MV John Hamilton Gray
Encyclopedia
MV John Hamilton Gray was an icebreaking
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
railway, vehicle, and passenger ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
which operated across the Abegweit Passage
Abegweit Passage
Abegweit Passage is the narrowest part of the Northumberland Strait, comprising the 13-kilometre wide portion between Cape Tryon, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick. Tidal currents in this area can reach up to 4 knots...
of Northumberland Strait
Northumberland Strait
The Northumberland Strait is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada...
, connecting Port Borden
Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island
Borden-Carleton is a Canadian village located on the south shore of Prince Edward Island, fronting on the Northumberland Strait.The village was created through a merger on April 12, 1995 of the original port town of Borden and the farming community of Carleton...
to Cape Tormentine
Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick
Cape Tormentine is a Canadian rural community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.The community derives its name from a headland of the same name which extends into the Northumberland Strait, forming the easternmost point in the province.-Railway:...
between 1968-1997.
The John Hamilton Gray was named in honour of two different people who shared the same name:
- John Hamilton GrayJohn Hamilton Gray (Prince Edward Island politician)John Hamilton Gray was Premier of Prince Edward Island from 1863 – 1865 and one of the Fathers of Confederation...
, the fifth premier of the British colony of Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
and one of Canada's Fathers of ConfederationFathers of ConfederationThe Fathers of Confederation are the people who attended the Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences in 1864 and the London Conference of 1866 in England, preceding Canadian Confederation. The following lists the participants in the Charlottetown, Quebec, and London Conferences and their attendance at...
.
- John Hamilton GrayJohn Hamilton Gray (New Brunswick politician)John Hamilton Gray, QC was a politician in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada, a jurist, and one of the Fathers of Confederation. He should not be confused with John Hamilton Gray, a Prince Edward Island politician in the same era.Gray was born in St. George's, Bermuda...
, the second premier of the British colony of New BrunswickNew BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
and also one of Canada's Fathers of Confederation.
Both men lived in the same era and ended up in public service in the neighbouring colonies of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, which this vessel would connect as a ferry.
Ferry service
The MV John Hamilton Gray was launched in May 1965 as hull 349 at the Marine Industries LimitedMarine Industries Limited
Marine Industries Limited was a Canadian ship building company, in Sorel, Quebec, with a shipyard located on the Richelieu river about 1 km from the St. Lawrence River. It employed up to 10,000 people during the post WWII boom....
shipyard in Sorel, Quebec
Sorel-Tracy, Quebec
Sorel-Tracy is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada and the geographical end point of the Lake Champlain Valley at the confluence of the Richelieu River and the St. Lawrence River, on the western edge of Lac Saint-Pierre downstream and east of nearby Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006...
, and sub-assemblies were built by the Davie Shipyard
Davie Shipbuilding
Davie Shipbuilding is a historic shipbuilding company located in Lauzon, Quebec. The facility has undergone restructuring and is currently operating as Davie Yards Incorporated.-History:...
in Lauzon
Lauzon, Quebec
Lauzon is a former city in southern Quebec, Canada, located on the St. Lawrence River northeast of Lévis. Founded in 1910, Lauzon had a population of about 14,500 when it merged with Lévis in 1989...
and towed by barge to Sorel to be completed on the ferry. She was fitted out on November 1, 1967, and delivered in October 1968. The sea trials took place in September 1968. Her designers were the famous Montreal design firm of German & Milne. Her owner was the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
(CN), operator of the Borden-Tormentine service from 1918-1977.
Beginning in May 1972, the John Hamilton Gray was used during the peak travel season on CN's Cabot Strait
Cabot Strait
Cabot Strait is a strait in eastern Canada approximately 110 kilometres wide between Cape Ray, Newfoundland and Cape North, Cape Breton Island. It is the widest of the three outlets for the Gulf of Saint Lawrence into the Atlantic Ocean, the others being the Strait of Belle Isle and Strait of Canso...
services from North Sydney
North Sydney, Nova Scotia
North Sydney is a community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.Located on the north side of Sydney Harbour, along the eastern coast of Cape Breton Island, North Sydney is an important port in Atlantic Canada as it is the western terminus of the Marine Atlantic ferry service...
to Channel-Port aux Basques
Channel-Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador
Channel-Port aux Basques is a town at the extreme southwestern tip of the island of Newfoundland fronting on the eastern end of the Cabot Strait. A Marine Atlantic ferry terminal is located in the town which is the primary entry point onto the island of Newfoundland and the western terminus of...
and Argentia
Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador
Argentia is a community on the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is situated on a flat headland located along the southwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula on Placentia Bay...
. The seasonal service to Newfoundland typically lasted until November, whereby the John Hamilton Gray would return to the Northumberland Strait service for the winter icebreaking season where she served alongside the . Her summer participation in the Newfoundland service ended in September 1988 in advance of the 's entry into service in 1989.
In 1977, CN created a subsidiary CN Marine
CN Marine
CN Marine was a Canadian ferry company headquartered in Moncton, New Brunswick.-History:CN Marine was created by parent Canadian National Railway in 1977 as a means to group the company's ferry operations in eastern Canada into a separate operating division...
to operate its ferry services. In 1986, CN Marine changed its name to Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic Inc. is an independent Canadian Crown corporation offering ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.Marine Atlantic's corporate headquarters are in St...
, the last operator of the ferry service between Borden and Cape Tormentine.
The vessel's name was typically shortened to The Gray by passengers but was also affectionately called Big John by crewmembers in reference to icebreaking power and physical size. Throughout the 1970s until the new MV Abegweit entered service in 1982, the John Hamilton Gray was the largest and most powerful ferry on the Northumberland Strait.
The John Hamilton Gray was designed to be compatible with the A Dock at both Borden and Cape Tormentine which was in use by the original MV Abegweit (and whose design is traced to the SS Prince Edward Island). The John Hamilton Gray loaded only from the stern on the lower rail/truck deck, however until a modification in the early 1980s (in advance of the arrival of the new MV Abegweit), the upper car deck was loaded from a side hatch at the stern. The modification in the early 1980s saw the side hatch sealed and a stern loading hatch added.
On December 31, 1989 the John Hamilton Gray hauled the last railcars and locomotives off Prince Edward Island as CN Rail
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
abandoned its former Prince Edward Island Railway
Prince Edward Island Railway
The Prince Edward Island Railway was a historic Canadian railway.-Construction:Located wholly within the province of Prince Edward Island, construction of the PEIR started in 1871, financed by the United Kingdom...
trackage in the province.
The John Hamilton Gray was chartered for two summers by "Croisières Carleton-les-Îles", a private ferry company in Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula
Gaspé Peninsula
The Gaspésie , or Gaspé Peninsula or the Gaspé, is a peninsula along the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, extending into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
during 1995 and 1996, running a passenger-vehicle service between Carleton-sur-Mer
Carleton-sur-Mer, Quebec
Carleton-sur-Mer is the fifth largest town of the Gaspésie's south shore, in southeastern Quebec, located on route 132, along Baie des Chaleurs.- Culture :* attracts over 20,000 spectators to see local and international artists...
and Cap-aux-Meules, Quebec
Cap-aux-Meules, Quebec
Cap-aux-Meules is an unincorporated Canadian community located on Île du Cap aux Meules in Quebec's Magdalen Islands...
in the Magdalen Islands
Magdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec....
.
The John Hamilton Gray departed the Northumberland Strait for the final time on April 28, 1997, when she headed to Point Edward, Nova Scotia
Point Edward, Nova Scotia
Point Edward is a community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.It is located on the southwest shore of the North West Arm of Sydney Harbour, immediately north of the community of North West Arm, south of Edwardsville and west of Westmount.Point Edward is also the name of a headland...
for disposal. The pending opening of the Confederation Bridge
Confederation Bridge
The Confederation Bridge is a bridge spanning the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick, Canada. It was commonly referred to as the "Fixed Link" by residents of Prince Edward Island prior to its official naming. Construction took place...
on May 31, 1997, would result in the permanent closure of the ferry service and Marine Atlantic only required three vessels during the last month of operation.
Casino cruise service
The John Hamilton Gray was sold in July 1997 at Point Edward by the Government of Canada's Crown Assets Division to Contessa International, a casino cruise company in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The vessel was overhauled at a shipyard in Les Méchins, Quebec
Les Méchins, Quebec
Les Méchins is a municipality in Quebec....
, and departed for West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
, in November, no longer a ferry but a casino cruise ship.
Carrying the new name Contessa I, the vessel operated cruises from West Palm Beach from 1998 to 2001. Still owned by Contessa International, she was managed by Kyma Ship Management of Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
and renamed Texas Treasure II. The vessel operated casino cruises from Freeport, Texas in late 2001 and early 2002 then from Port Aransas, Texas, for the remainder of the 2002 season before being mothballed at Freeport, Bahamas
Freeport, Bahamas
Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone located on the island of Grand Bahama of the North-west Bahamas. In 1955, Wallace Groves, a Virginian financier with lumber interests in Grand Bahama, was granted 50,000 acres Freeport is a city, district and free trade zone located on the island of...
, and placed for sale, following the failure of U.S. Coast Guard safety and U.S. government hygiene inspections.
Scrapping
The vessel was renamed Treasure and sailed to the Alang Shipbreaking Yard in Alang, India. The Lloyd's Registry shows the vessel as demolished on March 15, 2004; however, records indicate that the vessel departed Freeport on April 30, 2004, passing the Suez CanalSuez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
on June 11 and being scrapped later that month.