Prince Rupert: Sinking of the Queen of the North

  Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada
Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Prince Rupert: The Sinking of the Queen of the North

Queen of the North
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Pre-amble

I have been putting off the writing of this blog for over a year, but tonight may be an appropriate moment, as the Northern Adventure takes its maiden voyage from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy.....more about that later.

I have also waited-in vain for Gordon Lightfoot to create another musical legend in the genre of The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Nov. 10, 1975) - a haunting rendition of a maritime tragedy on Lake Superior.

You can find the haunting words of this balad at:
http://www.corfid.com/gl/Albums/Summertime_Dream/The_Wreck_O f_the_Edmund_Fitzgerald.htm

My own encounter with the Queen of the North in 1996

I flew from Ottawa to Vancouver with my touring bike as part of my baggage. I then peddled up the Sunshine Coast, crossed from Powell River to Comox on Vancouver Island and then continued to Port Hardy. From here I took the Queen of the North to Prince Rupert and then crossed to the Queen Charlotte Island which I toured on my bike. Needless to say, it was a beautiful trip.

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Queen of the North

Operated by BC Ferries, the 40 year-old, 409 ft., 115-car Queen of the North was one of two ferries plying the waters between Port Hardy, located on the northern tip of Vancouver Island and the port of Prince Rupert. This 400 km voyage is commonly known as BC's Inside Passage.

Along with the smaller Queen of Prince Rupert, the Queen of the North was a vital economic transportation lifeline to the entire north coast including the Queen Charlotte Islands.

01- BC Ferries Postcard of Queen of the North

On the night of March 22, 2006 in the dark waters off Gil Island, while sailing from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy, the world changed for the Queen of the North.

Inexplicably and against all odds, the ferry failed to make a turn in the middle of the night as it was heading straight for Gil Island, 130 km south of Prince Rupert.

With a huge shudder, accompanied by piercing grinding noises, the ferry plowed into Gil Island, at 30km per hour.

02- Gil Island and the village of Hartley Bay

With its outdated, one-compartment hull ripped open, like a sardine can, the laws of buoyancy no longer applied to the proud Queen of the North. The impending doom of the vessel was only 75 minutes away. Thus it was that the ship sank into the deep, dark waters of Wright Sound and 99 crew members and passengers were forced to abandon the ship.

At first it was believed that all passengers were safely evacuated but upon further investigation it was discovered that two passengers were missing and unaccounted for.

It was later alleged that the vessel was sailing at the time without navigation and with no one at the helm until it collided with the island.

Further allegations indicate that the two crew members on the bridge at the time of the incident were totally unaware of their situation and failed to keep a proper lookout.

This, of course, has been one of the most pressing news stories of the past year. After much investigation and a final report by BC Ferries, there still has been no answer to the question as to what was happing on the bridge at the time of the sinking.

The two crew members who were on watch at the time have refused to co-operate in any investigation at the advice of their lawyers.

While civil suits have been launched by relatives of the missing couple, inexplicably, the crew members on watch have not yet been brought before any judicial process which would compel them to testify.

I would assume even if they were compelled to testify in a civil case, they could ask for the "protection of the Canada Evidence Act" which would mean that any testimony given could not be used in a criminal negligence case against them.

Furthermore, criminal negligence would be difficult, if not impossible, to prove since it would have to involve, according to Sec. 219 of the Criminal Code, "wanton and reckless disregard for the lives and safety of other persons" " in doing anything or in omitting to do anything that is his duty to do".(duty refers to a duty imposed by law)

However, at least under these circumstances, the relatives and the public would at last have some closure as to what actually was happening on the bridge on this fateful night.

As it stands now we are left with innuendos and speculation that centers on the fact that the two crew members may have had a relationship and the fact that the lights of the navigation equipment were turned off because they were too bright. Surprisingly, the newspapers have been a lot more explicit in their descriptions

A question I have never seen discussed in the media is why a ferry that plowed into an island at 30km per hour would end up sinking in 1,010 ft. of water.

02- Gil Island and the village of Hartley Bay

Obviously the ship was pulled back to extricate itself from its encounter with terra firma. Was that a wise decision? Should the extent of the damages not have been assessed before pulling the ship back into deeper waters?

This would also have allowed for the salvaging of the ship itself, not to mention the thousands of liters of diesel fuel and lubricants which now lie 1,010 ft. below the surface. This toxic time bomb is an environment hazard not the mention the challenge of removing this matter from the vessel.

These questions of course are easily posed from the comfort of my workstation and have little resemblance to the split second decisions that are made at the time of a crisis.

The tendency to attach blame and to put every action, preceding a tragedy, under a microscope in an effort to attach blame is a well entrenched custom of our current society. Of course we all have an obligation to do what we are assigned to with a "reasonable duty of care", however; we are all as human beings-prone to errors.

This of course raises another question of whether we have become too litigious for our own good.

It is a miracle that there was only a loss of 2 lives. It could have been much worse and I don't think enough credit has been given for the courageous acts of the crew, as well as the invaluable help of the nearby Gitga'at First Nation village of Hartley Bay, whose residents sped to the rescue on March 22, 2006. When the alarm was raised in the middle of the night, they quickly headed for the site of the sinking vessel in their own speed boats and fishing vessels to help as much as they could. The Canadian Coast Guard vessel, Sir Wilfred Laurier, also came to the rescue in a fortunate set of circumstances which mitigated the losses greatly.

Economic Repercussions:

Since there were only two ferries operating between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert and the largest -the Queen of the North-sank, the economic repercussions were significant.

- over 60% drop in passengers service
- for example: April 2005: 2,558 passengers vs. 788 in April 2006
- cancellation of a lot of tour buses as well as the plans of independent tourists
- interruptions of the "normal' circle tour which a lot of tourists take when touring BC, thereby affecting all businesses along the way
- hardest hit would have been Prince Rupert as well as the communities along the Yellowhead Highway as far as Prince George and perhaps beyond
- there is no doubt that the loss of this vital ferry link had an economic trickle effect especially in Northern BC but also in the rest of the province

Northern Adventure

To replace the sunken Queen of the North, BC Ferries Corp. purchased a Greek ferry, about 5 months ago, which has been refurbished it to meet Canadian standards.

Dropping its "Spirit of" theme, the new vessel has been christened "Northern Adventure". It will serve the Inside Passage as well as the Queen Charlotte routes.

The ship has been described as relatively luxurious and will go a long way to attracting tourist and making up ground for the economic losses sustained by the region and province for the crippling sinking of the Queen of the North.

Additiional Facts:

Built in 2004 in Greece

Bought by BC Ferries for $50 million

Refited for $9 million

Capacity: 600 passengers and 101 passengers

It Doesn't Only Happen to BC FERRIES

Date: April 6,2007

The photo from Reuters shows a Greek-registered cruise ship, the Sea Diamond sinking on Friday. It hit some rocks off the Aegean island of Santorini on Thursday and sank 15 hours later.

60- Cruise Ship Sea Diamond (Reuters)

Greek authorities are searching for two French tourists who were missing after the evacuation of the ship

Surprisingly passengers indicated that no general alarm was sounded.

The Greek Tourism Minister promises a full investigation and to hold those responsible accountable for their actions. Greece has a reputation to protect as a major touris destination as well as a premier sea-faring nation. The minister states: "Greece will not allow incidents such as this to occur".

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Action followed quickly in this case, as the captain and five officers were charged with causing a shipwreck through negligence, breaching international shipping safety regulations and polluting the environment.

All were released but if convicted, they would face a five year sentence.
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Sea Diamond

22,000 Tons
1600 passengers

2 passengers missing