SS Princess of Acadia (I)

Princess of Acadia Docking Sequence

In these photos from the summer of 1966, "POA Digby Wharf 1966" photos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7 show how they got the Princess of Acadia into the government wharf. She would steam slowly in and a line would be thrown to the wharf, they would tie it up on the post (bollard) at the end (photo 2, but seen much better in this shot from J.A.M. and this shot from J.A.M. as well) and she would rotate into the docking area. If you look carefully at the water currents in shot numbers 3 & 4 (the bows on shot), you will notice that she had a bow thruster (the eddies on the bow) added when she was refitted for St. John -Digby Service. Her predecessor the Princess Helene once was caught by the wind after she backed away from the wharf and it took her close to hour to get her bows pointed toward the gut. My father, who was much more nautical than I, described her as being "In-Irons". Sailing ships in this condition would launch a boat and the crew would then row or kedge her so the wind would catch the sails. The bow thruster eliminated this condition and made her quite handy to dock on her own or to turn her around at St. John.

• Edward S. Gray

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Gallery

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  CPR Princess of Acadia at Digby Wharf in Digby, NS on July 17, 1975.