A familiar sight in northern waters was the Queen of the North, a BC ferry serving on the Inside passage route between Port Hardy, on Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert.

Originally named Stena Danica, this ship was built in 1969 in Germany. She was purchase by the BC Ferry Corp. in 1974 and rechristened Queen of Surrey.

The ship was mothballed soon afterward as it was found to be ill-suited for the run. After a major refit in 1980 the vessel was again renamed Queen of the North and began her commission on the Inside Passage route.

At 410 feet in length, this ferry carried approximately 115 cars and 700 passengers and crew. She steamed at up to twenty knots through the misty passages along her route.

In the early hours of March 22, 2006, on its passage south to Port Hardy, "The Queen of the North" sank after hitting Gill Island in Wright Sound near Prince Rupert. She sank in less than an hour into 400 metres of water. All but two passengers and crew were safely evacuated to lifeboats. Gerald Foisy and Shirley Rosette of 100 Mile House have never been found.

The people of Hartley Bay, a small First Nations community approximately 75 miles south of Prince Rupert, rushed out in the middle of the night to rescue passengers. Their extraordinary effort along with the ferry crew and the Canadian Coast Guard crew aboard the vessel, Sir Wilfred Laurier, was invaluable in the rescue, transport and care for the survivors. The heart felt thanks that this village received were well deserved

The sinking of the Queen of the North left only one ferry, the Queen of Prince Rupert, to serve the North Coast and the Queen Charlotte Islands. Tourism was hurt in the area this summer. Lawsuits, finger pointing and political fumbles followed in the wake of the sinking. There was a growing unease, a concern among coastal communities regarding a replacement service.

In September, BC Ferries announced the purchase of a two year old replacement ship, the MV Sonia. She was first used to sail between Trinidad and Tobago. BC Ferries stated that the 117 metre ship with 70 state rooms and accommodations for over 600 passengers and 101 vehicles, would be ready and in operation for the Spring of 2007 after considerable modifications. The choice of purchasing a used ferry created controversy as the proposed costs of renovating the vessel mounted.

Meanwhile, there were announcements that the aging Queen of Prince Rupert would also being replaced. This new vessel, would be built in a German shipyard and be ready to go by the spring of 2009.

Coastal communities, businesses and tourists were all affected by the sinking of the ferry. The overall losses to the people cannot be calculated in mere dollars.