SS ''Princess Helene'' was a

passenger A passenger is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The vehicles may be bicycles, ...

and

cargo In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...

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 ...

operated by the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

(CPR).

William Denny and Brothers William Denny and Brothers Limited, often referred to simply as Denny, was a Scotland, Scottish shipbuilder, shipbuilding company. History The shipbuilding interests of the Denny family date back to William Denny (born 1779), for whom ships a ...

built ''Princess Helene'' in 1930 at

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (historical), Britons') is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. She was custom designed for CPR’s

Bay of Fundy The Bay of Fundy () is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its tidal range is the highest in the world. The bay was ...

service connecting the CPR's eastern mainline railway terminus at

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John () is a port#seaport, seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest Municipal corporation, incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign ...

with the port of

Digby, Nova Scotia Digby is a Canadian town in southwestern Nova Scotia. It is in the historical Digby County, Nova Scotia, county of Digby and a separate municipality from the Municipality of the District of Digby. The town is situated on the western shore of the ...

, which was served by a CPR subsidiary, the

Dominion Atlantic Railway The Dominion Atlantic Railway was a historic railway which operated in the western part of Nova Scotia in Canada, primarily through an agricultural district known as the Annapolis Valley. The Dominion Atlantic Railway (DAR) was unusually divers ...

. Replacing the older and smaller DAR steamer ''Empress'', ''Princess Helene'' could carry 500 passengers and 50 automobiles as well as large amounts of freight. Special side-loading doors moved vehicles and freight to large wharf elevators at Digby and Saint John to cope with the

tidal range Tidal range is the difference in height between high tide and low tide. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and Sun, by Earth's rotation and by centrifugal force caused by Earth's prog ...

in the Bay of Fundy. ''Princess Helene'' was part of a chain of CPR's transportation system that “spanned the world” and as such she was outfitted in the style of the company's "Duchess" ocean liners. She had 43 state rooms complemented by beautiful interior fittings that exceeded the usual standards of Canada's regional ferries. Crew uniforms were modeled on the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

and each time she passed the DAR's Digby Pines Hotel, bellboys would dip the hotel's flag and salute. Nicknamed the "Digby Boat", ''Princess Helene'' made her crossings without fail across the turbulent and foggy Bay of Fundy and through the dangerous waters of

Digby Gut The Digby Gut is a narrow channel connecting the Bay of Fundy with the Annapolis Basin. The town of Digby, Nova Scotia is located on the inner portion of the western side of the Gut. The eastern entrance is marked by the Point Prim Lighthouse. St ...

. She steamed 168,400 miles during 33 years of service, including precarious crossings during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

where she was often escorted by

warships and

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

aircraft because of the danger of attack by German

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

s. ''Princess Helene'' was replaced on April 27, 1963, by , formerly the CPR’s

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 ...

ferry ''Princess of Nanaimo''. The new ship had a greater capacity for automobile and truck traffic but lacked her predecessor's grand ocean liner charm and would be replaced by another newly built vessel carrying the same name ''Princess of Acadia'' within 7 years. Hugh "Sam" Macdonald was the longtime Chief Engineer of the SS ''Princess Helene.'' His nephew, Donald Stovel Macdonald was a member of Pierre Trudeau's Cabinet and served as President of the Privy Council, Minister of National Defence, Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources and Minister of Finance. ''Princess Helene'' was sold to

Chandris Lines Chandris Line was a Greece, Greek shipping company founded in 1960 by Antonios Chandris to operate ocean liners between Greece and Australia.#Plowman, Plowman (2006–1). pp. 5–6. Initially the company also traded under the names ''Greek Austral ...

of Greece, extensively rebuilt, and renamed ''Carina II''. She operated budget cruises until 1972 when she was laid up and subsequently sold for scrap several years later.Simplon
SS ''Princess Helene''; SS ''Carina II''
/ref> A large builder’s model of ''Princess Helene'' is preserved today at the

Canada Science and Technology Museum The Canada Science and Technology Museum (abbreviated as CSTM; ) is a national museum of science and technology in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum has a mandate to preserve and promote the country's scientific and technological heritage. The m ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. “The 4,000 ton Princess Helene closed out 33 years service Saturday (May 4th, 1963) - on this run patronized by the people of the Maritimes as well as vacationers from other parts of Canada, the United States and elsewhere. While Helene’s last trip was a nostalgic one for its 240 passengers, it was even more so for Captain A. Roy Conley, master since 1946, who has been with the vessel since she entered service in 1930. Captain Conley has made over 21,000 crossings on the Bay of Fundy during his half-century at sea - 45 of them with the Canadian Pacific. “ The Montreal Gazette - May 6, 1963.

Notes

References

* Musk, George. (1981)
''Canadian Pacific: The Story of the Famous Shipping Line.''
Toronto: Holt, Rinehart and Winston of Canada.
OCLC 7540915
* Ness, Gary. (1988). ''Canadian Pacific's Dominion Atlantic Railway.'' Calgary: British Railway Modellers of North America. ;
OCLC 19848419
* Woodworth, Marguerite. (1936). ''History of the Dominion Atlantic Railway.'' Kentville, Nova Scotia: Kentville Pub. Co
OCLC 1549597

External links

''Dominion Atlantic Railway Digital Preservation Institute'' "SS Princess Helene"Admiral Digby Museum Memories Through Time Virtual Exhibit: Transportation
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Princess Helene Ships of CP Ships Ferries of Nova Scotia Ferries of New Brunswick Transport in Digby County, Nova Scotia 1930 ships Transport in Saint John, New Brunswick Troopships of Canada

See also

Notes

References

External links