V class ferry
 Queen of Saanich on the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | V class (Victoria class) |
| Builders: | Vancouver, BC & Victoria, BC |
| Operators: | BC Ferries |
| Preceded by: | Sidney Class |
| Succeeded by: | Cowichan Class, Spirit Class, Coastal Class |
| Subclasses: | Burnaby Class, New Westminster Class |
| Built: | 1962–1963 |
| In service: | 1962–2008 |
| Planned: | 4 |
| Completed: | 4 |
| Active: | 0 |
| Retired: | 4 |
The V Class Ferries, also known as Victoria Class, includes BC Ferries ships built between 1962 and 1963. These vessels were the backbone of service on the Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay route prior to the arrival of the MV Spirit of British Columbia in 1993. Some of these vessels underwent vehicle capacity increases three times.
The vessels were slated to be retired and sold in 2008 [1]
History and sub-classes
When the Victoria Class ferries were constructed, a total of seven were constructed.
- Original seven V class vessels
- MV Queen of Victoria
- MV Queen of Vancouver
- MV Queen of Saanich
- MV Queen of Esquimalt
- MV Queen of New Westminster
- MV Queen of Burnaby
- MV Queen of Nanaimo
The seven ships constructed were soon modified to increase vehicle capacity twice. The first was the installation of platform decks or ramps, the seconds saw the ships sliced in half vertically across the beam for the insertion of an 84 foot mid-section, which dramatically increased the length of the seven ships.
Later, five of the seven ships (excluding MV Queen of Burnaby, and MV Queen of Nanaimo) were cut horizontally from bow to stern to have a new vehicle deck inserted. As a result, the two ships left without the new car deck were removed from the V class designation to become Burnaby class vessels.
The MV Queen of New Westminster was later fit with new engines to make it travel at a speed comparable to the newer Cowichan class ferries. The New West was then also dropped from the V class designation, and is now officially unclassed.
- Current designations of original seven V class vessels
- V Class (With ramps, stretch, and raise)
- MV Queen of Victoria (retired)
- MV Queen of Vancouver (retired)
- MV Queen of Saanich (retired)
- MV Queen of Esquimalt (retired)
- Burnaby Class (With ramps and stretch)
- MV Queen of Burnaby
- MV Queen of Nanaimo
- Unclassed (With ramps, stretch, raise, and engine refit)
- MV Queen of New Westminster
- V Class (With ramps, stretch, and raise)
Current V class vessels
Queen of Vancouver (retired)
Former MV City of Vancouver
Built: Vancouver, British Columbia, 1962
Retired: April 15, 2009 - Sold to Coast Marine. She will be stripped to her hull at a later date. Currently moored at Woodfibre
Length: 129.9 m (426 ft)
Power: 9,000 hp (6.7 MW)
Propulsion: Two MaK 8M551AK
Service speed: 18.5 knots (34 km/h)
Gross tons: 9,357.22
Car capacity: 338
Passenger & crew capacity: 1,708
Route: Tsawwassen – Swartz Bay
Queen of Saanich (retired)
Built: Victoria, British Columbia, 1963
Retired: November 18, 2008 - Sold. Renamed Owen Belle. Now in use as a logging camp on the coast of the Vancouver Island
Length: 129.9 m (426 ft)
Power: 8,941 hp (6.7 MW)
Propulsion: Two MaK 8M551AK
Service speed: 18.5 knots (34 km/h)
Gross tons: 9,301.65
Car capacity: 360
Passenger & crew capacity: 1,708
Route: Swartz Bay – Tsawwassen
Queen of Esquimalt (retired)
Built: Victoria, British Columbia, 1963
Retired: May 25, 2008 - Sold to Dalian Golden Sun I/E Co., Ltd. Renamed Princess Jacqueline. Currently her future is uncertain. She should have left her moorage at Port Alberni for China more than a year ago.[1]
Length: 129.9 m (426 ft)
Power: 8,500 hp (6.3 MW)
Propulsion: Two MaK 8M551AK
Service speed: 19 knots (35 km/h)
Gross tons: 9,304
Car capacity: 376
Passenger & crew capacity: 1,656
Route: Langdale - Horseshoe Bay (summer), spare ship in all other seasons.
Queen of Victoria (retired)
Former MV City of Victoria
Built: Victoria, British Columbia, 1962
Retired: 2001 - sold to R & G Importadora & Exportadora of the Dominican Republic. Renamed Queen of Ocoa. Scrapped in 2006 at Alang.[1]
Length: 129.9 m (426 ft)
Power: 9,000 hp (6.7 MW)
Propulsion: Two MaK 8M551AK
Service speed: 19 knots (35 km/h)
Gross tons: 9,294
Car capacity: 286
Passenger & crew capacity: 1,360
Route: Tsawwassen - Swartz Bay
| Preceded by Sidney Class ferries |
BC Ferries Flagship 1962 - 1985 |
Succeeded by MV Queen of the North |
References
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