Abegweit

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shipstamps
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Abegweit

Post by shipstamps » Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:40 pm


The vessel shown on the current one-dollar peace stamp issue of Canada, the Abegweit, is the world's largest ice-breaking train ferry. She was launched by Marine Industries Limited, at Sorel, Canada, last September, and is expected to be on the service between Borden, P.E.I., and Cape Tormentine, N.B., this summer. A minimum of ceremony was observed at the launching, even the naming of the vessel being postponed to a later date, after more of the interior work is completed. The ship will be operated by the Canadian National Railways for the Department of Transport. Her dimensions are 372 ft. x 63 ft. x 24.9 ft., and she is the largest all-welded vessel yet built in Canada. She has four screws, two aft and two in the bows, the bow propellers serving the dual purpose of making easier manoeuvrability and, when the vessel is in icebound waters, drawing the water from beneath the ice immediately ahead of the ship, thus enabling the weight of the bows to break the ice more easily.
To enable her to rock herself free of pack ice the Abegweit has large heeling and trimming tanks amidships. Her carrying capacity is 19 railway freight cars (the Canadian version is about twice that of our own), 60 motor-cars and 950 passengers. Her speed will be 16Y2 knots. At the launching her weight was 4.300 tons as compared with the regular 3,500 tons launching weight of large cargo ships. She has been built to replace the ferry Charlottetown, which was sunk off the coast of Nova Scotia while en route to St. John, N.B., for a refit. The Abegweit is the first heavyweight peacetime "speciality" ship built in the Dominion, and is fittingly reproduced on the peace stamp issue.
SG406

aukepalmhof
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Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: Abegweit

Post by aukepalmhof » Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:58 pm

At that time she was the world largest ice-breaking ferry in the world.
1979 Sold to CN Marine Inc., Canada, not renamed.
When a new ferry was ordered which the same name would carry, she was renamed in ABBY.
1983 Sold to the Columbia Yacht Club at Chicago. Used there as a floating clubhouse, renamed again in ABEGWEIT.
2010 Same owners and name still in use as a clubhouse in Chicago, see photo.

Source: Marine news and internet.
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Abegweit_in_chicago.jpg

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