William Inglis (ferry)

William Inglis is a Toronto Island ferry operated by the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division of the City of Toronto government (City of Toronto).[2] The ferry serves the Toronto Islands from a dock at Jack Layton Ferry Terminal in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

William Inglis in 2015
History
Name: William Inglis
Owner: Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division, Toronto
Operator: Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division
Builder: John Inglis and Company
In service: 1935
Status: In active service
General characteristics
Type: Ferry
Tonnage: 234 tonnes[1]
View of new Shamrock ferry in 1935

It entered service in 1935, initially known as the "Shamrock".[3] The ferry was built by John Inglis and Company.[4] It was the first of three ferries built, to replace the aged ferries the City of Toronto inherited when it took over ferry operations from private industry.[5] Initially, responsibility for operating a ferry service was assigned to the Toronto Transportation Commission. It is now operated by the Parks Division.

After the death of Toronto industrialist William Inglis, who headed John Inglis and Company, in November 1935, the ferry was renamed in his honour[4][6] by the Toronto City Council.[7] Inglis also served as the president of the Canadian National Exhibition and was one of the governors of Toronto Western Hospital.[7]

In August 1948, the William Inglis participated in the saving of 12 persons, whose racing sloop had capsized in Toronto Harbour. Three of the twelve clinging to the mast were brought aboard the ferry before speedboats arrived from the John St. Lifesaving Station and recovered the others.[8]

In 2012, the boat's engine and bulkhead were updated. Although the boat was exempt from 2012 safety regulations under a "grandfather clause", the modernization invalidated the grandfather provision. In order to continue operating, the ferry's passenger capacity was reduced. In October 2012, Toronto City Council decided that funds should be set aside to replace William Inglis, and its two fleet-mates, Thomas Rennie and Sam McBride, with new vessels.[9]

In December 2013, the ferry had to be taken out of service to repair a leak in its hull. In its absence, island ferry service to Ward's Island was disrupted.[10]

See also

References
  1. Campion-Smith, Bruce. "Masters of the harbor". Toronto Star. p. E1,E2.
  2. Larry Partridge (March 1976). "Toronto Island Ferry History: The Modern Fleet: 1935 - 1960". Retrieved March 14, 2003.
  3. Chris Bateman (October 7, 2012). "Explaining Enwave, Ford's Jarvis figures, Island ferry names, and classic council clashes". BlogTO. Retrieved April 30, 2015. Christened after a former Toronto mayor and alderman, a long-time Island resident, founder of the TTC, and the first head of council to die in office.
  4. Know Your Ships 2017. Marine Publishing Co. Inc. 2017. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-891849-22-0.
  5. Mike Filey (1997). "The TTC Story: The First Seventy-Five Years". Dundurn Press. p. 55. ISBN 9781770700796. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  6. "About Inglis". inglis.ca. Whirlpool Canada. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  7. "Change Boat Name to Honor W. Inglis". Toronto Star. November 19, 1935. p. 3.
  8. "'Cheer-Led' Shouts Save 12 Clinging To Mast In Bay". Toronto Star. August 7, 1948. p. 3.
  9. 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.
  10. McGrath, Kaitlyn (December 18, 2013). "Toronto Islands residents face delays after ferry service stops because of hull leak". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 7, 2019.


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