Katherine Bickford

The Queen of Cowichan at the BC Ferries terminal in Departure Bay

The Queen of Cowichan is one of the five double-ended, roll-on/roll-off C-Class ferries (also known as Cowichan Class) ferries built by BC Ferries between 1976 and 1981. The ferries were extensively upgraded between 2003 and 2006 to add a extend their operational life by a further 20 years.

The Queen of Coquitlam and Queen of Cowichan were constructed in 1976, and the Queen of Surrey and Queen of Oak Bay in 1981. The Queen of Alberni was also constructed in 1976 along with the first two C-class vessels. Although considered to be a C-class vessel, it was originally designed to carry only over height (truck) traffic but in 1984, an upper car deck was installed for 150 non-over height vehicles. Queen of Alberni has a capacity of 292 cars and 800 passengers and crew, and has a maximum service speed of 19 knots.

• Built: 1976, Burrard Yarrows Ltd. Victoria
• Overall Length: 139.29 m (457′)
• Beam: 27 m (88.6 ft)
• Draft: 6 m (19.7 ft)
• Tonnage: 6,968.91 tons,  5,863.22 tons for Queen of Alberni
• Maximum Displacement: 6,508 tonnes
• Crew: 34
• Passenger Capacity: 1,466 passengers, for Queen of Alberni
• Vehicle Capacity: 360 including 12 semis, 295 for Queen of Alberni
• Propulsion: 2 X MaK 12M551AK 11,860 horsepower diesel engines
• Maximum Speed: 20.5 knots