HISTORY
TRANSPORTATION
FERRIES & THE TICKLE
TRANSPORTATION
FERRIES & THE TICKLE
TIMELINE OF FERRIES & FREIGHTERS
SERVICING BELL ISLAND
by Gail Hussey-Weir
Created April 12, 2022
SERVICING BELL ISLAND
by Gail Hussey-Weir
Created April 12, 2022
The aim of this timeline is to give an idea of what ferries and freighters were operating on the Bell Island Tickle over the years. I have included freighters because in some cases those vessels also carried passengers, and in other cases it is difficult to tell if a ship was operating as a ferry or a freighter. The freighters in question were those carrying freight mainly from St. John's to Bell Island around Cape St. Francis in the days before trucking took over that function. Ore carriers are not included in this list. Up until the 1950s, the ferries were not the drive-on/drive-off type of ferry that we know today. They were mainly small passenger boats. In the 1920s, when some Bell Islanders began purchasing cars, the ferries carried them to Bell Island as freight for a one-way fee of $10 (about $145.00 in 2022 money). It was 1931 before the first purpose-built "car ferry," the Maneco began serving Bell Island.
NOTE: The dates in bold print indicate when the vessels were known to have served on the Tickle.
For much of the information on the pre-1960s vessels, I am indebted to the late Addison Bown for his article "Bell Island Ferries of Former Years," which was featured in the St. John's Daily News on August 31, 1960 to celebrate the arrival of the John Guy.
The photo below was taken about September 1955 when work was underway on the dock to accommodate the newly purchased Elmer W. Jones, the first Bell Island ferry that cars could drive straight onto. On the left is the Maneco, which was ending its Bell Island service after 24 years. She was the first car-carrying ferry built specifically for the Bell Island run; she had deck space for five vehicles with the ramp on the side.
NOTE: The dates in bold print indicate when the vessels were known to have served on the Tickle.
For much of the information on the pre-1960s vessels, I am indebted to the late Addison Bown for his article "Bell Island Ferries of Former Years," which was featured in the St. John's Daily News on August 31, 1960 to celebrate the arrival of the John Guy.
The photo below was taken about September 1955 when work was underway on the dock to accommodate the newly purchased Elmer W. Jones, the first Bell Island ferry that cars could drive straight onto. On the left is the Maneco, which was ending its Bell Island service after 24 years. She was the first car-carrying ferry built specifically for the Bell Island run; she had deck space for five vehicles with the ramp on the side.
During the 1800s, Matthew Jackman and his son, William, carried the mail for Bell Island across the Tickle in a sailboat before steamers made their appearance. Many of Bell Island's few hundred families in those days owned their own boats as fishing, along with farming, was the main occupation before the iron mining started in 1895. Some who needed to be ferried across would have obtained a ride with the Jackmans when they did their run, or would have hired someone from Portugal Cove or area to take them across. Addison Bown wrote of the Jackmans:
"For over 60 years, Matthew Jackman operated the ferry and mail service between Bell Island Beach and Portugal Cove, a route he served in his sailboat in all kinds of weather. He had many narrow escapes and some hard encounters with the sea, wind and ice in that period, but gave satisfaction to the travelling public and died esteemed by the whole community. His son, William, carried on as mail courier but the old black punt was now replaced by a steamer."
William Clements, another Bell Island postmaster, is said to have run the first ferry between Bell Island and the mainland as far back as 1880. However, the article on "Ferries" in the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, V. II, pp. 43-49) says that there were ferries operating in Conception Bay much earlier than that:
One of the earliest ferry services in Newfoundland was in Conception Bay, where packet boats were using Portugal Cove as a terminal as early as 1808, when Michael Dooley placed the following advertisement in the Royal Gazette on April 14, 1808: "Packet Boat for Harbour Grace, Carbonear, or any of the Out Harbours. The subscriber respectfully informs the public that he has provided a New Skiff that rows six oars for the purpose of conveying passengers, etc. to any of the our harbours. Persons desiring quick passage thither may be accommodated at short notice by applying to Michael Dooley, Resident of Portugal Cove. (Source: H.F. Shortis, comp., II, p. 472.)
The pioneer services offered little in the way of comfort, and these small boats, the only means of travel except for coastal schooners, often met with disaster. For example, on November 11, 1822, a boat owned by a man named Murphy was lost with all its passengers and crew on the way to the north shore of Conception Bay. That same week, James Neary of Portugal Cove was advertising his packet boat, Lively, to sail twice a week from the Cove to Harbour Grace. (Source: Paul O'Neill: 1976, p. 504-505.)
In the mid-1800s, ferrymen were given allowances, which were included in the Government's Estimates as a means of defraying the public expenditure. In 1847-1848, there were ferrymen receiving allowances at Manuals, Portugal Cove, Holyrood, and Bell Island-Topsail, among other places in Newfoundland.
By 1852, the introduction of steam-powered vessels was having a drastic effect on the packet-boat service. It was moved in the House of Assembly that year that a grant be made available for steam communication in Conception Bay. 500 pounds had been granted for three years, and on October 11, 1852, the S.S. Lady LeMarchant had sailed from Harbour Grace on her maiden voyage. (Source: Paul O'Neill, 1976, p. 506.)
The Bluejacker was a steam packet plying Conception Bay from July 1, 1858 to September 17, 1862. She was described as a "little steamboat that was destroyed by an explosion and fire between Kelly's Island and the south shore of Conception Bay."
The Harry B., a steamer, was running during the summer season of 1890 from Broad Cove (St. Philip's) to Belle Isle, connecting with St. John's by bus daily, leaving from Portugal Cove, with stops at Topsail, Lance Cove and Belle Isle Beach. A return ticket from St. John's was 80 cents. The Harry B. was apparently owned by Henry Blatch. The keel was 35 feet with an 8-foot beam. In October 1890, she was stranded in Portugal Cove and ordered to be sold.
The Pundit (1895-97) is the first ferry of which there was mention in newspapers after the start of mining. She was a steam launch owned by H. Blatch of St. John's. During the fall of 1895 and winter 1896 when the Scotia Company was building its first pier, she was hired to tow logs from Kelligrews to the pier. Once that was completed, she was fitted out with seats for the accommodation of passengers. She was mentioned again on August 5, 1897 when His Excellency Governor Murray paid an official visit to Bell Island, the first governor to do so.
In 1896, the Swallow and the Jennie Foote were two other ferries in the service.
In 1896-1899, the Lady Glover was carrying freight to Bell Island from St. John's. She was one of a line of packets that plied Conception Bay between Portugal Cove, Harbour Grace and Carbonear before there was a road around the bay. In 1899, she was engaged by one of the mining companies to transship to Bell Island a quantity of machinery that had been brought to St. John's on the Grand Lake.
In 1899, a tug named the Favourite was in the service of one of the mining companies and brought officials to the Island to inspect the ore property at the time of the sale of part of the area by the Scotia Company to the Dominion Company.
The Wabana (1900-19??) was a launch built in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, in 1899 of steel made from Wabana iron ore. She was owned by the Scotia Company and was engaged in the run between Kelligrews and Bell Island in 1900. In those early years, Bell Island ferries stopped at Kelligrews to connect with trains to and from St. John's. Mail and passengers travelled mainly by this route for many years. The round trip from St. John's by train, then to Bell Island by steamer and back again cost $1.00. (1900 is the only reference I have seen for the Wabana. Three years later, the manager of Scotia Company shared ownership of the Progress, so maybe the Wabana was no longer on the scene by then.)
The Greyhound (1901-1902) was a steamer plying the Tickle beginning in the summer of 1901. She operated three times a day between Bell Island, Portugal Cove, Broad Cove (St. Philip's) and Kelligrews. She was taken off the run in 1902 to run freight to Pilley's Island, Green Bay.
The S.S. Progress (1903-1917), a steam tug that had plied between Lamaline and St. Pierre, began operating on the Tickle on July 30, 1903. She was owned and operated originally by the Progress Steamship Company (with owners Robert Chambers, Manager of the Scotia Company, and William Grammer, Manager of the Dominion Company) and the Angel Engineering and Steamship Company (owned by the Honourable James Angel of St. John's). In 1903, the Bell Island Steamship Company was formed by Bell Island merchant J.B. Martin, George Neal of St. John's, and Captain J.C. Colbourne, Dominion Company pier superintendent. Shortly after that, the Progress was acquired as this company's first ferry. The Progress sailed every Tuesday from Pitts' wharf in St. John's with freight for Bell Island. On other days, she made the round trip from Bell Island to Portugal Cove to Kelligrews, connecting with trains from St. John's, delivering the mail to and from St. John's. She later made fortnightly trips to Harbour Grace. On April 18, 1917, she was sold to a lumber dealer in Bonavista Bay and ended her days carrying pitprops.
The Nereus (1906-1909) was a steamer first mentioned in 1906. She was a "smaller steamer" purchased from the Horwood Lumber Company by Capt. Bartlett of Bell Island for use in the local passenger service. She was carrying the mail at this time. Mr. Jackman was still the mailman and the service was described as "a marked improvement over the old system of carrying the mails across in a skiff." The Nereus was 42 feet long, had a 16-horsepower steam engine, had an oak frame planked in pitch pine, and had been built by the Reid Newfoundland Company. She was taken off the Tickle in the Fall of 1909 and was being used as a fishing boat on October 19, 1909 when she was lost off the Narrows with two fisherman from St. John's.
In 1907, the S.S. Mary (1907-1929) was purchased in Quebec by the Bell Island Steamship Company and used at first as a freighter between St. John's and the Island. She was the first to display their house flag, a red bell on a white background; it flew on the company's successive ferries until the end of 1955. The Mary replaced the Progress on the Tickle that September when the Progress went to St. John's for a refit. (The strict marine regulations in those days required passenger vessels to be inspected and overhauled every six months.) The Mary was licensed to carry 80 passengers. She was still operating in 1911. In the winter of 1922, the Mary went on a two-week cruise in search of seals with her captain and crew of eight. She lost her propeller in the ice, but managed to reach Catalina under sail and was towed from there to St. John's by the Cabot. Later in the fall of 1922, she laid the first telephone cable between Bell Island and Portugal Cove. The S.S. Mary ended her days in November 1929 when she drove ashore at Ship Cove, Port de Grave during a storm.
The first mention of freight being taken over to the Island by steamer from Portugal Cove was in the winter of 1909. The Mary was laid up in St. John's at the end of January and freight for the Island had to be sent to Portugal Cove, from which it was taken over by the Progress. Usually all shipments were made by sea around Cape St. Francis except when the recurring ice blockades from the Arctic enabled residents to drive their horses across the Tickle and into St. John's.
In the winter of 1909, the S.S. Matilda, owned by W.J. Scott, J.P. of Fogo and licensed to carry 34 passengers, began operating between Bell Island, Topsail, Portugal Cove and Harbour Grace. (So, in early 1909, there is a record of four vessels in the Bell Island service: Progress, Nereus, Mary, and Matilda.)
Addison Bown, in his 1960 article on "Bell Island Ferries of Former Years," commented that "In spite of the number of ferries operating in 1909, complaints continued over the quality of the service. Politicians were not backward in coming forward to take advantage of the situation. One politician came up with his own solution to the transportation difficulties. He brought down the house at a campaign rally when he solemnly promised to build a causeway between Bell Island and the mainland."
In March 1910, the Euphrates (1910-1920) a steamer, was purchased by a St. John's company of which Frank McNamara was managing director to ply between St. John's and ports in Conception Bay. She was commanded by Capt. Walter Kennedy of Holyrood. The ship made her first trip to the Island on March 16, sailing from Duder's premises in St. John's with a load of freight. Mails and passengers were still being conveyed from Kelligrews to Bell Island by way of Broad Cove and Portugal Cove at this time. The public wharf was inadequate and the steamers frequently had to go to the nearest mine company pier, where passengers were often obliged to walk up hundreds of steps to the top of the cliff.
On March 27, 1911, the S.S. Othar, a former whaler, was purchased by Frank McNamara and put on the Conception Bay service.
On September 17, 1913, the S.S. Hawk, a new freight boat, made her first trip to Bell Island and Lance Cove from Bowring's wharf [St. John's].
In 1916, the Port Saunders was in the local service and was sold at the end of that year to a Norwegian firm for whaling.
In 1918, the Bell Island Steamship Company absorbed the Euphrates Steamship Company. The Progress had been withdrawn from the service by that time and the company was then operating the Mary, Euphrates, and Othar.
On December 28, 1920, the Euphrates sank many miles out in the Atlantic after she had been driven to sea in a storm. She had left Bell Island for St. John's with a captain and five-man crew on board and was reported overdue two days later. On January 2, 1921, the S.S. Galileo reported to Cape Race that she had picked up the crew as the ship was sinking.
In June 1922, the S.S. Pawnee (1922-29) arrived in St. John's to be fitted up for the Conception Bay service. She was a former yacht that had been used as a patrol boat and ice-breaker by the American government during WWI, and was the fastest steamer to be used in the local service at that time. Capt. LeDrew of the Othar took command of the Pawnee, which ran daily from Carbonear or Harbour Grace to Bell Island and Portugal Cove. In the winter of 1928, the Pawnee was fitted up at Harbour Grace to carry two cars on her deck. Up to that time, cars were not able to be driven onto any of the Bell Island ferries but would be loaded on as freight for $10 one way (about $145 in 2022 money). The Pawnee suffered a series of breakdowns that year and was withdrawn from service in the fall. She returned in May 1929, but had to be replaced by the H.A. Walker and was eventually sold for scrap.
In 1927, the S.S. Wop (1927-c.1938), under Capt. Bourne, began her freighting service in the Tickle. In the spring of 1930, the Wop was engaged in taking soundings between St. Philip's and Bell Island for two submarine cables to convey hydro across the Tickle for the mines. They were laid in November for the Newfoundland Light and Power Company by the cable ship Cyrus Field. It is not clear when the Wop left the Conception Bay service. In the winter of 1938, she became stuck in the ice in Argentia Harbour with a load of herring she was bringing from the west side of Placentia Bay for North American Fisheries. This was not drift ice, which rarely makes its way into Placentia Bay. The intense cold that month had caused six inches of ice to form in Argentia Harbour. The Wop was cut out of the ice by S.S. Home but a week or so later, she sprang a leak at Merasheen, probably as a result of the squeeze, and sank.
C. 1928, the S.S. H.A. Walker (1928-1938), sister ship of the Wop, was acquired by the Bell Island Steamship Company and was plying the Tickle in the winter of 1928 with the Mary whenever ice conditions permitted. She was originally one of the Canadian Coastal Defence boats stationed in Halifax during WWI. On February 17, 1938, the S.S. H.A. Walker became jammed in the ice two miles south of Cape St. Francis while on her way to St. John's from Carbonear and had to be abandoned, after which she caught fire and was last seen burning in the ice field.
In the summer of 1927, the Winchester, a cabin cruiser built in 1920 by the Canadian government, was brought into the passenger service by Albert Mercer, who ran her between Bell Island and St. Philip's.
In 1929, the Squires Government was considering building (for the first time) a car ferry for the Tickle service.
In the winter of 1928-29, the Walter Kennedy was engaged in the freight service between St. John's and Bell Island.
In the summer of 1930, the S.S. Mary Smith, a new freight steamer, began operating on the Tickle.
On July 1, 1931, the M.V. Maneco (1931-1955) diesel-driven car ferry went into operation. She was the first car-carrying ferry built specifically for the Bell Island service. The contract for her construction had been signed in September 1930 between the Newfoundland government and the Bell Island Steamship Company. She was 120 feet long by 20 feet wide, with deck space for five motor vehicles and cost $50,000. The keel was laid at Mahone Bay, NS, in January 1931. Her name was a construct of the first two letters of the surnames of the three owners: MA for Martin, NE for Neal, and CO for Colbourne. She was first under the command of Captain Colbourne, and later Capt. Saunders. In 1960, Addison Bown wrote of her, "No other ferry before or since was so popular with the Bell Island public as this reliable ship which, in her long career, was signally honoured on two occasions by being chosen to carry royalty from Portugal Cove." (Read more about the Maneco on this website at https://www.historic-wabana.com/maneco.html.)
In 1938, the M.V. Lincoln and the O.K. Service were two freight boats owned by W. and J. Moores of Carbonear carrying supplies for the branch store at the Beach on Bell Island.
In the late 1930s, the Three Sisters, the M.V. W. Garland, and the Little Golden Dawn (c.1934-1940) were small boats that also were engaged in transporting passengers across the Tickle. The W. Garland and the Little Golden Dawn collided in the Tickle on the evening of November 10, 1940. Four men on the W. Garland survived, but 23 others on the boat drowned when she sank. The Little Golden Dawn was towed to the Beach, where she sank.
About 1946, the M.V. Kipawo (1946-1974), which could carry half a dozen cars, was purchased by the Terra Nova Transportation Company, owned by Crosbie & Company of St. John's, and placed on the Bell Island-Portugal Cove service in competition with the Maneco, until that vessel was withdrawn from service in 1955 when the Elmer Jones was brought into service by the Newfoundland Transportation Company. That company then also purchased the Kipawo and kept her on the service until 1974 when the Katharine replaced her. (Read more about the Kipawo on this website at
https://www.historic-wabana.com/kipawo.html.)
The M.V. Elmer W. Jones (1955-1960) replaced the Maneco in 1955. The Elmer Jones was licensed to carry 100 passengers and an average of 20 vehicles. She served until 1960 when the John Guy entered the service with its companion ship, the M.V. Kipawo. Together the John Guy and Kipawo could transport 268 passengers and thirty-four vehicles. (Read more about the Elmer W. Jones on this website at https://www.historic-wabana.com/elmer-w-jones.html.)
The M.V. John Guy (1961-1990), the second ship to be specially built for the Bell Island service, was built by Ferguson Industries Limited of in Pictou, NS. and launched on May 12, 1960. All others, except the Maneco were either adapted for service on the Tickle, or were used mainly in carrying freight from St. John's to the Island. The John Guy accommodated 24 cars and 150 passengers. She was retired from the service and was replaced by the M.V. Flanders in September 1990.
M.V. Katharine (1974-c.1998), built in Denmark in 1968 and originally named the Romo, was purchased for about $1 million to replace the Kipawo as the back-up to the John Guy in 1974. She had been in the Azores prior to that. When the M.V. Katharine, which accommodated 24 cars and 150 passengers, replaced the Kipawo, combined capacity along with the John Guy increased to 300 passengers and 48 vehicles. Each ferry required two rotating, nine-man crews, who made an average of 10 daily trips in winter and 18 per day during the rest of the year, except during the peak travel months of July and August when 21 daily trips were made. The three kilometer (2.5 miles) trip, which took an average of 20 minutes, had a wide range of fares, from a low of 10 cents for children, 25 cents for senior citizens and $2.50 a week for walk-on commuters, to a high of $40 for a loaded tanker truck. There were no tariffs for such items as packages and newspaper bundles. Taxi services were provided at both terminals. In 1982, the ferries' operators had the only service contract that called for the operator to hold an exclusive franchise under the Newfoundland Ferries Act, (R.S.N. 1970, c.128) and, as such, all its tariffs were regulated by the Public Utilities Board; the rates did not increase between 1952 and 1982. In March 2022, the Katharine was operating in Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
The article on "Ferries" in the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, V. II, pp. 43-49) noted that:
Of the nine provincially-operated ferry services in 1982, the Bell Island-Portugal Cove route was the most heavily used, the most highly subsidized and, because of its location and economic environment, the most complex. Bell Island was economically self-sustaining from 1895 to 1966 because of the iron ore mines. The economy of the island collapsed in the 1960s when market conditions forced the mines to close, and the population dropped rapidly, from 13,000 in 1962 to under 6,000 by 1971. Of those who stayed, a growing number acquired jobs off the island and commuted daily or weekly. Out-migration had slowed by 1970 creating a demand for increased services. The Federal Government had become financially involved in 1959 when the Department of Transportation agreed to build the M.V. John Guy and lease it to the Newfoundland Transportation Company. The privately-owned service would be subsidized by the Canadian Transportation Commission with terms to be negotiated at the end of each fiscal year, but with no continuing commitment...Based on growth figures and an extensive study of the service, an Appraisal of Newfoundland's Intra Provincial Ferry Services, submitted to the Newfoundland Government in August 1981, recommended that larger ferries, an extended schedule and year-round, two-vessel service would do much to enhance the services between Bell Island and Portugal Cove.
The M.V. Flanders (1990-) was built at Marystown Shipyard Ltd. (NL) and completed in 1990 for $13.7 million. She was specifically built for the Bell Island run, had a capacity for 240 passengers and 36 vehicles, and began service on the Tickle September 17, 1990 alongside the Katharine. When that vessel was retired after 1997, the Beaumont Hamel became the second vessel on the run. The Flanders continues to operate as the second vessel on the Bell Island run.
The Beaumont Hamel (1998-), built in 1985, served on the Fogo-Change Islands run until 1998, when the Captain Earl W. Winsor began service there. The Beaumont Hamel then began operating as the second vessel to the Flanders on the Bell Island-Portugal Cove run. Her capacity was 34 cars and 132 people. Over the years, she sometimes acted as a "swing vessel." While serving Bell Island in 2009, she drifted onto rocks after breaking down shortly after she had undergone a $1 million refit. In May 2012, she was having recurring electrical problems when she struck a dock. She continues to serve as a "swing vessel" for the Bell Island run when needed.
The M.V. Legionnaire (2017-) was built specifically for the Bell Island - Portugal Cove service at Damen Shipyard in Romania, where it was launched in September 2015. It is an 80-metre, ice-class vessel accommodating 200 passengers and 60 vehicles (almost double the Flanders) and is a sister-ship to the M.V. Veteran, of Fogo. The Veteran began service to Fogo in December 2015 and was taken out of service "multiple times" during 2016 to fix problems. Meanwhile, the Legionnaire was held in Romania a full year to undergo the same adjustments as well as awaiting reconstruction work at the Bell Island and Portugal Cove ferry docks to accommodate her. She arrived in St. John's in November 2016, but remained there for the next three months while crew training and sea trials took place. That was complete in February 2017, but the wharf reconstruction work was not, and she was sent instead to Fogo to replace the Veteran while that ferry was on scheduled maintenance for two weeks. It was actually July 31st of 2017, two years after she was launched, before the Legionnaire began serving the Bell Island-Portugal Cove run. She was only on that run for three months when she was sent back to Fogo to replace the Veteran, which was once again having to undergo maintenance. The Beaumont Hamel then returned to operate in conjunction with the Flanders. This scenario of breakdowns and replacements for the Fogo service has continued.
"Swing" Ferries:
The M.V. Hamilton Sound a.k.a. the Norcon Galatea (c.1990s - c.2014), built in 1968, was a "swing" vessel on the provincial ferry service that served as a second ferry on the Tickle in 1998 (and at other times). She carried 25 vehicles and 70 passengers. On a trip across the Tickle in February 1999, her loading ramp dropped off midway across the Tickle and disappeared into Conception Bay. Fortunately, no one was hurt and she was brought safely to the wharf. The Hamilton Sound was decommissioned and sold to a private construction company in 2011. By the fall of 2013, she had been reconditioned and renamed the Norcon Galatea. At that time, the provincial government was leasing the vessel from Norcon Marine Services to serve as a companion vessel to the Beaumont Hamel on the Bell Island run.
The M.V. Sound of Islay (c.1990s -) a "swing" ferry that only carries 20 vehicles, was built in 1968 in Scotland and purchased by the Government of Newfoundland & Labrador in 1981. She served as a back-up vessel to the Flanders and the Katharine previous to and during the busy summer of 1995 Centennial Year celebrations. In February 1999, she replaced the swing vessel Hamilton Sound after that ferry's loading ramp dropped off midway across the Tickle.
The Nonia (2005-), built in 1986, was a "swing" vessel that first came to Bell Island in late October 2005 to replace the Beaumont Hamel which was being sent to Fogo to replace the Earl Windsor while it was in for refit. A report in the Telegram of October 22, 2005 said that the Nonia was "more infamously known as the Hull 100, a boondoggle of a used, rusted Estonian ferry bought by the Liberals that took several years and $11 million to bring up to Canadian standards before it finally set sail this year." Her capacity was 24 cars and 120 people. She was plying the Tickle in 2010 when a rope became wrapped around one of her thrusters. This happened at the same time as the Flanders was out with thruster problems.
"For over 60 years, Matthew Jackman operated the ferry and mail service between Bell Island Beach and Portugal Cove, a route he served in his sailboat in all kinds of weather. He had many narrow escapes and some hard encounters with the sea, wind and ice in that period, but gave satisfaction to the travelling public and died esteemed by the whole community. His son, William, carried on as mail courier but the old black punt was now replaced by a steamer."
William Clements, another Bell Island postmaster, is said to have run the first ferry between Bell Island and the mainland as far back as 1880. However, the article on "Ferries" in the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, V. II, pp. 43-49) says that there were ferries operating in Conception Bay much earlier than that:
One of the earliest ferry services in Newfoundland was in Conception Bay, where packet boats were using Portugal Cove as a terminal as early as 1808, when Michael Dooley placed the following advertisement in the Royal Gazette on April 14, 1808: "Packet Boat for Harbour Grace, Carbonear, or any of the Out Harbours. The subscriber respectfully informs the public that he has provided a New Skiff that rows six oars for the purpose of conveying passengers, etc. to any of the our harbours. Persons desiring quick passage thither may be accommodated at short notice by applying to Michael Dooley, Resident of Portugal Cove. (Source: H.F. Shortis, comp., II, p. 472.)
The pioneer services offered little in the way of comfort, and these small boats, the only means of travel except for coastal schooners, often met with disaster. For example, on November 11, 1822, a boat owned by a man named Murphy was lost with all its passengers and crew on the way to the north shore of Conception Bay. That same week, James Neary of Portugal Cove was advertising his packet boat, Lively, to sail twice a week from the Cove to Harbour Grace. (Source: Paul O'Neill: 1976, p. 504-505.)
In the mid-1800s, ferrymen were given allowances, which were included in the Government's Estimates as a means of defraying the public expenditure. In 1847-1848, there were ferrymen receiving allowances at Manuals, Portugal Cove, Holyrood, and Bell Island-Topsail, among other places in Newfoundland.
By 1852, the introduction of steam-powered vessels was having a drastic effect on the packet-boat service. It was moved in the House of Assembly that year that a grant be made available for steam communication in Conception Bay. 500 pounds had been granted for three years, and on October 11, 1852, the S.S. Lady LeMarchant had sailed from Harbour Grace on her maiden voyage. (Source: Paul O'Neill, 1976, p. 506.)
The Bluejacker was a steam packet plying Conception Bay from July 1, 1858 to September 17, 1862. She was described as a "little steamboat that was destroyed by an explosion and fire between Kelly's Island and the south shore of Conception Bay."
The Harry B., a steamer, was running during the summer season of 1890 from Broad Cove (St. Philip's) to Belle Isle, connecting with St. John's by bus daily, leaving from Portugal Cove, with stops at Topsail, Lance Cove and Belle Isle Beach. A return ticket from St. John's was 80 cents. The Harry B. was apparently owned by Henry Blatch. The keel was 35 feet with an 8-foot beam. In October 1890, she was stranded in Portugal Cove and ordered to be sold.
The Pundit (1895-97) is the first ferry of which there was mention in newspapers after the start of mining. She was a steam launch owned by H. Blatch of St. John's. During the fall of 1895 and winter 1896 when the Scotia Company was building its first pier, she was hired to tow logs from Kelligrews to the pier. Once that was completed, she was fitted out with seats for the accommodation of passengers. She was mentioned again on August 5, 1897 when His Excellency Governor Murray paid an official visit to Bell Island, the first governor to do so.
In 1896, the Swallow and the Jennie Foote were two other ferries in the service.
In 1896-1899, the Lady Glover was carrying freight to Bell Island from St. John's. She was one of a line of packets that plied Conception Bay between Portugal Cove, Harbour Grace and Carbonear before there was a road around the bay. In 1899, she was engaged by one of the mining companies to transship to Bell Island a quantity of machinery that had been brought to St. John's on the Grand Lake.
In 1899, a tug named the Favourite was in the service of one of the mining companies and brought officials to the Island to inspect the ore property at the time of the sale of part of the area by the Scotia Company to the Dominion Company.
The Wabana (1900-19??) was a launch built in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, in 1899 of steel made from Wabana iron ore. She was owned by the Scotia Company and was engaged in the run between Kelligrews and Bell Island in 1900. In those early years, Bell Island ferries stopped at Kelligrews to connect with trains to and from St. John's. Mail and passengers travelled mainly by this route for many years. The round trip from St. John's by train, then to Bell Island by steamer and back again cost $1.00. (1900 is the only reference I have seen for the Wabana. Three years later, the manager of Scotia Company shared ownership of the Progress, so maybe the Wabana was no longer on the scene by then.)
The Greyhound (1901-1902) was a steamer plying the Tickle beginning in the summer of 1901. She operated three times a day between Bell Island, Portugal Cove, Broad Cove (St. Philip's) and Kelligrews. She was taken off the run in 1902 to run freight to Pilley's Island, Green Bay.
The S.S. Progress (1903-1917), a steam tug that had plied between Lamaline and St. Pierre, began operating on the Tickle on July 30, 1903. She was owned and operated originally by the Progress Steamship Company (with owners Robert Chambers, Manager of the Scotia Company, and William Grammer, Manager of the Dominion Company) and the Angel Engineering and Steamship Company (owned by the Honourable James Angel of St. John's). In 1903, the Bell Island Steamship Company was formed by Bell Island merchant J.B. Martin, George Neal of St. John's, and Captain J.C. Colbourne, Dominion Company pier superintendent. Shortly after that, the Progress was acquired as this company's first ferry. The Progress sailed every Tuesday from Pitts' wharf in St. John's with freight for Bell Island. On other days, she made the round trip from Bell Island to Portugal Cove to Kelligrews, connecting with trains from St. John's, delivering the mail to and from St. John's. She later made fortnightly trips to Harbour Grace. On April 18, 1917, she was sold to a lumber dealer in Bonavista Bay and ended her days carrying pitprops.
The Nereus (1906-1909) was a steamer first mentioned in 1906. She was a "smaller steamer" purchased from the Horwood Lumber Company by Capt. Bartlett of Bell Island for use in the local passenger service. She was carrying the mail at this time. Mr. Jackman was still the mailman and the service was described as "a marked improvement over the old system of carrying the mails across in a skiff." The Nereus was 42 feet long, had a 16-horsepower steam engine, had an oak frame planked in pitch pine, and had been built by the Reid Newfoundland Company. She was taken off the Tickle in the Fall of 1909 and was being used as a fishing boat on October 19, 1909 when she was lost off the Narrows with two fisherman from St. John's.
In 1907, the S.S. Mary (1907-1929) was purchased in Quebec by the Bell Island Steamship Company and used at first as a freighter between St. John's and the Island. She was the first to display their house flag, a red bell on a white background; it flew on the company's successive ferries until the end of 1955. The Mary replaced the Progress on the Tickle that September when the Progress went to St. John's for a refit. (The strict marine regulations in those days required passenger vessels to be inspected and overhauled every six months.) The Mary was licensed to carry 80 passengers. She was still operating in 1911. In the winter of 1922, the Mary went on a two-week cruise in search of seals with her captain and crew of eight. She lost her propeller in the ice, but managed to reach Catalina under sail and was towed from there to St. John's by the Cabot. Later in the fall of 1922, she laid the first telephone cable between Bell Island and Portugal Cove. The S.S. Mary ended her days in November 1929 when she drove ashore at Ship Cove, Port de Grave during a storm.
The first mention of freight being taken over to the Island by steamer from Portugal Cove was in the winter of 1909. The Mary was laid up in St. John's at the end of January and freight for the Island had to be sent to Portugal Cove, from which it was taken over by the Progress. Usually all shipments were made by sea around Cape St. Francis except when the recurring ice blockades from the Arctic enabled residents to drive their horses across the Tickle and into St. John's.
In the winter of 1909, the S.S. Matilda, owned by W.J. Scott, J.P. of Fogo and licensed to carry 34 passengers, began operating between Bell Island, Topsail, Portugal Cove and Harbour Grace. (So, in early 1909, there is a record of four vessels in the Bell Island service: Progress, Nereus, Mary, and Matilda.)
Addison Bown, in his 1960 article on "Bell Island Ferries of Former Years," commented that "In spite of the number of ferries operating in 1909, complaints continued over the quality of the service. Politicians were not backward in coming forward to take advantage of the situation. One politician came up with his own solution to the transportation difficulties. He brought down the house at a campaign rally when he solemnly promised to build a causeway between Bell Island and the mainland."
In March 1910, the Euphrates (1910-1920) a steamer, was purchased by a St. John's company of which Frank McNamara was managing director to ply between St. John's and ports in Conception Bay. She was commanded by Capt. Walter Kennedy of Holyrood. The ship made her first trip to the Island on March 16, sailing from Duder's premises in St. John's with a load of freight. Mails and passengers were still being conveyed from Kelligrews to Bell Island by way of Broad Cove and Portugal Cove at this time. The public wharf was inadequate and the steamers frequently had to go to the nearest mine company pier, where passengers were often obliged to walk up hundreds of steps to the top of the cliff.
On March 27, 1911, the S.S. Othar, a former whaler, was purchased by Frank McNamara and put on the Conception Bay service.
On September 17, 1913, the S.S. Hawk, a new freight boat, made her first trip to Bell Island and Lance Cove from Bowring's wharf [St. John's].
In 1916, the Port Saunders was in the local service and was sold at the end of that year to a Norwegian firm for whaling.
In 1918, the Bell Island Steamship Company absorbed the Euphrates Steamship Company. The Progress had been withdrawn from the service by that time and the company was then operating the Mary, Euphrates, and Othar.
On December 28, 1920, the Euphrates sank many miles out in the Atlantic after she had been driven to sea in a storm. She had left Bell Island for St. John's with a captain and five-man crew on board and was reported overdue two days later. On January 2, 1921, the S.S. Galileo reported to Cape Race that she had picked up the crew as the ship was sinking.
In June 1922, the S.S. Pawnee (1922-29) arrived in St. John's to be fitted up for the Conception Bay service. She was a former yacht that had been used as a patrol boat and ice-breaker by the American government during WWI, and was the fastest steamer to be used in the local service at that time. Capt. LeDrew of the Othar took command of the Pawnee, which ran daily from Carbonear or Harbour Grace to Bell Island and Portugal Cove. In the winter of 1928, the Pawnee was fitted up at Harbour Grace to carry two cars on her deck. Up to that time, cars were not able to be driven onto any of the Bell Island ferries but would be loaded on as freight for $10 one way (about $145 in 2022 money). The Pawnee suffered a series of breakdowns that year and was withdrawn from service in the fall. She returned in May 1929, but had to be replaced by the H.A. Walker and was eventually sold for scrap.
In 1927, the S.S. Wop (1927-c.1938), under Capt. Bourne, began her freighting service in the Tickle. In the spring of 1930, the Wop was engaged in taking soundings between St. Philip's and Bell Island for two submarine cables to convey hydro across the Tickle for the mines. They were laid in November for the Newfoundland Light and Power Company by the cable ship Cyrus Field. It is not clear when the Wop left the Conception Bay service. In the winter of 1938, she became stuck in the ice in Argentia Harbour with a load of herring she was bringing from the west side of Placentia Bay for North American Fisheries. This was not drift ice, which rarely makes its way into Placentia Bay. The intense cold that month had caused six inches of ice to form in Argentia Harbour. The Wop was cut out of the ice by S.S. Home but a week or so later, she sprang a leak at Merasheen, probably as a result of the squeeze, and sank.
C. 1928, the S.S. H.A. Walker (1928-1938), sister ship of the Wop, was acquired by the Bell Island Steamship Company and was plying the Tickle in the winter of 1928 with the Mary whenever ice conditions permitted. She was originally one of the Canadian Coastal Defence boats stationed in Halifax during WWI. On February 17, 1938, the S.S. H.A. Walker became jammed in the ice two miles south of Cape St. Francis while on her way to St. John's from Carbonear and had to be abandoned, after which she caught fire and was last seen burning in the ice field.
In the summer of 1927, the Winchester, a cabin cruiser built in 1920 by the Canadian government, was brought into the passenger service by Albert Mercer, who ran her between Bell Island and St. Philip's.
In 1929, the Squires Government was considering building (for the first time) a car ferry for the Tickle service.
In the winter of 1928-29, the Walter Kennedy was engaged in the freight service between St. John's and Bell Island.
In the summer of 1930, the S.S. Mary Smith, a new freight steamer, began operating on the Tickle.
On July 1, 1931, the M.V. Maneco (1931-1955) diesel-driven car ferry went into operation. She was the first car-carrying ferry built specifically for the Bell Island service. The contract for her construction had been signed in September 1930 between the Newfoundland government and the Bell Island Steamship Company. She was 120 feet long by 20 feet wide, with deck space for five motor vehicles and cost $50,000. The keel was laid at Mahone Bay, NS, in January 1931. Her name was a construct of the first two letters of the surnames of the three owners: MA for Martin, NE for Neal, and CO for Colbourne. She was first under the command of Captain Colbourne, and later Capt. Saunders. In 1960, Addison Bown wrote of her, "No other ferry before or since was so popular with the Bell Island public as this reliable ship which, in her long career, was signally honoured on two occasions by being chosen to carry royalty from Portugal Cove." (Read more about the Maneco on this website at https://www.historic-wabana.com/maneco.html.)
In 1938, the M.V. Lincoln and the O.K. Service were two freight boats owned by W. and J. Moores of Carbonear carrying supplies for the branch store at the Beach on Bell Island.
In the late 1930s, the Three Sisters, the M.V. W. Garland, and the Little Golden Dawn (c.1934-1940) were small boats that also were engaged in transporting passengers across the Tickle. The W. Garland and the Little Golden Dawn collided in the Tickle on the evening of November 10, 1940. Four men on the W. Garland survived, but 23 others on the boat drowned when she sank. The Little Golden Dawn was towed to the Beach, where she sank.
About 1946, the M.V. Kipawo (1946-1974), which could carry half a dozen cars, was purchased by the Terra Nova Transportation Company, owned by Crosbie & Company of St. John's, and placed on the Bell Island-Portugal Cove service in competition with the Maneco, until that vessel was withdrawn from service in 1955 when the Elmer Jones was brought into service by the Newfoundland Transportation Company. That company then also purchased the Kipawo and kept her on the service until 1974 when the Katharine replaced her. (Read more about the Kipawo on this website at
https://www.historic-wabana.com/kipawo.html.)
The M.V. Elmer W. Jones (1955-1960) replaced the Maneco in 1955. The Elmer Jones was licensed to carry 100 passengers and an average of 20 vehicles. She served until 1960 when the John Guy entered the service with its companion ship, the M.V. Kipawo. Together the John Guy and Kipawo could transport 268 passengers and thirty-four vehicles. (Read more about the Elmer W. Jones on this website at https://www.historic-wabana.com/elmer-w-jones.html.)
The M.V. John Guy (1961-1990), the second ship to be specially built for the Bell Island service, was built by Ferguson Industries Limited of in Pictou, NS. and launched on May 12, 1960. All others, except the Maneco were either adapted for service on the Tickle, or were used mainly in carrying freight from St. John's to the Island. The John Guy accommodated 24 cars and 150 passengers. She was retired from the service and was replaced by the M.V. Flanders in September 1990.
M.V. Katharine (1974-c.1998), built in Denmark in 1968 and originally named the Romo, was purchased for about $1 million to replace the Kipawo as the back-up to the John Guy in 1974. She had been in the Azores prior to that. When the M.V. Katharine, which accommodated 24 cars and 150 passengers, replaced the Kipawo, combined capacity along with the John Guy increased to 300 passengers and 48 vehicles. Each ferry required two rotating, nine-man crews, who made an average of 10 daily trips in winter and 18 per day during the rest of the year, except during the peak travel months of July and August when 21 daily trips were made. The three kilometer (2.5 miles) trip, which took an average of 20 minutes, had a wide range of fares, from a low of 10 cents for children, 25 cents for senior citizens and $2.50 a week for walk-on commuters, to a high of $40 for a loaded tanker truck. There were no tariffs for such items as packages and newspaper bundles. Taxi services were provided at both terminals. In 1982, the ferries' operators had the only service contract that called for the operator to hold an exclusive franchise under the Newfoundland Ferries Act, (R.S.N. 1970, c.128) and, as such, all its tariffs were regulated by the Public Utilities Board; the rates did not increase between 1952 and 1982. In March 2022, the Katharine was operating in Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
The article on "Ferries" in the Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, V. II, pp. 43-49) noted that:
Of the nine provincially-operated ferry services in 1982, the Bell Island-Portugal Cove route was the most heavily used, the most highly subsidized and, because of its location and economic environment, the most complex. Bell Island was economically self-sustaining from 1895 to 1966 because of the iron ore mines. The economy of the island collapsed in the 1960s when market conditions forced the mines to close, and the population dropped rapidly, from 13,000 in 1962 to under 6,000 by 1971. Of those who stayed, a growing number acquired jobs off the island and commuted daily or weekly. Out-migration had slowed by 1970 creating a demand for increased services. The Federal Government had become financially involved in 1959 when the Department of Transportation agreed to build the M.V. John Guy and lease it to the Newfoundland Transportation Company. The privately-owned service would be subsidized by the Canadian Transportation Commission with terms to be negotiated at the end of each fiscal year, but with no continuing commitment...Based on growth figures and an extensive study of the service, an Appraisal of Newfoundland's Intra Provincial Ferry Services, submitted to the Newfoundland Government in August 1981, recommended that larger ferries, an extended schedule and year-round, two-vessel service would do much to enhance the services between Bell Island and Portugal Cove.
The M.V. Flanders (1990-) was built at Marystown Shipyard Ltd. (NL) and completed in 1990 for $13.7 million. She was specifically built for the Bell Island run, had a capacity for 240 passengers and 36 vehicles, and began service on the Tickle September 17, 1990 alongside the Katharine. When that vessel was retired after 1997, the Beaumont Hamel became the second vessel on the run. The Flanders continues to operate as the second vessel on the Bell Island run.
The Beaumont Hamel (1998-), built in 1985, served on the Fogo-Change Islands run until 1998, when the Captain Earl W. Winsor began service there. The Beaumont Hamel then began operating as the second vessel to the Flanders on the Bell Island-Portugal Cove run. Her capacity was 34 cars and 132 people. Over the years, she sometimes acted as a "swing vessel." While serving Bell Island in 2009, she drifted onto rocks after breaking down shortly after she had undergone a $1 million refit. In May 2012, she was having recurring electrical problems when she struck a dock. She continues to serve as a "swing vessel" for the Bell Island run when needed.
The M.V. Legionnaire (2017-) was built specifically for the Bell Island - Portugal Cove service at Damen Shipyard in Romania, where it was launched in September 2015. It is an 80-metre, ice-class vessel accommodating 200 passengers and 60 vehicles (almost double the Flanders) and is a sister-ship to the M.V. Veteran, of Fogo. The Veteran began service to Fogo in December 2015 and was taken out of service "multiple times" during 2016 to fix problems. Meanwhile, the Legionnaire was held in Romania a full year to undergo the same adjustments as well as awaiting reconstruction work at the Bell Island and Portugal Cove ferry docks to accommodate her. She arrived in St. John's in November 2016, but remained there for the next three months while crew training and sea trials took place. That was complete in February 2017, but the wharf reconstruction work was not, and she was sent instead to Fogo to replace the Veteran while that ferry was on scheduled maintenance for two weeks. It was actually July 31st of 2017, two years after she was launched, before the Legionnaire began serving the Bell Island-Portugal Cove run. She was only on that run for three months when she was sent back to Fogo to replace the Veteran, which was once again having to undergo maintenance. The Beaumont Hamel then returned to operate in conjunction with the Flanders. This scenario of breakdowns and replacements for the Fogo service has continued.
"Swing" Ferries:
The M.V. Hamilton Sound a.k.a. the Norcon Galatea (c.1990s - c.2014), built in 1968, was a "swing" vessel on the provincial ferry service that served as a second ferry on the Tickle in 1998 (and at other times). She carried 25 vehicles and 70 passengers. On a trip across the Tickle in February 1999, her loading ramp dropped off midway across the Tickle and disappeared into Conception Bay. Fortunately, no one was hurt and she was brought safely to the wharf. The Hamilton Sound was decommissioned and sold to a private construction company in 2011. By the fall of 2013, she had been reconditioned and renamed the Norcon Galatea. At that time, the provincial government was leasing the vessel from Norcon Marine Services to serve as a companion vessel to the Beaumont Hamel on the Bell Island run.
The M.V. Sound of Islay (c.1990s -) a "swing" ferry that only carries 20 vehicles, was built in 1968 in Scotland and purchased by the Government of Newfoundland & Labrador in 1981. She served as a back-up vessel to the Flanders and the Katharine previous to and during the busy summer of 1995 Centennial Year celebrations. In February 1999, she replaced the swing vessel Hamilton Sound after that ferry's loading ramp dropped off midway across the Tickle.
The Nonia (2005-), built in 1986, was a "swing" vessel that first came to Bell Island in late October 2005 to replace the Beaumont Hamel which was being sent to Fogo to replace the Earl Windsor while it was in for refit. A report in the Telegram of October 22, 2005 said that the Nonia was "more infamously known as the Hull 100, a boondoggle of a used, rusted Estonian ferry bought by the Liberals that took several years and $11 million to bring up to Canadian standards before it finally set sail this year." Her capacity was 24 cars and 120 people. She was plying the Tickle in 2010 when a rope became wrapped around one of her thrusters. This happened at the same time as the Flanders was out with thruster problems.