Katherine Bickford

The small deck ferry Joshua Slocum was built in Halifax in 1973 by Halifax Metal Workers for the Minister of Highways. It entered service on the short run between East Ferry, and Tiverton, Nova Scotia.

Fitted with twin steerable props – one at each end, it could carry 15 cars. At each end of the run, it would shove its own ramp onto a shoreside ramp to load or unload. It was essentially double-ended, meaning it did not have to turn in the strong tidal currents running through Petite Passage. 

It operated on that run until 2004 when it was replaced by the Petite Princess, built by Halifax Shipyard. It was then purchased by Beaver Marine, and stopped off in Halifax en route to Point Tupper where it was laid up for a time. It was then sold for fish farming use, and renamed The Lost Joshua and later The Walter Gray.