Statistics:

M.V. Sechelt Queen
Previous Names	M.V. Chinook II (1954-1963) M.V. Chinook (1947-1954)
Place Built	Seattle, Washington
Year Built	1947
Year Retired from BC Ferries	1976
At Retirement:
Vehicle Capacity	83
Passenger Capacity	670
Length	287.5 ft.
Gross Tons	4,979
Horsepower	6000

History & Notes:

• The Chinook was built in 1947 for the Puget Sound Navigation Company (Black Ball) to operate on the Seattle - Port Angeles - Victoria night run. She was launched on April 22, 1947 and made her maiden voyage on June 25th* from Seattle to Victoria (Kline and Bayless, 287 ; Griffiths and Cadieux, 47). *Griffiths and Cadieux claim the maiden voyage took place on July 25th

  The designer of the ferry, William Francis Gibbs, called her the "Queen Elizabeth of the Inland Seas" and the Pacific Marine Review described her as "...the most modern and lavishly equipped vessel for automobile-passenger service yet built in America." (Kline and Bayless, 287)

  The Chinook had 100 staterooms and had the capacity to carry 100 cars when first built. She was outfitted with luxurious amenities including a bridal suite, coffee shop, lounge, and dining saloon, more like a liner or old steamship than the modern ferry. (Evergreenfleet.com - The Chinook ; Kline and Bayless, 287)

• The Chinook had her first major accident only a few months after she was launched. On September 29, 1947, she collided with the Dagmar Salem, a Swedish freighter, off Bush Point, Washington (Griffiths and Cadieux, 47).

• The pride of the Black Ball fleet had only a short history with the company. In 1951, the State of Washington took over most of the Puget Sound Navigation Company. However, a few vessels, including the Chinook were retained by the company's president, Captain Alexander Peabody. Peabody formed Black Ball Ferries, mainly for ferry service in and to British Columbia. The Chinook remained registered in the U.S.A. and continued operating between Victoria and Port Angeles until 1954. (Evergreenfleet.com - The Chinook ; Kline and Bayless, 310)

• In 1954, the Chinook underwent a major refit in Victoria and had her registry switched to Canada. The most visual change to the Chinook was the restructuring of her bow, replacing her pointed bow with a square front through which cars could be loaded. At this time she was also renamed Chinook II to avoid having the same name as another ship already on the Canadian registery. (Evergreenfleet.com - The Chinook)

• The Chinook II was aquired by B.C. Ferries in 1961, when Black Ball Ferries was purchased by the crown corporation for $6,690,000. This sale included the Quillayute, Bainbridge, Kahloke, Smokwa, and the Chinook II, as well as the terminal facilities at Horseshoe Bay, Departure Bay, Langdale, Earl's Cove, and Saltery Bay. B.C. Ferries eventually renamed several of these ferries, including the Chinook II, which was renamed Sechelt Queen. (Griffiths and Cadieux, 22)

  B.C. Ferries placed the Chinook II on the Nanaimo - Horseshoe Bay run along with the Kahloke (later renamed Langdale Queen). She was also sometimes used on the Swartz Bay - Tsawwassen route in the early years of B.C. Ferries. (Griffiths and Cadieux, 24-5, 96)

• The Chinook II was a frequent cause of head-aches for B.C. Ferries. Garth Griffiths and Capt. H.L. Cadieux tell a few stories in their book, Dogwood Fleet:

  ...Chinook II and Kahloke, when on the Swartz Bay run, had difficulty negotiating the fast currents of Active Pass and it was necessary to re-route them the longer way where currents run slower, along the International Boundary. More schedule complications. (Griffiths and Cadieux, 96)

  [A] bomb, apparently made from two sticks of dynamite and an alarm clock, had been placed in a lifebelt locker near the stern. It exploded around four in the morning, smashing the locker, breaking a few windows, triggering off an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but harming nobody. (Griffiths and Cadieux, 97-8)

  Ship handling problems in confined waters are manifested by Sechelt Queen's encounter with a boom chain at Horseshoe Bay in 1963. Going astern from her slip, she was caught and swung by a gust of wind, augmented by the wash of Langdale Queen entering the bay. Her propeller fouled a 300 foot chain, which had to be cut free, underwater, with acetylene torches operated by skin divers. The same Queen was once forced off course to run into a bluff at Horseshoe Bay in avoiding a small craft, foruntately without damage. (Griffiths and Cadieux, 95)

  On April 5, 1962 (3 months before the bomb), the Chinook II ran aground on Snake Island at 9:38 am as she approached Departure Bay. Snake Island is the small, low island with no vegetation that can be seen about 5 km east of Departure Bay. As the tide receeded, the ferry was left almost completely out of the water, stranded on the rocks. The passengers were evacuated via nearby vessels and the ship was refloated during the next high tide. The only significant damage was a small hole in the hull, where the ferry had hit the rocks. The accident happened because the Chinook II was being operated in fog without radar. The radar had been repossessed by its owners after B.C. Ferries had refused to pay for it (Black Ball had leased it, but then sold it to B.C. Ferries). (Griffiths and Cadieux, 98-99 ; Bannerman, 107 ; Evergreenfleet.com - The Chinook)

• The Sechelt Queen was sold to the Ministry of Transportation and Highways in 1976 and she was moved further north to run between Comox and Powell River. In 1982, she was replaced by the Princess of Vancouver and sold. (Bannerman, 171 ; Clapp, 67)

Origin of the Names:

• Chinook - The Chinook are one of a number of Indian tribes located on the Northwest Coast of North America. Chinook is also a name of a type of salmon found on the coast.

• Chinook II - Had the "II" added to the end of the name to distinguish her from another ship by the same name already on the Canadian registry. (Kline and Bayless, 355). (Evergreenfleet.com - The Chinook)

• Sechelt Queen - Named after the Sechelt Peninsula in British Columbia, also known as the Sunshine Coast. Sechelt is also the largest town in the region (not including Powell River), located at the foot of the peninsula between Sechelt Inlet and Georgia Strait. Sechelt is the English name for the Shishalh Indian tribe. (Encyclopedia of British Columbia)

What happened to the Sechelt Queen?

• According to Evergreenfleet.com, the Sechelt Queen was sold to Sea World Processors Inc. who never did anything with her. Then, in the mid-1990's she was sold again and moved to Port Angeles, WA. The new owner's plan was to use the ferry as a floating casino on the infamous Mississippi River. The vessel's superstructure was removed, the funds ran out, and the Sechelt Queen ended her days as scrap metal. (Evergreenfleet.com - The Chinook)

Works Cited & Sources:

Bannerman, Gary and Patricia. The Ships of British Columbia. Surrey: Hancock House Publishers, 1985.

Clapp, Frank A. Lake and River Ferries. Victoria: Province of British Columbia, Ministry of Transportation and Highways, 1991.

Evergreenfleet.com - Quillayute

Francis, Daniel, ed. Encyclopedia of British Columbia. Madeira Park: Harbour Publishing, 2000.

Griffiths, Garth, and H.L. Cadieux. Dogwood Fleet. Nanaimo: Cadieux and Griffiths, 1967.

Kline, M.S. and G.A. Bayless. Ferryboats - A Legend on Puget Sound. Seattle: Bayless Books, 1983.

Relevant Links & Photos:

Evergreenfleet.com - The Chinook - A short history of the ferry from the website's "Forgotten Fleet" section. Several pictures of the ferry, including interior photos of the original Chinook. Also a photo of the Chinook II on Snake Island.

Early Ships - by Kevin Stapleton - Photo of Sechelt Queen and several other early BC Ferries.

BC Archives Photographs (By Call Number)

I-20698 - The original Chinook in Victoria's harbour.

I-20699 - The Chinook unloading at Victoria.

F-09387 - The Chinook II in Georgia Strait.

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