Twenty years after the sinking of the Queen of the North, a former chief executive of BC Ferries says the tragedy remains one of the darkest moments in the company’s history.
In an interview with Global News, former president and CEO David Hahn recalled the night the ferry struck Gill Island in Wright Sound and sank, saying the situation was “bewildering” and “very scary” as details slowly emerged.
The vessel went down at about 1:40 a.m. on March 22, 2006, with 101 passengers and crew on board. Ninety-nine people were rescued, but two passengers, Gerald Foisy and Shirley Rosette, were never found.
Hahn said the initial hours following the sinking were marked by limited information due to the remote location.
“It was a lot of chaos in terms of trying to get good information,” he said. “It took (until) about… four in the morning… to figure out what went on.”
Members of the Hartley Bay community were among the first to respond, using fishing boats to help rescue passengers from the water.
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“They did a great job… they saved a lot of lives,” Hahn said, adding their actions helped reduce the fear and uncertainty faced by those on board.
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An investigation later determined the ferry failed to make a required course correction, citing human error and a loss of situational awareness.
Hahn said once it became clear the vessel had not altered course, “you kind of knew where this was going to go,” though the exact reason remains unclear.
“We’ll never know 100 per cent why there wasn’t a course change,” he said.
The disaster led to sweeping changes within BC Ferries, including a renewed focus on safety practices and the introduction of new programs aimed at preventing similar incidents.
Looking back two decades later, Hahn said the impact of the tragedy still lingers.
“It’s disturbing,” he said. “It’s probably the darkest day in the history of the company.”
Drunk driver. It was said 20 yrs ago.
Two people at the helm were not paying attention. That’s the reason…. The union protected them…. the company should’ve known about their relationship.. and a senior officer should’ve been on the bridge at night.
I recall ferry union’s Jackie Miller, on CBC at 6AM that morning with a “special announcement”, “There will be no Divisional Inquiry, I repeat there will be no Divisional Inquiry”, in other words, not to cooperate and then insisting the well known cause was poor equipment. Why we will never know why.
People are still having sex & nothing seems to stop them!
Didnt someone get charged and go to jail?
Sorry? A ferry on a regular route fails to make a turn to avoid land, a sinking and deaths occur and those responsible won’t say how and why?
Sex and marijuana was the reason
Blow job on the bridge
Seriously? They claim they don’t know why? I was living in a basement suite of a BC Ferries employee when it happened. Within a week he said rumors were the two on duty on deck were, to put it politely, indecent at the time. It was confirmed in court years the two were having an affair and the official cause was inattention and failure to monitor the ship’s course. Let’s call a spade a spade. We know what happened. Ridiculous this guy says he doesn’t know what happened.
This the press release version from BCF?
Course was never changed because one employee was on his or her knees and or bent over