The changing face of our ferries

The rusting ferries of Bermuda’s maritime past still dot the island’s seabeds and harbours.

Most of the old fleet that serviced the island in the early 1900s were burnt and sunk off Wreck Hill in Somerset or along the South Shore once they were no longer fit for purpose.

But others like the second Laconia, which worked the Paget/Warwick route for more than 25 years, are languishing on moorings in Ely’s Harbour — a forgotten emblem of a past era.

Earlier this summer the newest addition to the ferry fleet — the Millennium — arrived in Bermuda from Rhode Island.

The 400-passenger fast ferry catamaran is a million miles from the rowboat ferries that initially transported passengers into Hamilton or the steam powered wooden craft that followed them.

Symbol

But each ferry is a symbol of its time and a reminder of Bermuda’s ever changing maritime face.

Branch Pilot Wendell Burchall told the Sun that the ferry fleet had played a very important role in Bermudian society over the years.

Pilot Burchall worked on the ferries like the Laconia and Triton between 1986 and 1995, before becoming a branch pilot.

He added: “The first ‘ferries’ were probably operating way back in the early 1800’s just after the time Hamilton was established as a city.

“They were more wooden row-boats run by private individuals than what we would understand as ferries today.

“And they would provide an alternative to taking a horse and carriage around the Paget shoreline into Hamilton.

“In the late 1800’s a ferry service left from the Yacht Club steps, but those boats would have sail boats.

“When the Royal Navy was here building HMS Dockyard they brought in steam ferries from the US, which were used to run the workers to and from the site. But it would not have been until the very early 1900s, say around 1903, that our first ferry arrived in the form of the first Corona and the first Triton.”

The first Corona, which was originally built as the Ossining in 1887 for service in the Hudson River, was purchased in 1902 and steamed to Bermuda to become a ferry.

She served on the Somerset to Hamilton route and also operated tours to the Sea Gardens.

This extremely fast vessel, which could make the run from Dockyard to Albouy’s Point in 15 minutes, caught fire in 1906 during a hurricane.

But over the next 50 years, she was routinely rebuilt, and only removed from service in 1959.

A year later she was burned off Wreck Hill in Sandy’s and sunk.

Two more Coronas have since followed — the third of which remains on the Paget/Warwick route to this day.

Over the last century the island has also seen two Tritons, two Laconias, three Coralitas and a Dragon transport passengers from one end of the island to the other.

Pilot Burchall added: “The older ferries lasted a long time simply because everything above the hull was wood. So whenever there was a fire or damage, they simply built the boat up again. Most ferries ended up being burnt and sunk out at sea once they were no longer of any use and some have become popular dive sites nowadays.

“The size of the ferries themselves have fluctuated over the years.

“The original Corona would carry between 250 and 300 passengers because at that time the bigger boats were being filled.

“And in the 60s not many people had cars so they relied on the ferries much more than they do today.

“Nowadays the ferries are smaller because there is not the demand there once was, but there will always be a place for them.

“They are part of our history and even now some people see them as the best way to travel.” 

The ferries of yester-year

• Corona (1) — Built in 1887 as the Ossining for service on the Hudson River. She was purchased in 1902 and steamed to Bermuda to become a ferry. She worked the Somerset — Hamilton route and was burned off Wreck Hill on October 16, 1960.

• Corona (2) — Built 1961 at Brooke Marine in UK this single-rudder diesel boat was the sister ship to the Triton (2). She entered service on the Somerset to Hamilton route but also served on Paget/Warwick — Hamilton from 1985 until 1990 when she was retired, stripped and sunk off west end.

• Corona (3) — Built in 1990 she remains in service on the Paget/Warwick — Hamilton run today.

• Triton (1) — Built in Wilmington Delaware in 1886. This steamer served on the Somerset — Hamilton service for 46 years. She was burned off North Shore, three miles from Government House in line with Dockyard on April 24, 1932.

• Triton (2) — Built 1961 at Brooke Marine in UK. She entered service on the Somerset — Hamilton service and also served on Paget/Warwick route from 1985. She caught fire on the slip in Dockyard during a refit in 1987 and was later stripped and sunk.

• Laconia (1) — Built in 1923, she served on the Warwick — Hamilton run. This ferry was withdrawn from service in 1963, burned and sunk off Dockyard.

• Laconia (2) — Built in 1963 in the UK, she was the sister to the Coralita (2) and worked the Paget/Warwick — Hamilton service. She was withdrawn from service in 1990 and sold to become the Sea Pudding which operated evening happy hour party cruises in Hamilton Harbour. The ferry is currently languishing on moorings in Ely’s Harbour.

• Coralita (1) — Purchased by Bermuda Transportation Company in 1932. This wooden hull ferry served on the Somerset — Hamilton service for more than 30 years until January 1963 when she was stripped, burned and sunk off west end of island.

• Coralita (2) — Built in 1963 in UK she worked on the Paget/Warwick — Hamilton service. She was also used as a prop in the final shot of the movie The Bermuda Depths in 1978. Withdrawn from service in 1990, when she was sold and had her cabin removed and converted to a work barge. Her whereabouts now is not known.

• Coralita (3) — Built in 1990, she currently works the Paget/Warwick — Hamilton run.

• Dragon — This steamer was originally brought to Bermuda by the Royal Engineers as a minesweeper off St George. She was used to salvage the wreck of the Pollocksheilds off Elbow Beach and later purchased by the Bermuda Transportations Company in 1950. She served on the Paget/Warwick — Hamilton run before exploding due to gas engine backfire on July 20, 1953 off the ferry terminal in Hamilton Harbour. She was beached on Whites Island and later re-built with diesel engines. She returned to service in 1954. And was finally withdrawn from ferry service in 1967 when she was sold and converted into a houseboat in 1969. In 1980 the Dragon was sunk off the east.

• Georgia — Originally worked as a US Navy workboat hauling supplies during the construction of the naval base and collecting garbage from their ships at anchor during WW2. She entered service on the Paget — Hamilton run  in 1947. She was very slow and stately and was perfect for the Paget service. Well-known Pilot Cecil Smith drove her until he retired and his son Ivan Smith took over. Withdrawn from service in 1986. Sold to Gavin Wilson and converted to steamer. Burned and sunk off west end in 1992.

• Wilhelmina — Built in 1927 as a private yacht Frances in Canada she was purchased in 1942 and steamed to Bermuda. Served on the Somerset — Hamilton run. Also used as charter boat for cruises. She was used at the ‘Royal Yacht’ in 1953 to transport Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip from Hamilton to Watford Bridge during their Coronation Tour visit. Her day of infamy came on Saturday November 12 1955 while she was on her way to Watford Bridge when she caught fire. The Pilot Reginald Dill ran her blazing into the shallows between Watford and Boaz Islands, near to where Woody’s is today. This action saved the lives of the 58 passengers and crew onboard but one man died of shock jumping in the cold water, after he helped others to safety. Her burned out remains were towed to deep water off the west end and sunk.