Service Disruption

The relentless to-ing and fro-ing of the Halifax harbour ferries was disrupted for a few hours today as heavy snow forced the shutdown of municipal services such as transit and refuse collection. With schools, colleges and unversities also closed and many businesses shuttered, at least for a time, the ferries would not have had much business had they been operational for the morning commute.

Unlike ferry services in less sheltered waters, the harbour ferries are rarely effected by weather, and then only in the most extreme conditions. They often run when all other means of transportation grind to a halt.

Today's interruption was short lived as the boats began to run again in the late morning once some roads were clear and it was safe for passengers (and crews) to reach the three terminals. Credited as the oldest (and continously operated) salt water ferry service in North America, and the second oldest in the world* after the Mersey ferry in England, the service dates back to the founding of Halifax in 1749. The first municipally chartered service began in 1752, and has relied on several means of propulsion including horses turning paddle wheels. They were double ended, with two wheelhouses.

 In the early 20th century, the boats were steam powered and carried automobiles until 1956 when the Angus L. Macdonald bridge was built connecting Halifax and Dartmouth. It was then that the noted naval architect William Roue (of schooner Bluenose fame) designed a pair of wooden hulled, diesel powered, pedestrian only, boats that established the basis for future designs.

The little double enders with a centre wheelhouse, did not need to turn around as they travelled  back and forth across the harbour, as they were built with propellors at bow and stern, and operated in forward or reverse mode.They also used the old docking slips at each end of the run. They operated until 1978 when a second generation of boats came into service. These new boats were steel hulled and were sideloading.  New floating terminal structures, gave passengers somewhat more shelter in bad weather.

Named Halifax III and Dartmouth III, they used the Voith - Schneider propulsion system, allowing the engines to change direction and speed by altering the pitch of the vertical prop blades. Otherwise they were remarkably similar in concept and appearance to their Roue-designed predecessors.

Designers E.Y.E. provided a virtually identical design when a third ferry was added to the fleet in 1986 when a second terminal was added on the Dartmouth shore at Woodside. The newest boat was named,  perhaps predictably, Woodside I.

The new route was longer, but all three boats were interchangeable and did take turns, sometimes confusing patrons. All three vessels were built by Ferguson Industries in Pictou, NS.

The current fleet numbers five boats. All were built by A.F.Thériault in Meteghan River between 2014 and 2018 to an upgraded E.Y.E. design, but which still has the distinctive profile given by Roue.
 

Having five boats in the fleet allows for two vessels on each route and a spare to cover maintenenace periods or breakdowns. All boats are named for people, and each boat carries an interpretive panel explaining that person's role in history. 

 

The Wikipedia page on the ferry service gives a brief bio of the namesake for each boat. 

See: Ferry and namesakes

When the current boats came into service the three previuous boats were sold. Dartmouth III made its way to Toronto where it was to run to a waterfront amusement park. So far it has not entered service. Dartmouth III and Woodside I, were acquired by the same owners, but at last report were laid up in Lunenburg, NS.

*I am always wary of "firsts" and "biggests" and "oldests". Our Eurocentric version of history normally excludes a lot of (perhaps) unrecorded events that happened far from western eyes. There have been salt water ferry services as long as there have been bodies of salt water to cross (real or imagined or even flaming). See: Charon

The current boats' "rooster tails" when underway give a bustling appearance, which is entirely appropriate. There is also a hardy breed of passengers who ride "outside" on the weather deck whenever possible. (Sometimes the crew closes the upper deck for safety.)

.

Ferries named Halifax (and Dartmouth) - Part 1

 The Halifax-Dartmouth ferry service must be one of the most reliable means of transportation in the Halifax area. It seems to operate no matter the weather. However for the first time in many moons it was shut down Sunday, February 15, 2015 during an intense rain and ice storm. People were asked to stay home and off the roads, due to the hazardous conditions. The ferries probably could have run, but for the safety of crews and to discourage travel they were out of service for the day.

Having featured ships named Halifax in several posts, the series would not be complete without mention of the several harbour ferries that have carried the name Halifax. Since the ferries were operated for many years by the Dartmouth Ferry Commission (to 1958), the Town of Dartmouth (to 1961) and the City of Dartmouth, the ferries usually operated in pairs, with a running mate named Dartmouth.

The Halifax - Dartmouth ferry service pre-dates the steamboat era, and was initially started with a paddle vessel, powered by horses on a treadmill. It was well into the steam age, and several boats later, before ferries were named for the two towns facing each other across the harbour.

HALIFAX (i) and DARTMOUTH  (i)

The first Halifax (i) ferry, a side paddle wheeler, dated from 1878 when it was built by William H.Baldwin of New Baltimore, NY with the patriotic name of States Rights. It was renamed Annex 2 in 1888 and was operating between Brooklyn, NY and Jersey City, NJ in 1890 when the Dartmouth Ferry Commission bought the ship. It sailed on its own via Yarmouth and arrived in Dartmouth June 26, 1890. On December 9, 1909 an arsonist set fire to the ship and it was so badly damaged that it was sold for scrap to Charles Brister.

Its running mate Dartmouth (i) came from the Burrell - Johnson Iron Co in Yarmouth, NS in 1888. It was a side wheel paddle steamer and operated for 47 years. Renamed Old Veteran in 1934 when a new Dartmouth (ii) was built, it was sold for scrap the same year and broken up in 1935. 

HALIFAX (ii) and DARTMOUTH (ii)
The next Halifax also lasted for a long time, logging 45 years in harbour service. Built in 1911 by Napier + Miller of Old Kilpatrick, Scotland it was a typical double ender, with rudders and props fore and aft, and corresponding wheelhouses. It had passenger cabins on each side of the hull with carriageways each side of the centre line funnel casing. Its delivery trip from started from Clydebank August 8, 1911, but was interrupted by storm damage, when the ferry put in to Lough Swilly three days later. What followed was a harrowing trip, with the boat continually swamped and pumped out only to be swamped again. A temporary bow, or breakwater, built at one end of the deck was smashed and the master was severely injured in a fall. However the boat arrived in Halifax towards the end of August but it took several months to get it in shape to operate.

Halifax (ii) approaches the Halifax ferry terminal in 1950.

After 45 years of service, the boat was sold for scrap in October 1956. However it was only reduced to a hulk and the hull was used as an equipment float by Construction Equipment Ltd (a division of Foundation Maritime.) but was undocumented, since it was no longer used for transportation purposes. 


Its fleet mate Dartmouth (ii) came from DavieShipbuilding+Repair in Lauzon, QC in 1934. It followed the proven double ender design with fore and aft screws and rudders and two wheelhouses.

  It was licensed for 550 passengers and could carry 18-20 vehicles. It lasted until 1957 when it was broken up at pier 9 in Halifax. Some of its components survived however. One of its wheelhouses was used in rebuilding the former Lurcher lightship as the coaster St-Yves.

 The lightship was converted in 1956-57 by Lunenburg Foundry, and in Halifax, and the coaster (and its recycled wheelhouse) worked on the St.Lawrence River until at least 1983 when the boat was finally lost or scrapped (accounts vary).


HALIFAX II  and DARTMOUTH II
With the opening of the  Angus L. Macdonald Bridge in 1956 the Dartmouth Ferry Commission realized that car and truck ferries were no longer needed, and ordered a pair of small pedestrian-only ferries.  They were originally intended to be steel vessels, but the tendered prices exceeded the budget. The ferry commission engaged W.J.Roue to redraw the plans for wood construction and Smith + Rhuland built the two boats in Lunenburg.

 
Halifax II was christened by Mrs. Dalton Randall (Capt. Randall was superintendent of the ferry operation) and launched July 27, 1956. Sister ferry Dartmouth II had been launched July 24, 1956 with Mrs. I.W. Akerley as sponsor (Mr. Akerley was the newly elected mayor of Dartmouth and chairman of the Ferry Commission).
The 171 grt boats were about 75 ft loa x 34.9 ft beam and were also double enders, with screws and rudders fore and aft, and two independently operated 260 bhp Cummins diesel engines. However the boats were operated from a single midships mounted wheelhouse. There were two cabins, port and starboard, originally designated for ladies and gentlemen, as were the previous generations of ferries, but they were soon integrated.

Orange chevrons were added in 1969 in an attempt to dress up the ferries' dowdy image, and were described as "mod". By the 1970s many passengers refused to use the cabins, which were described in the lingo of the day as "grotty", and remained out on deck in all weathers.

As the only boats in the fleet, they ran in tandem, without backups, between Halifax and Dartmouth until 1979. There were many incidents, and a few accidents over the years.

On December 23, 1963 Halifax II collided with the cable ship Lord Kelvin and then with sister Dartmouth II and sustained damage above the water line.

On July 26, 1979 Dartmouth II collided with he tug Point Viking acquiring a gaping hole 15 ft  x 7 ft above the waterline. Repairs were made with plywood, blanking out two windows on one side, to get the boat through to September when it was retired.

The most spectacular accident occurred January 29, 1977 when Dartmouth II parted her lines in a gale, went adrift and ran aground on the Dartmouth shore. It was towed off at high tide without damage by the tug Point Valiant.

.

The boats' egg shaped hulls were quite durable and heavily fendered.

The boats were exceptionally sturdy and survived numerous bumps and scrapes when docking in Halifax and Dartmouth.

The pair served until September 9, 1979 when a new pair of ferries went into service. Although they only served for 23 years, they are well remembered as reliable - if funky.

The boats looked pretty drab by the time they were laid up, complete with plywood patches, and no attempt to repaint the chevrons.

Post ferry work, Dartmouth II ended up in LaHave, NS where it was advertised for sheriff's sale in April 1983, then again for sale in the Autotrader in June of the same year and still with its engines. By 1986 it was back in Halifax where it was converted to the non-propelled floating restaurant Lobsters Ahoy.

Dartmouth II at pier 25 undergoing conversion to a restaurant.

It berthed at the old ferry slip, where it sank October 18, 1992 when a bilge pump burned out.

The boat was raised and was next sighted in Liverpool. NS in 1996, where it was being dismantled.

Although Dartmouth II was raised, it was never repaired. Considerably worse for the wear, it was being dismantled in Liverpool in 1996.

It is likely that the hull was used for fish farming for a time, but I lost track of it after that. Its registration was finally closed April 2, 2000.

Halifax II seems to have traveled extensively after its ferry days.It was purchased by H.B.Nickerson + Sons Ltd of North Sydney, NS and reduced to a barge and renamed Labrador II . Its wheelhouse became the gatehouse at Sydney Engineering and Drydock Co (which Nickersons owned) , and its hull was spotted in Canso in 1992 and in Jeddore in 1993, apparently working its way back to Halifax! It looked like it was being used as a work float for dismantling some old trawlers, and probably did not survive long after that work was done.

Its registration was closed April 22, 2004.

Required Reading: For those interested in the history of the Dartmouth ferry service, the definitive story is contained in a book entitled Like a Weaver's Shuttle by Joan and Lewis Payzant. It was written in 1979 but can still be found on line and in used book shops.

To be continued for HALIFAX III and DARTMOUTH III