''Sir Charles Ogle'' was a ferry that operated from 1830 until 1894 for the Halifax-Dartmouth Ferry Service. The ferry was the first

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

built in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

and the longest serving ferry in

Halifax Harbour Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harbo ...

. The ship is named for

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer

Sir Charles Ogle, 2nd Baronet Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Ogle, 2nd Baronet (24 May 1775 – 16 June 1858) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer, he saw action leading storming parties at the capture of Martinique and at the capture of Guadeloupe during the Frenc ...

, who served as Commander-in-Chief of

North America and West Indies Station The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956. The North American Station was separate from the Jamaica Station until 1830 when the t ...

from 1827 to 1830.

History

Construction began on 18 April 1829 in Alexander Lyle's shipyard, and ''Sir Charles Ogle'' was launched into Halifax Harbor on New Year's Day 1830. She was long, wide, with a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of . Her deck was feet long and wide; she measured 176 tons, and her engine produced 30

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

. ''Sir Charles Ogle'' was used as a ferry to transport passengers across Halifax Harbour from Halifax to Dartmouth and vice versa for the Halifax Steamboat Company, a firm which provided the ocean liner pioneer

Samuel Cunard Sir Samuel Cunard, 1st Baronet (21 November 1787 – 28 April 1865), was a British-Canadian shipping magnate, born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who founded the Cunard Line, establishing the first scheduled steamship connection with North America. H ...

early experience in steamship operation. She was able to make the trip across the harbour in just seven minutes, a trip that had previously required 20 minutes to an hour. The ferry was in use for over 50 years. The decline of ''Sir Charles Ogle'' began in 1886 with the rise in competition from ''Chebucto'' and ''MicMac'', coupled with the rising costs of repairs needed to pass the inspections that had been mandated since 1878. The final blow came about with the creation of the Halifax and Dartmouth Steam Ferry Company, which rendered other Halifax harbor ferries unnecessary. ''Sir Charles Ogle'' was sold in 1894 for $200 and converted to a tender fitted with a fumigation apparatus using a sulphur and bichloride mercuric chamber for the

Lawlor Island Lawlor Island or Lawlor's Island is a small island near the mouth of Halifax Harbour in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was the site of a major quarantine facility for immigration from 1866 to 1938 and is today owned by the Nova Scotia D ...

Quarantine Station before being scrapped and replaced by the Minocoa (Salucan II). for disease prevention.''Sir Charles Ogle'', Mills List
/ref>

References

* {{Shipbuilding in Atlantic Canada , state=expanded Maritime history of Canada Individual sailing vessels Ships built in Nova Scotia Ferries of Nova Scotia 1830 ships Steamboats of Canada