The MV ''Tenaka'' is a

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

previously owned by

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 ...

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

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

by the Victoria Machinery Depot. 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. Port Alberni currently has a total popul ...

. 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 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 ...

–

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 ...

–

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 ...

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 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 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 Spanis ...

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 Electo ...

. 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 The Strait of Georgia () or the Georgia Strait is an arm of the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the extreme southwestern mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada, and the extreme northwestern mainland coast of Washington, United Stat ...

. 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