Everything about Ms Chi-cheemaun totally explained
The
MS Chi-Cheemaun is a passenger and car
ferry in
Ontario,
Canada, which traverses
Lake Huron between
Tobermory on the
Bruce Peninsula and
South Baymouth on
Manitoulin Island. The ferry connects the two geographically-separate portions of
Highway 6 and is the vessel that replaced the
M.S. Norgoma and the
S.S. Norisle in 1974. The ferry service runs seasonally from mid-May to mid-October.
Chi-Cheemaun (or rather
chi-jiimaan) means 'big canoe' in
Ojibwe.
History
A trip aboard the
MS Chi-Cheemaun is a long-standing Great Lakes tradition dating back to the
1930s when a small, wooden vessel, the
Kagawong, first ferried automobiles across the waters of Georgian Bay between Tobermory and South Baymouth.
At the time of its launch, the $12 million Canadian
MS Chi-Cheemaun was the 'largest, most modern vessel ever built for ferry service on the
Great Lakes'. It features a drive-on, drive-off bow and stern loading and unloading through a visored bow system and a square door stern section. The ship is 365 feet (111 m) long with a 62 foot (19 m) beam and has capacity for 715 passengers and 160 vehicles, including room for large highway vehicles such as
buses and transport
trucks.
The ship is powered by two Ruston 3500 horsepower (2.6 MW) diesel engines and an 800 horsepower (600 kW) '
bow thruster' engine which improves the handling of the vessel at slow speeds. During the 2006/07 layover period, received four new
Caterpillar V8 diesels.
(External Link
) The addition of two
mezzanine decks in 1982 increased the ship's vehicle carrying capacity to 240.
Like its predecessor ships in Lake Huron, the
MS Chi-Cheemaun is owned by the
Owen Sound Transportation Company Limited, (an agency of the
Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines) and operated under contract to the
Ministry of Transportation. The ship makes the 25-mile (40-km) trip in about 1¾ hours 4 times each day, during peak season and 2 times a day during May and October.
For a short time, (1989 - 1992) the
MS Chi-Cheemaun had a sister ship, the
MS Nindawayma, which ran the same route. However, the
MS Nindawayma was retired because of service problems leading to public dissatisfaction and now sits rusting in
Sault Ste. Marie.
Information radio
Two low-power radio stations,
CHEI (89.9 FM in South Baymouth) and
CHEE (89.9 FM in Tobermory) broadcast tourist notices and schedule information for travellers on the ferry.
(External Link)
Facts
| Official number |
346838 |
| Builders |
Collingwood Shipyard Canada |
| Construction commenced |
January 1974 |
| Navigation commenced |
September 10, 1974 |
| Length overall |
365 ft (111 m) |
| Length between perpendiculars |
346 ft (102 m) |
| Breadth moulded |
62 ft (19 m) |
| Depth molded to upper deck |
39 ft (6.4 m) |
| Draft forward |
11.6 feet (3.53 m) |
| Draft aft |
12.6 feet (3.97 m) |
| Gross tonnage |
6990 |
| Net tonnage |
.4821 |
| Fuel consumption per sailing |
1600 litres |
| Service Speed |
16 1/4 knots (30 km/h) |
| Diesels (2) |
16 cylinder Ruston |
| Power |
3520 hp (2620 kW) each; total 7,040 hp (5250 kW) available |
| Engine speed |
700 revolutions/minute |
| Shaft speed |
210 revolutions/minute |
| Propellor |
Variable-pitch |
| Passenger capacity |
638 |
| Standard |
North American |
| Automobile capacity |
143 |
| Powerplant |
2 x 3,500 hp (2.6 MW) diesel, 1 x 800 hp (600 kW) bow thruster |
As of 2004, 85,000 vehicles 220,000 Passengers have taken the
MS Chi-Cheemaun.
Additional images
Image:Chi tob.jpg|The MS Chi-Cheemaun at Tobermory with her bow open to accept passenger vehicles.
Image:Chi-Cheemaun in OS 5635m.jpg|MS Chi-Cheemaun in Owen Sound.
Compare
Further Information
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