Thomas Rennie (ferry, 1951)

Thomas Rennie is a 70-year-old Toronto Island ferry operated by the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division of the City of Toronto government.[3] She entered service in 1951, the most recent of the three ferries that bring visitors to the Toronto Islands during the summer months.[4] She was named after a former member of the Toronto Harbour Commission.

For the Toronto Harbour Commissioner, see Thomas Rennie (Harbour Commissioner).

Thomas Rennie in 2012
History
Name: Thomas Rennie
Namesake: Thomas Rennie, Toronto Harbour Commissioner
Owner: City of Toronto government
Operator: Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division
Port of registry: Toronto,  Canada
Builder: Toronto Drydock Co. Ltd.
In service: 1951
General characteristics
Tonnage:
  • Gross: 424 t
  • Net: 274 t
Length: 129 feet (39 m)
Beam: 10.08 metres (33.1 ft)[1]
Draught: 1.82 metres (6.0 ft)[1]
Depth: 2.71 metres (8.9 ft)[1]
Decks: 2
Installed power: 900 brake horsepower
Sail plan: [1]
Speed: 10.3 knots (19.1 km/h)[1]
Capacity: 736 passengers[2]

History

Commissioned in 1950, the Rennie was built by the Toronto Dry Dock Company Limited.[5] The ferry cost CA$250,000 . It was built to replace the T. J. Clark, which was then transferred from passenger service to freight service.[6]

She was built to carry 980 passengers.[1] However, in 2007, Transport Canada published new passenger vessel regulations regarding damage stability (TP10943) requiring various upgrades to be implemented within prescribed compliance schedules. Thomas Rennie and her sistership Sam McBride, and William Inglis were also modernized under a life extension program while a fleet renewal process was undertaken. A series of technical submissions to Transport Canada from the City's naval architectural engineering consultants took place through 2016. These technical submissions supported Transport Canada's risk assessments that considered the ferry's operations and environmental limits. Ultimately, Transport Canada approved the Rennie and McBride to be able to carry a total passenger complement of 915. [7]

In October 2012, Toronto City Council decided that funds should be set aside to replace Thomas Rennie and her two fleet-mates with new vessels.[8] Replacement costs were estimated at CA$8 million per ferry.[2]

Incidents

In 1953, the Rennie ran aground at Hanlan's Point in a fog. In July 1954, it crashed into the city wharf when it failed to reverse, injuring two passengers.[9] In 1958, when water levels were low, the Rennie ran aground at Centre Island. A police launch was able to pull the Rennie free.[10]

In 1959, while a maintenance man tested its engines, the Rennie moved slowly out of its Queen's Quay dock, unpiloted. She went out 100 yards into the harbour, and made a slow arc to the west, crashing into the wharf at the Terminal Warehouse. The boat's controls had been left in the 'dead slow ahead' position. The ship suffered minor hull damage and was repaired by Toronto Dry Dock.[11]

In 1965, the Rennie had a stack fire when its engines overheated. The William Lyon Mackenzie fireboat was able to douse the flames while Toronto Harbour Police evacuated the passengers.[12] In 1968, the Rennie crashed into Queen's Quay ferry dock when it failed to reverse its engines. Eight children and four adults were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.[13] The collision damaged the dock but the ferry was not damaged.

In 1976, while on a party cruise, a 21-year-old male passenger fell into the harbour from the Rennie. The man spent several minutes in the water clinging to a ring buoy until Harbour Police arrived. He had to be treated for shock.[14]

See also

References
  1. "Vessel: Thomas Rennie". Canada Transport Agency. June 28, 2011. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  2. Niamh Scallan (July 5, 2012). "Toronto Islands ferry passenger limits eased". Toronto: Toronto Star. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2015. Although the new passenger limits kicked in this spring, the trouble with Toronto’s aging ferry fleet began in 2008 when Transport Canada ordered the city to upgrade three boats — the William Inglis and Sam McBride, both built in the 1930s, and the Thomas Rennie, built in 1951. ... But what Transport Canada failed to tell parks staff, he said, was that the upgrades could cause the boats to lose their grandfathered status, which exempts the aging vessels from current marine safety standards.
  3. Larry Partridge (March 1976). "Toronto Island Ferry History: The Modern Fleet: 1935 - 1960". Retrieved March 14, 2003.
  4. Chris Bateman (October 7, 2012). "Explaining Enwave, Ford's Jarvis figures, Island ferry names, and classic council clashes". BlogTO. Retrieved April 30, 2015. A former Toronto Harbour Commissioner, Rennie lived long enough to see the vessel christened in his honour. He died the next year aged 84.
  5. Know Your Ships 2017. Marine Publishing Co. Inc. 2017. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-891849-22-0.
  6. "Subway Lifts Limelight From New Super Ferry". The Globe and Mail. July 27, 1950. p. 5.
  7. Niamh Scallan (July 4, 2012). "New federal marine safety standards force Toronto ferries to carry fewer people". Toronto: Toronto Star. Archived from the original on December 23, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2015. Earlier this year, the federal agency reportedly told the city the three aging ferries were considered “new” as a result of the upgrades and ordered them to comply with current international marine safety standards.
  8. Niamh Scallan (October 1, 2012). "Toronto's aging island ferries headed for retirement". Toronto: Toronto Star. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2015. After spending $5 million for ferry upgrades that had unintended negative consequences, Toronto’s cash-strapped parks department is now planning to put aside money to replace the aging fleet altogether.
  9. "Ferry Hits Dock, 2 Persons Hurt". The Globe and Mail. July 29, 1954. p. 4.
  10. "TTC Ferry Runs Aground in Harbor 'Pea Soup' Fog". The Globe and Mail. October 11, 1958. p. 4.
  11. "TTC Ferry Hits Wharf On Harbor Ghost Run". The Globe and Mail. June 4, 1959. p. 1.
  12. "Fireboat Tends Blaze on Ferry". The Globe and Mail. November 3, 1965. p. 2.
  13. "Island ferry strikes dock". The Globe and Mail. May 27, 1968. p. 5.
  14. "Man Rescued After Falling From Ferry". The Globe and Mail. June 18, 1976. p. 5.
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