Cape Tormentine is a

local service district A local service district is a type of designated place in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. In the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, a local service district is a defined area led by an elected committee responsible for the deliv ...

in southeastern

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) 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. It is the only province with both English and ...

, Canada. It is located on the

Northumberland Strait The Northumberland Strait (French: ''détroit de Northumberland'') is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada. The strait is formed by Prince Edward Island and the gulf's eastern, southern, and western sho ...

at the

Abegweit Passage Abegweit Passage is the narrowest part of the Northumberland Strait, comprising the 13-kilometre-wide portion between Cape Traverse, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick. Tidal currents in this area can reach up to . This portion ...

, the shortest crossing between

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

and the mainland. It once flourished as a transportation hub between New Brunswick and

but has been in decline since 1997 when the ferry service was closed due to the opening of the

Confederation Bridge The Confederation Bridge (french: Pont de la Confédération) is a box girder bridge carrying the Trans-Canada Highway across the Abegweit Passage of the Northumberland Strait, linking the province of Prince Edward Island with the province of Ne ...

. At the Canada 2011 Census the population was 108, three quarters what it was at the 2006 census. Cape Tormentine is named for the eponymous

cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

. As an unincorporated community, it is part of the Bayfield

. For the purpose of

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

's census it is in Botsford Parish.

Freight and passenger terminal timeline

* 1827: the

Northumberland Strait iceboat A Northumberland Strait iceboat is a rowing boat, typically in length, in beam, with runners fastened to the hull for dragging over sea ice. Construction and use Constructed of wood, similar to fishing dories built in Atlantic Canada and New ...

service, known as the Capes Route, begins operating across the strait to

Cape Traverse, Prince Edward Island Cape Traverse ( ) is a community in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. A winter iceboat service crossed the Abegweit Passage between Cape Traverse to Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick for many decades during the 19th century and early 2 ...

(PEI). * 1873: under the terms of PEI joining

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

, the federal government is obliged to provide "continuous steamship service" between the mainland and the island, and keep the iceboats running. * 1886: the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island Railway connects Cape Tormentine with

Sackville, New Brunswick Sackville is a town in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. It is home to Mount Allison University, a primarily undergraduate liberal arts university. Historically based on agriculture, shipbuilding, and manufacturing, the economy is now driven ...

and thence to the

Intercolonial Railway of Canada The Intercolonial Railway of Canada , also referred to as the Intercolonial Railway (ICR), was a historic Canadian railway that operated from 1872 to 1918, when it became part of Canadian National Railways. As the railway was also completely ow ...

's Moncton to Truro line. * 1917: the iceboats are replaced by an

ice breaking An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

train ferry A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train f ...

, the SS ''Prince Edward Island'', built by

Armstrong Whitworth Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. With headquarters in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth built armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles and a ...

in England and operated by

Canadian Government Railways Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

. A new port was built to accommodate the ferry. She was an effective ice breaker, and could carry 12 interprovincial rail cars. * 1947: The ferry is replaced by the MV '' Abegweit''. She measures 372 feet in length and displaces 7,000 tons. Her eight main engines generate 13,500

brake 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 ...

and drive propellers at both bow and stern. She could carry 950 passengers and 60 cars (or one complete passenger train of 16 railway cars). * 1968: a second ferry,

MV John Hamilton Gray MV ''John Hamilton Gray'' was an icebreaking railway, vehicle, and passenger ferry which operated across the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait, connecting Port Borden to Cape Tormentine between 1968–1997. ''John Hamilton Gray'' was ...

is put in service on the PEI route. * 1982: a new

Roll-on/roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...

ferry, also called the MV ''Abegweit'' replaces the first. She is a much larger and more capable vessel, measuring 401 feet in length and displacing 12,000 tons. Her six main engines generated 18,000 brake horsepower. She could carry 974 passengers and 250 cars (or 40

tractor trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semitruck, (or semi, eighteen-wheeler, big rig, tractor-trailer or, by synecdoche, a semitrailer) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-trailer ...

trucks or 20 railway cars). * 1989: the last train stops at Cape Tormentine on New Year's Eve, following the closure of the

Prince Edward Island Railway The Prince Edward Island Railway (PEIR) was a historic Canadian railway in Prince Edward Island (PEI). The railway ran tip-to-tip on the island, from Tignish in the west to Elmira in the east, with major spurs serving Borden-Carleton's train fer ...

and the branch to Sackville. This branch has since been converted into a leisure trail, known locally as the Tantramar trail. * 1997: with the opening of the Confederation Bridge between PEI and nearby

Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick Cape Jourimain is an area comprising two islands and a section of mainland along the southwestern shore of the Northumberland Strait, three kilometres west of New Brunswick's easternmost point at Cape Tormentine. The two islands, Jourimain and Tr ...

the ferry service is ended.

Northumberland Ferries Limited Northumberland Ferries Limited (NFL) is a ferry company operating in eastern Canada and headquartered in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. NFL is also the owner of subsidiary Bay Ferries Limited (which used to include the Bay Ferries Great ...

still operates a service on the Northumberland Strait, between

Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island Wood Islands is a rural farming and fishing community located in southeastern Queens County, Prince Edward Island on the Northumberland Strait. It takes its name from several small forested islands, then located several hundred metres offshore in ...

and Caribou, Nova Scotia. File:Abegweit1996.jpg,

ferry '' MV Abegweit'' at Cape Tormentine File:Gare Cap-Tourmentin.jpg, Former train station and lighthouse at Cape Tormentine

References

External links

Aids to Navigation
''Canadian Coast Guard'' {{Lighthouse identifiers , qid2=Q28375884 , qid3=Q28375885 Headlands of New Brunswick Communities in Westmorland County, New Brunswick Designated places in New Brunswick Local service districts of Westmorland County, New Brunswick Lighthouses in New Brunswick

Freight and passenger terminal timeline

See also

References

External links