15 Retired BC Ferries and What Happened to Them (Including the Fast Cats)
BC Ferries made its first trip on June 15, 1960, between the new terminals at Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay. Since then a lot of ships have come and gone. Most of us rode them for years and never thought about where they went next.
The answers are stranger than you’d expect. Some were towed to scrapyards in Ensenada, Mexico. Some went to Fiji and got new names. One sank off Gil Island in 2006. The fast cats that cost the province hundreds of millions are being cut up in Egypt. One of the original 1960 ships is still sitting on the Fraser River near Mission, burned and going nowhere.
Here’s what happened to each of them, when they left, and how to ride the routes they used to sail.
15. Quadra Queen II (North Island)
Where: Port McNeill, Alert Bay and Sointula
When: Built 1969; final service mid-October 2025 to mid-March 2026
Getting there: Retired. The Island Aurora now sails the route.
The Quadra Queen II was a 1969 sister of the Tachek and carried 26 cars. The two were the last of BC Ferries’ small T-class ships.
Its farewell posting was the Port McNeill, Alert Bay and Sointula triangle, from mid-October 2025 to mid-March 2026, ahead of a planned 2026 retirement.
Whether it has been sold or scrapped isn’t confirmed. The Island Aurora now sails the North Island triangle.
14. Tachek (Quadra Island to Cortes Island)
Where: Heriot Bay (Quadra Island) to Whaletown (Cortes Island)
When: Built 1969; joined BC Ferries 1985; retired June 26, 2026
Getting there: Retired. Campbell River to Quadra, then Heriot Bay to Whaletown on the Island Nagalis.
The Tachek was built in 1969 as the Texada Queen for the province’s Ministry of Transportation. It joined BC Ferries in 1985 and spent its last years between Heriot Bay on Quadra and Whaletown on Cortes.
It made its last sailing from Cortes Island on June 26, 2026, after 57 years. Near the end, the only ship in the fleet older than the Tachek and the Quadra Queen II was the Queen of New Westminster, built in 1964.
The Island Nagalis replaced it, raising capacity on the route from 26 to 47 vehicles. The Island Nagalis, in service since 2023, has a heated solarium and a pet area. To ride the old route, go from Campbell River to Quadra, then Heriot Bay to Whaletown.
13. Queen of Chilliwack (Mid-coast)
Where: Mid-coast and relief routes
When: With BC Ferries 1991 to 2015; sold September 2015
Cost: Reported at about $1.8 million Cdn (not confirmed by BC Ferries)
Getting there: Gone from BC waters.
This ferry sailed for BC Ferries as the Queen of Chilliwack from 1991 to 2015. It worked mid-coast and relief routes.
In September 2015 it was sold to Goundar Shipping in Fiji and renamed Lomaiviti Princess III. The sale drew criticism. BC Ferries had spent $15 million refitting the ship a few years earlier. Fijian reports put the price at about $1.8 million Canadian, and BC Ferries didn’t confirm the figure.
It was the second of the old BC ships to go to Goundar, after the Queen of Prince Rupert and before the Queen of Nanaimo. Goundar later listed it among the large ships it planned to sell. Its final fate isn’t confirmed.
12. Sunshine Coast Queen (Horseshoe Bay to Langdale)
Where: Horseshoe Bay to Langdale
When: With BC Ferries 1967 to 1976
Getting there: Gone. The Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives in Gibsons covers its story.
The Sunshine Coast Queen was built in Michigan in 1951 as the Vacationland, later crossed the St. Lawrence River as the Pere Nouvel, and came to BC through the Panama Canal. BC Ferries put it to work in 1967.
It sailed the Horseshoe Bay to Langdale run. Sunshine Coast riders nicknamed it the Suzy Q. It served until 1976.
Ask a long-time Gibsons or Sechelt local about the Suzy Q. The Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives in Gibsons covers the coast’s ferry history.
11. Queen of Prince Rupert (North Coast)
Where: Prince Rupert to Skidegate (Haida Gwaii) and the Inside Passage
When: Retired April 2009; sold to Fiji 2011
Getting there: Gone from BC waters. Newer ships now sail Prince Rupert to Skidegate.
For 43 years the Queen of Prince Rupert was a mainstay of the northern fleet. It sailed between Prince Rupert and Skidegate on Haida Gwaii and worked the Inside Passage.
It was formally retired at a ceremony in Prince Rupert in April 2009, once the new Northern Expedition arrived. On April 19, 2009, the Northern Expedition, the Northern Adventure and the Queen of Prince Rupert were all in Prince Rupert Harbour together. That was the only time all three were in the same place.
In 2011 it was sold to Goundar Shipping in Fiji and renamed Lomaiviti Princess I. It was the first of the old BC ships the company bought. Fijian reporting from around 2022 said Goundar planned to sell it, along with two other ex-BC ferries, because of fuel costs. What happened to it after that isn’t confirmed.
10. Queen of Esquimalt (Port Alberni)
Where: Mainland to Vancouver Island routes; laid up at Port Alberni
When: Decommissioned May 25, 2008; at Port Alberni October 2008 to May 2011; towed to Mexico June 1, 2011
Getting there: Gone. Scrapped in Ensenada, Mexico.
The Queen of Esquimalt worked major routes between the mainland and Vancouver Island. It was decommissioned on May 25, 2008.
It was sold to Dalian Golden Sun I/E Co. Ltd. of China and renamed Princess Jacqueline. Then it went nowhere. From October 27, 2008, to May 31, 2011, it sat at Port Alberni, abandoned by its owners.
For almost three years, Port Alberni’s waterfront had an ex-BC ferry with a Chinese owner and a new name. On June 1, 2011, it was towed to Ensenada, Mexico, and it was scrapped soon after it arrived. The BC Ferries Flickr album covers its last years.
9. Mayne Queen (Outer Gulf Islands)
Where: Swartz Bay to the outer Gulf Islands
When: Built 1965; last regular service November 2022; handed to a recycler October 1, 2025
Getting there: Gone from service. Newer ships sail the outer Gulf Islands route.
The Mayne Queen was one of three near-identical sister ships built in Victoria in 1965, alongside the Bowen Queen and Powell River Queen. It spent its later years between Swartz Bay and the outer Gulf Islands. If you rode from Swartz Bay to Saturna or Mayne before late 2022, there’s a good chance you were on this ship.
It made its final regular sailing in November 2022. Passengers gathered on Pender, Mayne, Galiano and Saturna to see it off.
BC Ferries first tried to find a buyer who would keep it running, then switched to recycling. On October 1, 2025, ownership went to Marine Recycling Corporation, along with the Queen of Burnaby. Newer ships now cover the outer Gulf Islands run.
8. Powell River Queen (Quadra Island)
Where: Campbell River to Quadra Island (Quathiaski Cove)
When: With BC Ferries 1965 to 2023; sent for recycling in BC in 2025
Getting there: Gone. Island-class ferries now sail from Campbell River to Quadra.
The Powell River Queen joined BC Ferries in 1965. From 1991 it sailed between Campbell River and Quathiaski Cove on Quadra Island. By the time it retired on January 17, 2023, it had 58 years in the fleet and was one of the oldest ships BC Ferries had.
Its last day went the way islanders half expected. It had mechanical trouble, and service was suspended on nearly its final trip. Islanders still held a farewell with cake at the Quathiaski Cove terminal, and people on Quadra still trade stories about the PR Queen.
Two hybrid Island-class ferries replaced it. In 2025 it went for recycling at the Esquimalt Graving Dock, with final processing in Surrey. That was part of BC Ferries’ move to keep ship recycling work in BC instead of sending old ships overseas.
7. Queen of Nanaimo (Southern Gulf Islands)
Where: Tsawwassen to the Southern Gulf Islands
When: Built 1964; retired and sold to Fiji 2017; sold for scrap around 2022
Getting there: Gone. Salish-class ships now sail its route.
Gulf Islanders called it the Nanny. The Queen of Nanaimo was built in 1964 and sailed the Tsawwassen to Southern Gulf Islands route for three decades.
Repeated propeller problems kept it out of service, and it was retired in 2017. That same year Goundar Shipping in Fiji bought it, the third ex-BC ferry the company had picked up. It was renamed Lomaiviti Princess V.
Fijian reporting from around 2022 said it had been sold to a buyer in India to be scrapped. BC Ferries still sails its old Tsawwassen–Southern Gulf Islands run with newer ships.
6. Queen of Vancouver (Woodfibre, Howe Sound)
Where: Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay; laid up at Woodfibre in Howe Sound
When: Decommissioned April 15, 2009; at Woodfibre from March 18, 2010; towed to Mexico August 10, 2012
Getting there: Gone. Scrapped in Ensenada, Mexico.
The Queen of Vancouver was one of BC Ferries’ first big Victoria-class ships. It worked the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay run through Active Pass. It was decommissioned on April 15, 2009.
A Vancouver company bought it. From March 18, 2010, it sat at Woodfibre, the old pulp-mill site across Howe Sound from Squamish. If you drove the Sea to Sky between 2010 and 2012 and saw a big ferry tied up across the water, that was this ship.
In 2012 it was sold at auction and moved near Fanny Bay. On August 10, 2012, a tug towed it south to Ensenada, Mexico, for scrap. BC Ferries’ Flickr album has the details.
5. Queen of Saanich (Active Pass)
Where: Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay; later off Anvil Island in Howe Sound
When: Built 1963; retired 2008; scrapped 2012
Getting there: Gone. Towed to Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico, for scrap in September 2012.
The Queen of Saanich was one of BC Ferries’ big 1960s-era Tsawwassen–Swartz Bay ferries. For decades these ships carried the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay route through Active Pass. If you grew up taking the ferry to Victoria, you likely rode one.
It was retired in 2008. BC Ferries sold it to a company in Cassidy, which renamed it Owen Belle. It was towed north of Kelsey Bay to serve as accommodation and storage.
After that it was moored off the west side of Anvil Island in Howe Sound, which is why some boaters still remember it there. In September 2012 it was towed to Mexico to be scrapped.
BC Ferries keeps a Queen of Saanich album on Flickr. Most of the shots show the ship in Active Pass.
4. Queen of Burnaby (Comox to Powell River)
Where: Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay, Victoria to Seattle, then Comox to Powell River
When: Built 1965; Princess Marguerite III from 1997; retired 2017; handed to a recycler October 1, 2025
Cost: A 2018 sale for about $650,000 fell through
Getting there: Gone from service. Its replacement, the Salish Orca, sails Comox to Powell River.
The Queen of Burnaby had the oddest career of the lot. It was built in 1965. In March 1997 it became the Princess Marguerite III on the Seattle to Victoria run. That service ended after three seasons. If you took the Princess Marguerite III in the late 1990s, you were riding a BC ferry under another name.
Back with BC Ferries, it sailed between Comox and Powell River, averaging 54 sailings a week. The $84-million Salish Orca replaced it in May 2017.
A 2018 sale for about $650,000 fell through. The ship then spent years laid up, including a controversial stay at Union Bay. BC Ferries’ auction notes said it was leaking hydraulic oil and contained asbestos. On October 1, 2025, BC Ferries transferred ownership to a ship-recycling company.
To ride its old route, take the Salish Orca between Comox and Powell River.
3. Queen of Sidney (Fraser River, Mission)
Where: Fraser River near Mission, northwest of Matsqui Island
When: In service 1960 to 2000; sold 2002; fire May 3, 2025; Coast Guard said no further action August 2026
Getting there: About 55 km east of Vancouver. View from public places only. No trespassing, boating up to it or boarding.
The Queen of Sidney was one of BC Ferries’ two original ships. It made the first trip between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay on June 15, 1960. The Maritime Museum of BC’s online exhibit covers that start. The ship sailed for 40 years, until 2000.
It was sold in 2002 and renamed Bad Adventure. The 102-metre ship has been moored on the Fraser River near Mission ever since, just northwest of Matsqui Island and about 55 km east of Vancouver. On May 3, 2025, it caught fire.
In August 2026 the Canadian Coast Guard said it had found the hulk posed no immediate risk and wasn’t planning any further action. So the burned ship is still there. That makes it the one ship on this list that’s still sitting in a known public spot.
Keep your distance. It sits next to private land, its ownership has been caught up in a long legal dispute, and the Coast Guard has warned that the public should never venture into or on a vessel like this because of the hazards it can pose. Look from public places only. Don’t approach by boat and never try to board.
2. Queen of the North (Wright Sound)
Where: Sank off Gil Island in Wright Sound, about 15 km from Hartley Bay
When: With BC Ferries 1974 to 2006; sank March 22, 2006; TSB final report March 12, 2008
Getting there: Not visitable. The wreck is 430 m down.
This ship began life in Germany in 1969 as the Stena Danica. BC Ferries bought it in 1974, named it the Queen of Surrey and put it on the Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay run. It later became the Queen of the North and worked the Inside Passage between Port Hardy and Prince Rupert.
At 8 p.m. on March 21, 2006, it left Prince Rupert for Port Hardy with 59 passengers and 42 crew. At 12:21 a.m. on March 22 it struck the northeast side of Gil Island. It drifted for 1 hour and 17 minutes, then sank in 430 m of water. Two passengers died.
The Transportation Safety Board found that unsafe navigation practices on the bridge contributed. Its final report came out on March 12, 2008. The wreck sits upright in silt on the bottom in Wright Sound, about 15 km from Hartley Bay. It can’t be visited.
The Gitga’at community of Hartley Bay helped in the rescue, and people there still remember that night. The Times Colonist’s 20th-anniversary story is a good read alongside the TSB report.
1. The PacifiCat fast ferries (Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay)
Where: Built in North Vancouver; sailed Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay
When: In service 1999 to 2000; auctioned 2003; sold to a UAE buyer 2009; being scrapped in Egypt as of October 2026
Cost: $210 million announced (1994); $463 million estimate (October 1999); auctioned for about $6.7 million (Voyager), $6.7 million (Discovery) and $5.9 million (Explorer)
Getting there: Gone. Ride the Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay route on a regular BC Ferries sailing.
The PacifiCat Explorer, PacifiCat Discovery and PacifiCat Voyager were big aluminum catamarans. Catamaran Ferries International, a BC Ferries subsidiary, built them in North Vancouver in the late 1990s, finishing the last one in 2000. Their job was to speed up the crossing between Horseshoe Bay and Nanaimo. The Explorer carried its first passengers in summer 1999.
The problems started almost right away. The wake damaged shorelines, so in July 1999 BC Ferries made the boats slow down between Horseshoe Bay and Bowen Island. The project was announced at $210 million in 1994. By October 1999 the estimate had reached $463 million. The Auditor General’s review blamed a breakdown in governance and risk management.
Their time in service ended between 1999 and 2000. In 2003 all three were auctioned for a little over $19 million combined. In 2009 they were sold to Abu Dhabi Mar and carried to the UAE on a heavy-lift ship, and they later sat in Egypt for years. In October 2026, trade press reported that a plan to turn them into hospital ships had fallen through. All three are now being cut up at Abuqir and Idku, east of Alexandria.
One detail people forget: the PacifiCat Voyager never carried a paying passenger. It was finished in 2000 but never entered revenue service. You can still ride the old route from Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay on a regular sailing.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Announced cost (1994) | $210 million |
| Auditor General estimate (Oct 1999) | $463 million |
| Auction price, PacifiCat Voyager (2003) | about $6.7 million |
| Auction price, PacifiCat Discovery (2003) | about $6.7 million |
| Auction price, PacifiCat Explorer (2003) | close to $5.9 million |
| Fate (2026) | Being scrapped at Abuqir and Idku, Egypt |
The one you can still see: the Queen of Sidney in Mission
The burned hulk is moored on the Fraser River near Mission, about 55 km east of Vancouver. It sits next to private land. As of August 2026, the Coast Guard has no further action planned.
- Look only from public places.
- Don’t trespass on the private land beside it.
- Don’t approach it by boat, and never try to board.
Ride the old routes
- Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay is the fast cats’ old route, and it’s still a regular BC Ferries sailing.
- Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay through Active Pass is where the Victoria-class Queens worked.
- Comox to Powell River is now sailed by the Salish Orca, the Queen of Burnaby’s replacement.
- On Quadra and Cortes, the hybrid Island-class ships that replaced the Powell River Queen and the Tachek are now running.
Where to dig deeper
- The BCFS Flickr account has albums with notes on what happened to the Queen of Vancouver, the Queen of Saanich and the Queen of Esquimalt.
- The Maritime Museum of BC has an online exhibit on the first 1960 sailings.
- The full TSB report on the Queen of the North (M06W0052) is online.
- So is the Auditor General’s October 1999 review of the fast ferry project.
Respect and safety
Two people died when the Queen of the North sank. Hartley Bay and the families involved still carry that night, so keep it in mind when you talk about the wreck. It lies 430 m down, far too deep to visit.
Old ferries like these often contain asbestos. BC Ferries’ auction notes for the Queen of Burnaby said it was leaking hydraulic oil and contained asbestos. Treat any derelict hull as a hazard and keep your distance.
| Ship | Built or joined BC Ferries | Left service | Route it’s best known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen of Sidney | First sailing June 15, 1960 | 2000 | Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay |
| Queen of Saanich | Built 1963 | 2008 | Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay |
| Queen of Nanaimo | Built 1964 | 2017 | Tsawwassen to Southern Gulf Islands |
| Queen of Burnaby | Built 1965 | 2017 | Comox to Powell River |
| Powell River Queen | Joined 1965 | January 17, 2023 | Campbell River to Quadra Island |
| Mayne Queen | Built 1965 | November 2022 | Swartz Bay to outer Gulf Islands |
| Sunshine Coast Queen | Joined 1967 | 1976 | Horseshoe Bay to Langdale |
| Queen of the North | Joined 1974 | Sank March 22, 2006 | Port Hardy to Prince Rupert |
| Tachek | Built 1969; joined 1985 | June 26, 2026 | Quadra Island to Cortes Island |
| Quadra Queen II | Built 1969 | March 18, 2026 | Port McNeill, Alert Bay and Sointula |
| Queen of Chilliwack | Joined 1991 | 2015 | Mid-coast and relief routes |
| Queen of Esquimalt | Not listed | May 25, 2008 | Mainland to Vancouver Island |
| Queen of Vancouver | Not listed | April 15, 2009 | Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay |
| Queen of Prince Rupert | 43 years of service | April 2009 | Prince Rupert to Skidegate |
| PacifiCats | Built 1996 to 2000 | 1999 to 2000 | Horseshoe Bay to Departure Bay |
Most of these ships ended up as scrap, in Mexico, India, Egypt or a dry dock in Esquimalt. A few got second lives in Fiji. One sits on the bottom of Wright Sound, and one is still on the Fraser near Mission. Most of the routes they sailed are still running. Next time you’re on the deck in Active Pass or pulling out of Horseshoe Bay, you’ll know which old Queen used to make that trip.
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Photo credits
- Active Pass, BC, 1974 01.jpg by Miranda.Kopetzky, CC BY-SA 4.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Queen of Cumberland in Active Pass.jpg by Andrew Wallwork from Canada, CC BY 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Active Pass – panoramio.jpg by AB87, CC BY 3.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- BC Ferry Salish Orca.jpg by James Denesuk, CC BY-SA 4.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- FastCat 1.jpg by Roger the Sailor, Public domain (resized; cropped for the featured image). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Queen of the North @ Prince Rupert.jpg by Jim from Kitimat, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Queen of Prince Rupert -a.jpg by anoldent, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Queen of Saanich.jpg by Darren Kirby, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Queen of Vancouver.jpg by Andrew (Tawker), CC BY 2.5 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Queen of Esquimalt.jpg by Kam Abbott from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- BC Ferry Queen of Burnaby at Departure Bay.jpg by Kam Abbott, CC BY 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Queen of Nanaimo in Sturdies Bay.jpg by Andrew Wallwork from Canada, CC BY 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- QueenofChilliwack080812 018.JPG by Cadmunkey, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Queen of Sidney entering Westview Terminal – late Aug. 1993.jpg by Jim from Kitimat, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Vacationland, newest and largest car ferry added to Straits of Mackinaw fleet. To improve service between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, Mich (84656).jpg by Tichnor Brothers, Publisher, Public domain (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Bridge and deck of M.V. Powell River Queen.JPG by Wasrts, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- BC Ferry Mayne Queen 6595.jpg by ImagePerson, CC BY 4.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- BC Ferries Tachek.jpg by Wzelisk09, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
- Quadra Queen II drydocked 2008.jpg by stevevoght, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
