SS Princess Helene

SS Princess Helene

SS Princess Helene was built at the William Denny shipyard in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1930, custom designed for the Bay of Fundy connection between the CPR's eastern mainline terminus at Saint John and the Dominion Atlantic's wharf at Digby. The Digby Wharf was extensively rebuilt when Princess Helene came into service, replacing SS Empress which had run the route since 1916. Princess Helene could carry 500 passengers and 50 automobiles. She was 320 feet long with a broad beam of 51 feet to ensure stability in the heavy ground swells of the Bay of Fundy. As a connection in the CPR's world spanning network of trains and ocean liners, the Princess Helene was outfitted in the style of a large ocean liner with a luxurious and beautiful interior which raised the standards of ferry travel for all of Atlantic Canada. Each time she passed the DAR's Digby Pines Hotel, bellboys would dip the hotel's flag in salute. While never a rail ferry, she used a special system of custom roll-on/roll-off four wheel dollies which carried freight directly from railcars to Helene's freight deck, as seen in part of this series of photos. The freight remained on the dollies aboard the ship and then was rolled off through special side-loading doors. A pair of heavy elevators at Digby adjusted for the huge rise and fall of the Bay of Fundy tides and also permitted cars and trucks to be lifted and driven aboard. DAR express trains backed down to the Digby Wharf to meet Princess Helene.

Princess Helene was replaced April 27, 1963 by the Princess of Acadia, formerly the west coast Princess of Nanaimo, a more modern and higher capacity vessel for automobile and truck traffic but one that lacked her predecessor's grand ocean liner charm. Princess Helene was sold to to Greek buyers and renamed Carina. She was scrapped in 1977.

Gallery

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  Engine No. 37, engineer Harry Ward with Train No. 98, at Digby Wharf with SS Princess Helene, circa 1930s.

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  The SS Princess Helene pictured in the 1938 Passenger Time Table.

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  The SS Princess Helene pictured in the 1946 Evangeline Land Brochure.

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  DAR Locomotive 519 meeting SS Princess Helene at the Digby Wharf, circa 1940.

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  Getting steam up at Saint John, October, 1949.

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  Casting off mooring lines at Saint John, October 1949.

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  Approaching Digby Gut from Saint John, October, 1949.

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  Nearing the Digby Wharf, October, 1949.

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  Arrived at the Digby Wharf, October, 1949.

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  The bridge, masts and single stack of the SS Princess Helene are seen beyond the railway's Digby Wharf harbour facilities, October, 1949.

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  SS Princess Helene at the Digby Wharf from Water Street in Digby, October, 1949.

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  Prior to boarding SS Princess Helene at Digby, October, 1949.

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  Still tied up at Digby. The Canadian Ensign on the stern of the SS Princess Helene in October, 1949.

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  At speed on the way to Saint John, October, 1949.

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  Printed letter blank with SS Princess Helene at Digby Gut.

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  Digby Wharf in Digby. SS Princess Helene has just arrived from St. John, NB. Passengers boarding cars of Train No. 98 on July 3, 1954.

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  SS Princess Helene has recently arrived at the Digby Wharf in Digby sometime in the mid to late 1950s.

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  Loading passengers for Train No. 98 on Digby Wharf on July 3, 1954.

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  Louis Armstrong at the Digby Wharf arriving from Saint John on the Princess Helene in August of 1956.

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  SS Princess Helene arriving at Digby Wharf in Digby, NS from St John NB on August 27, 1958.

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  SS Princess Helene sailing thorugh Digby Gut in 1958.

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  Dayliner No. 9059 & SS Princess Helene at Digby Wharf on August 19, 1959.

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  SS Princess Helene at the Digby Wharf, 1960.

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  Canadian Pacific SS Princess Helene docked at the Digby Wharf circa 1961.

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  Canadian Pacific SS Princess Helene departing Digby circa 1961.

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  SS Princess Helene at Digby, date unknown, but cars look like late 1950s.

References and Footnotes

• Canadian Pacific's Dominion Atlantic Railway (Volume 1), Gary Ness, page 10.
• Marguerite Woodworth, History of the Dominion Atlantic Railway, page 149.
• Canadian Pacific Facts and Figures, Canadian Pacific Railway, 1937, page 125-126.

External Links

• Nova Scotia Archives, Superb air view of Princess Helene alongside Digby wharf, 1950
• Admiral Digby Museum Memories Through Time Virtual Exhibit: Transportation