''Thomas Rennie'' is a Toronto Island ferry operated by the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division of the

City of Toronto government The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city of Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its structure and powers are set out in the ''City of Toron ...

. She entered service in 1951, the most recent of the three ferries that bring visitors to the

Toronto Islands The Toronto Islands are a chain of 15 small islands in Lake Ontario, south of mainland Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the only group of islands in the western part of Lake Ontario, the Toronto Islands are located just offshore from the ...

during the summer months. She was named after a former member of the

Toronto Harbour Commission The Toronto Harbour Commission (THC) was a joint federal-municipal government agency based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The agency managed Toronto Harbour as well as being responsible for major works along the Toronto waterfront. It built both ...

History

Entering service in 1950, ''Thomas Rennie'' was built by the Toronto Dry Dock Company Limited. The ferry cost . It was built to replace ''T. J. Clark'', which was then transferred from passenger service to freight service. She was designed to carry 980 passengers. In 1953, ''Thomas Rennie'' ran aground at Hanlan's Point in fog. In July 1954, the vessel crashed into the city wharf when it failed to reverse, injuring two passengers. In 1958, when water levels were low, ''Thomas Rennie'' ran aground at Centre Island. A police launch was able to pull ''Thomas Rennie'' free. In 1959, while a maintenance worker tested its engines, ''Thomas Rennie'' moved slowly out of its Queen's Quay dock, unpiloted. She went out into the harbour, and made a slow arc to the west, crashing into the wharf at the Terminal Warehouse. The boat's controls had been left in the 'dead slow ahead' position. The ship suffered minor hull damage and was repaired by Toronto Dry Dock. In 1965, ''Thomas Rennie'' had a stack fire when its engines overheated. The

fireboat A fireboat or Fire-float Pyronaut, fire-float is a specialized watercraft with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with ...

''William Lyon Mackenzie'' was able to douse the flames while Toronto Harbour Police evacuated the passengers. In 1968, ''Thomas Rennie'' crashed into Queen's Quay ferry dock when it failed to reverse its engines. Eight children and four adults were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The collision damaged the dock but the ferry was not damaged. In 1976, while on a party cruise, a 21-year-old male passenger fell from ''Thomas Rennie'' into the harbour. The man spent several minutes in the water clinging to a ring buoy until Harbour Police arrived. He was treated for shock. In 2007,

Transport Canada Transport Canada () is the Ministry (government department), department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, Policy, policies and Public services, services of road, rail, marine and air Transport in Canada, tra ...

published new passenger vessel regulations regarding damage stability (TP10943) requiring various upgrades to be implemented within prescribed compliance schedules. ''Thomas Rennie'' and her sister ship , and were also modernized under a life extension program while a fleet renewal process was undertaken. A series of technical submissions to Transport Canada from the city's naval architectural engineering consultants took place through 2016. These technical submissions supported Transport Canada's risk assessments that considered the ferry's operations and environmental limits. Ultimately, Transport Canada approved ''Thomas Rennie'' and ''Sam McBride'' to be able to carry a total passenger complement of 915. In October 2012,

Toronto City Council Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The Toronto City Council 2022–2026, current term began on Nove ...

decided that funds should be set aside to replace ''Thomas Rennie'' and her two fleetmates with new vessels. Replacement costs were estimated at million per ferry. In April 2024, ''Thomas Rennie'' strayed off course in dense fog near Hanlan's Point and ran aground in the marine exclusion zone (MEZ) at Billy Bishop Airport. The MEZ exists to prevent airplanes operating at the airport from colliding with tall ships such as the three-storey ferry. No passengers or crew were injured. In May 2024, the ferry was taken to dry dock to repair the rudder. She returned to service for the Canada Day long weekend that same year.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news , url = http://forms.cta-otc.gc.ca/CVIS/Ship_e.cfm?ShipID=193649 , title = Vessel: Thomas Rennie , publisher = Canada Transport Agency , author = , date = June 28, 2011 , page = , location = , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110706181947/https://forms.cta-otc.gc.ca/sins-cvis/navire-ship_eng.cfm?ShipID=193649 , archivedate = July 6, 2011 , accessdate = April 30, 2015 , url-status=live , quote = {{cite news , url = http://www.blogto.com/city/2012/10/sunday_supplement_explaining_enwave_fords_jarvis_figures_island_ferry_names_and_classic_council_clashes/ , title = Explaining Enwave, Ford's Jarvis figures, Island ferry names, and classic council clashes , publisher = BlogTO , author = Chris Bateman , date = October 7, 2012 , page = , location = , accessdate = April 30, 2015 , quote = A former Toronto Harbour Commissioner, Rennie lived long enough to see the vessel christened in his honour. He died the next year aged 84. {{cite book , title=Know Your Ships 2017 , publisher=Marine Publishing Co. Inc. , year=2017 , page=41 , isbn=978-1-891849-22-0 {{cite web , url = https://www.angelfire.com/ca/TORONTO/history/islandmodern.html , title = Toronto Island Ferry History: The Modern Fleet: 1935 - 1960 , author = Larry Partridge , date = March 1976 , access-date = March 14, 2003 {{cite news , url = https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1222303--toronto-islands-ferry-passenger-limits-eased , title = Toronto Islands ferry passenger limits eased , publisher =

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

, author = Niamh Scallan , date = July 5, 2012 , page = , location =

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120709082901/http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1222303--toronto-islands-ferry-passenger-limits-eased , archivedate = July 9, 2012 , accessdate = April 30, 2015 , url-status=live , quote = Although the new passenger limits kicked in this spring, the trouble with Toronto’s aging ferry fleet began in 2008 when Transport Canada ordered the city to upgrade three boats — the William Inglis and Sam McBride, both built in the 1930s, and the Thomas Rennie, built in 1951. ... But what Transport Canada failed to tell parks staff, he said, was that the upgrades could cause the boats to lose their grandfathered status, which exempts the aging vessels from current marine safety standards. {{cite news , url = https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/07/04/new_federal_marine_safety_standards_force_toronto_ferries_to_carry_fewer_people.html , title = New federal marine safety standards force Toronto ferries to carry fewer people , publisher =

, author = Niamh Scallan , date = July 4, 2012 , page = , location =

, archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131223114749/http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/07/04/new_federal_marine_safety_standards_force_toronto_ferries_to_carry_fewer_people.html , archivedate = December 23, 2013 , accessdate = April 30, 2015 , url-status=live , quote = Earlier this year, the federal agency reportedly told the city the three aging ferries were considered “new” as a result of the upgrades and ordered them to comply with current international marine safety standards. {{cite news , url = https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/10/01/torontos_aging_island_ferries_headed_for_retirement.html , title = Toronto's aging island ferries headed for retirement , publisher =

, author = Niamh Scallan , date = October 1, 2012 , page = , location =

, archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130202233632/http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2012/10/01/torontos_aging_island_ferries_headed_for_retirement.html , archivedate = February 2, 2013 , accessdate = April 30, 2015 , url-status=live , quote = After spending $5 million for ferry upgrades that had unintended negative consequences, Toronto’s cash-strapped parks department is now planning to put aside money to replace the aging fleet altogether. Ferries of Ontario Water transport in Toronto 1951 ships Ships built in Toronto

History

See also

References