continued serving Texada Island until 1979 when the larger North Island Princess replaced her. Since then, she has served as an auxiliary vessel, providing additional capacity where demand is needed and serving as a backup ferry when other ferries are out of service. On 15 December 2012, Tachek was removed from service to undergo a nine-month life-extension project.[4] In 2016, she took over the Heriot Bay-Whaletown route from MV Tenaka, upon her retirement. Tachek went on to serve this route for next ten years, until she was retired upon completion of her final sailing from Whaletown to Heriot Bay, late in the morning of June 26, 2026.[5]
MV Quadra Queen II was built in 1969, also by Allied Shipbuilders in Vancouver, British Columbia. She replaced the original Quadra Queen on the Campbell River–Quathiaski Cove (Quadra Island) route. Quadra Queen was renamed Cortes Queen and later MV Nicola. In the late-1980s or early-1990s, Quadra Queen II was relocated to the Port McNeill-Alert Bay-Sointula route.[2] As of 2021, the ferry still serves this route, however she is likely to be retired after her replacement by the new MV Island Aurora, and has been serving as an auxiliary vessel on the Buckley Bay-Denman Island route during her trial period.[6] From April 2010 to May 2011, Quadra Queen II underwent a CA$$15 million life extension project meant to prepare the vessel for another 20 years of service.[7] In October of 2025, BC Ferries announced that Quadra Queen II would be retired in 2026, and the vessel completed its' final sailing on the Port McNeill-Alert Bay-Sointula triangle route in March of that year.[8] As of June 2026, however, a formal retirement has yet to take place and Quadra Queen II remains as an auxilliary vessel.
References
[edit]- 1 2 Hammersmark, John. "Tachek - BC Ferries". West Coast Ferries. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- 1 2 Hammersmark, John. "M.V. Quadra Queen II - BC Ferries". West Coast Ferries. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
- ↑ "MV Tachek". BC Ferries. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- ↑ Since then, Tachekhas been used on the Heriot Bay (Quadra) to Whaletown (Cortes)."Service Notice - MV Tachek - Vessel Replacement". BC Ferries. 17 December 2012.
- ↑ "Arrival of Island Nagalis and priority loading changes". BC Ferries Projects. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
- ↑ "Quadra Queen II". BC Ferries. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- ↑ "MV Quadra Queen II Returns to Service Following $15 Million Upgrade" (pdf). British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. (Press release). Victoria, BC. 16 March 2011.
- ↑ Jure, Brendan (2025-10-18). "Quadra Queen II ferry making retirement farewell runs on the North Island". Cowichan Valley Citizen. Retrieved 2026-06-26.