New ferry unveiling draws thousands
At its inauguration in October of 1968, the MV John Hamilton Gray was acknowledged to be a temporary help in allowing traffic to travel the Northumberland Strait from Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick.
Speaking at the ferry’s inauguration ceremony, P. E. I.’ s Premier Alex Campbell said he expected that in the future there would be the need for a permanent connection between the two provinces. “I am tempted to dub her with the nickname ‘ MV Meantime’,” Campbell said.
The front page of the Tuesday, Oct. 15, 1968 edition of The Guardian was headlined by a story about the car ferry and Campbell’s remarks at its inauguration. The lead headline of the day stated that, “Premier Hails New Ship as ‘ Meantime” Effort Will Help, Not Meet Island Traffic Needs”.
It was expected, Premier Campbell said, that the John Hamilton Gray, with its increased capacity of 150 more cars every two and one- half hours, would eliminate much of the transportation problems the Island had experienced in previous years. “However, we do not feel the ship will serve our total needs,” he added.
The John Hamilton Gray had accommodations for up to 990 passengers and 190 automobiles and at the time of its arrival was the largest ship to ever operate on the Northumberland Strait. Ordered by the federal Department of Transport for Canadian National, the ship was built by Marine Industries Ltd. in Sorel, Quebec, at a cost of $ 14 million.
Also speaking at the icebreaker’s inauguration was J. W. G. Macdougall, CNR ( Canadian National Railway) Atlantic Region vicepresident, who spoke of the need for a ship like the John Hamilton Gray. “We are indebted to the Department of Transport for having provided us with such a large and well- appointed vessel to enable us to improve the frequency and capacity of the service we operate between Borden and Cape Tormentine. Since she is larger than any of the other ships we operate on the Northumberland Strait, she can be regarded as a new flagship of the Prince Edward Island ferry fleet.”
Macdougall added that CNR operated a total of 10 Canadianbuilt ships in the Atlantic region and during the summer of 1968 its ferries recorded as many as 56 crossings a day. This number is significant when compared to when the ferry service began between P. E. I. and the mainland as only four crossings were made a day. As late as 1945, there were only six trips on weekdays and four trips on Sundays. Between then and 1968, the volume of traffic increased enormously. In 1948, CN recorded that the Northumberland Strait ferries carried 185,240 passengers and 45,658 vehicles during that year. In 1967, there were 726,735 passengers and 296,856 vehicles that travelled on the CN ferries.
“As has already been announced, the Prince Edward Island ( a car ferry) is being retired from the service after a long distinguished career. But even with the removal of that ship we will still have forty per cent more vehicle capacity in our fleet next summer, thanks to the addition of the John Hamilton Gray,” Macdougall said.
According to The Guardian, approximately 500 people, including provincial and civic officials and invited guests attended the ship’s inauguration ceremony held on the rail- deck of the new ferry. A reception was held on the motor vehicle deck and guests were given a tour of the ship following the official ceremonies. Open houses were held in Charlottetown and Summerside to celebrate the new car ferry and to allow visitors to have a look at the ship. The open house in Charlottetown drew a crowd of approximately 10,000 people, some who waited in line for over an hour to come aboard the new icebreaker . According to The Guardian’s reporting, “Parking spaces during the visiting hours were almost impossible to find anywhere near the D. O. T. wharf area and the Canadian National officials had to extend the 10.00 a. m. to 4: 00 p. m. open house time.”
In Summerside, the open house was held on Thanksgiving Day and nearly 5,000 people went through the ship between 2 p. m. and 6 p. m.
The ship went into regular service the following morning in Borden.
Open houses were held in Charlottetown and Summerside to celebrate the new car ferry and to allow visitors to have a look at the ship. The open house in Charlottetown drew a crowd of approximately 10,000 people, some who waited in line for over an hour to come aboard the new icebreaker.