MV Abegweit (1947)
The original ferry Abegweit is now owned by the Columbia Yacht Club of Chicago, Illinois, where she is used as a clubhouse.
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Abegweit |
| Namesake: | Epekwit'k or Abegweit, the Mi'kmaq Nation's name for Prince Edward Island. |
| Builder: | Marine Industries Limited, Sorel, Quebec, Canada |
| Yard number: | 144 |
| Laid down: | November 1944 |
| Homeport: | Borden. PEI-Cape Tormentine, NB |
| Nickname(s): | "Abby" |
| Fate: | Sold and is currently the Operations Center for the Columbia Yacht Club of Chicago, Illinois. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Ferry |
| Displacement: | 7,000 tons |
| Length: | 372 ft (113 m) |
| Beam: | 61 ft (19 m) |
| Draught: | 18 ft (5.5 m) |
| Installed power: | Eight 12-cylinder Dominion Sulzer diesel engines |
| Propulsion: | Diesel-electric; two bow and two stern propellers |
| Speed: | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
MV Abegweit was an icebreaking railway, vehicle, and passenger ferry which operated across the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait, connecting Port Borden to Cape Tormentine between 1947-1982.
The word Abegweit is derived from the Mi'kmaq word for Prince Edward Island, Epekwit'k, meaning "cradled (or cradle) on the waves."
The first Abegweit was laid down as hull 144 in November 1944 and was launched in 1946 at the Marine Industries Limited shipyard in Sorel, Quebec. Her designers were the famous Montreal design firm of German & Milne. Her owners were Canadian National Railways (CNR), operator of the Borden-Cape Tormentine service from 1918-1977.
This vessel was the most powerful icebreaker in the world at the time of her commissioning on June 28, 1947, and was reportedly the heaviest vessel ever constructed in Canada as well. Her patron at the time of commissioning was Mrs. J. Walter Jones, wife of the premier of Prince Edward Island. She entered service on August 14, 1947 and earned the hearts of Islanders who affectionately called her the "Abby".
She measured 372 feet in length and displaced 7,000 tons. Her eight main engines generated 13,500 brake horsepower (10 MW) and drove propellers at both bow and stern. She could carry 950 passengers and 60 cars (or one complete passenger train of 16 railway cars).
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