The MV ''Tenaka'' is a ferry previously owned by

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, publicly owned Canadian company. BC Ferries provides all major passenger and vehicle ferr ...

. She was built for BC's Ministry of Transportation and Highways in 1964 in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

by the

Victoria Machinery Depot Victoria Machinery Depot Ltd. was a historic metalworks and shipyard in Victoria, Canada. Establishment From the late 1850s, with the Fraser Canyon and Cariboo Gold Rushes, British Columbia was dependent upon Californian supplies and ships. To pr ...

. Originally named the ''Comox Queen'', she was renamed ''Tenaka'' in 1977 and became part of BC Ferries' fleet in 1985 when the Ministry of Transportation's saltwater ferries and routes were transferred to BC Ferries. As of April 2016, the ''Tenaka'' was sold to ''Lady Rose Marine Services'', a tourism company operating out of

Port Alberni, British Columbia Port Alberni () is a city located on Vancouver Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The city lies within the Alberni Valley at the head of the Alberni Inlet, Vancouver Island's longest inlet. It is the location of the head offices ...

. The ''Tenaka'' is a single ended ferry that carries 30 cars and 150 passengers. Two Caterpillar engines provide 1700 horsepower and give the ''Tenaka'' a speed of 12 knots. There are two passenger deck levels on the ferry. There are two lounges on the lower passenger level that are on each side of the overheight car lane. Another passenger lounge directly above extends across the width of the ferry. The ''Tenaka'' has a vending machine and washrooms, but no other passenger amenities. It has two outside decks astern of each passenger cabin. The ''Comox Queen'', as she was originally called, was built for the Powell River-Comox route, and it began service there on March 25, 1965. Traffic on that route soon outgrew the ''Comox Queen'', and from 1969 to 1976, the Ministry borrowed BC Ferries' ''Queen of the Islands'' in the summer for use on the route. In 1976, the ''Comox Queen'' was replaced with the much-larger . The ''Comox Queen'' received new engines and was renamed the ''Tenaka'' in 1977. In 1979, she was assigned to the

Port McNeill Port McNeill is a town in the North Island region of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada with a population of 2,356 (2021). Located on Vancouver Island's north-east shore on Queen Charlotte Strait, it was originally a base camp for logger ...

–

Sointula Sointula is an isolated village on Malcolm Island in British Columbia, Canada. Lying between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia mainland, northeast of Port McNeill and not far from Alert Bay, the island is part of the historic and present ...

–

Alert Bay Alert Bay is a village on Cormorant Island, near the town of Port McNeill on northeast Vancouver Island, in the Regional District of Mount Waddington, British Columbia, Canada. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statis ...

route, replacing the . In 1985, the Ministry's coastal routes and ferries were transferred to BC Ferries, including the ''Tenaka''. Over the next few years, she served on a variety of routes for BC Ferries. In 1994, she started working on the Heriot Bay– Whaletown route between

Quadra Island Quadra Island is a large island off the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Discovery Islands, in the Strathcona Regional District. Etymology In 1903, the island was named after the Peruvian Spanish n ...

and

Cortes Island Cortes Island is an island in the Discovery Islands archipelago on the coast of British Columbia, Canada. The island is long, wide, and in area. It has a population of 1,035 permanent residents (2016 census). Cortes Island lies within Electora ...

. She again replaced the ''Nimpkish'' that was formerly working on this route. As of December 2014, ''Tenaka'' sailed its last voyage across the Strait of Georgia. On April 12, 2016, BC Ferries was planning to auction off 3 of their vessels. The first vessel to be sold was the ''Tenaka'', whose auction was won by a tourism company called ''Lady Rose Marine Services'' that operates out of Port Alberni. The ship was subsequently renamed the ''MV Alberni Legacy.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tenaka Ships of BC Ferries 1964 ships