| Place Built | Sorel, Quebec | Vehicle Capacity | 70 | |
| Builder | Marine Industries Ltd. | Passenger Capacity | 330 (+ 6 crew) | |
| Year Built | 1964 | Length | 73.46 m | |
| Previous Name | M.V. Napoleon L. (1964-71) | Breadth | 18.4 m | |
| Joined BC Ferries | 1971 | Gross Tons | 855.37 | |
| Est. Retirement Year* | 2012/2013 | Horsepower | 1,400 | |
| Onboard Services | Probably Washrooms (not accessible to the disabled) |
Service Speed | 9.5 knots | |
| * From BC Ferries Coastal Ferry Services Contract (2003) |
Special Notes:
- Howe Sound Queen is the only BC Ferry built in Canada outside of British Columbia (in Quebec).
- Howe Sound Queen was previously named Napoleon L. and operated in Quebec until 1971. She was purchased by B.C. Ferries that year for $350,000 (Bannerman, 173).
- When she arrived on the B.C. coast, the Howe Sound Queen underwent a $250,000 refit and was then placed on the Bowen Island - Hoseshoe Bay route ("Howe Sound Queen" - Magellan - The Ships Encyclopedia).
- Howe Sound Queen now operates mainly between Vesuvius on Saltspring Island and Crofton on Vancouver Island.
| Year | Event |
| 1964 | Launched |
| 1971 | Bought by BC Ferries, refitted, and renamed Howe Sound Queen. Placed on Bowen Island run. |
| 1991 | December - The Howe Sound Queen came in too hard at Horseshoe Bay and 6 passengers were taken to hospital. |
Origin of the Name:
- Napoleon L. - I can't find any information on a "Napoleon L.", however it could be named after the infamous French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821).
- Howe Sound Queen - Named after Howe Sound, a large inlet/fjord north of Vancouver which separates the city from the Sunshine Coast. There are many large islands in Howe Sound including Bowen, Keats, Gambier, and Anvil. The Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal is located near the mouth of the sound. Howe Sound was named by Captain George Vancouver, naming it after Admiral Earl Howe ("Howe Sound" - Encyclopedia of British Columbia).
Works Cited & Sources of Information:
Bannerman, Gary and Patricia. The Ships of British Columbia. Surrey: Hancock House Publishers, 1985.
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.
Magellan - The Ships Encyclopedia. Available Online: http://www.cimorelli.com/cgi-bin/magellanscripts/.
Relevent Links:
For more photos of the Howe Sound Queen, visit my ferries_bc Yahoo! Photo Page.
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Photos by Donald Hammersmark.
This page was last updated on July 26, 2003.