BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...

operates two T-class ferries for use on small inter-island routes. They have raised bows, which make it easier for the ships to travel in the rough seas often found on

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

's central coast. The ferries carry 30 cars and 150 passengers. Both were built in 1969. They were originally owned and operated by the

British Columbia Ministry of Transportation The Ministry of Transportation and Transit is the Executive Council of British Columbia, British Columbia government ministry (government department), ministry responsible for transport and law in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is cu ...

until 1985, when the Ministry's saltwater ferries and routes were transferred to

, including the T class. The two T-class ferries are ''Tachek'' and ''Quadra Queen II''.

Ships in class

MV ''Tachek'' was built in 1969 in Vancouver, British Columbia by Allied Shipbuilders. She was originally named ''Texada Queen'' and was used on the Powell River- Blubber Bay route, serving her namesake

Texada Island Texada Island is a large island located in the Strait of Georgia of British Columbia, Canada. With an area of , it is the largest island of the Gulf Islands and the third largest island in the Strait of Georgia after Whidbey Island in Washington ...

. She was renamed ''Tachek'' in 1977, and continued serving Texada Island until 1979 when the larger ''North Island Princess'' replaced her. Since then, she has served as an auxiliary vessel, providing additional capacity where demand is needed and serving as a backup ferry when other ferries are out of service. On 15 December 2012, ''Tachek'' was removed from service to undergo a nine-month life-extension project. Since then, ''Tachek''has been used on the Heriot Bay (Quadra) to Whaletown (Cortes). In 2016, she took over the Heriot Bay-

Whaletown Whaletown is a settlement on Cortes Island, British Columbia, Canada. It is known as the gateway to Cortes Island. A public ferry links Whaletown to Heriot Bay on Quadra Island. It is featured in the 2013 Man Booker long-list work of fiction by ...

route from MV Tenaka, upon her retirement. As of 2023, the ferry continues to service this route. MV ''Quadra Queen II'' was built in 1969, also by Allied Shipbuilders in Vancouver, British Columbia. She replaced the original ''Quadra Queen'' on the Campbell River– Quathiaski Cove (

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 Spanis ...

) route. ''Quadra Queen'' was renamed ''Cortes Queen'' and later . In the late-1980s or early-1990s, ''Quadra Queen II'' was relocated to the

Port McNeill Port McNeill is a town in the North Island region of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada on Vancouver Island's northeast shore, on Queen Charlotte Strait. Originally a base camp for loggers, it became a settlement in 1936. It was named ...

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 Canadian census conducted by Statist ...

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 pres ...

route. As of 2021, the ferry still serves this route, however she is likely to be retired after her replacement by the new MV Island Aurora, and has been serving as an auxiliary vessel on the

Buckley Bay Buckley Bay is a geographical location on the east coast of Vancouver Island, located between Union Bay to the north and Fanny Bay to the south. It is the departure point for the BC Ferries crossing of Baynes Sound to Denman Island and on ...

Denman Island Denman Island, (also known by Sla-dai-aich or Taystayic, in the Comox language), is one of the Northern Gulf Islands and part of the Comox Valley Regional District of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member of the Islands Trust group of ...

route during her trial period. From April 2010 to May 2011, ''Quadra Queen II'' underwent a life extension project meant to prepare the vessel for another 20 years of service.

References

{{BC Ferry Classes Ferry classes