Sir Charles Ogle

Sir Charles Ogle was a ferry that operated from 1830 until 1894 for the Halifax-Dartmouth Ferry Service. The ferry was the first steamship built in Nova Scotia and the longest serving ferry in Halifax Harbour.^[1] 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. The ship is named for Royal Navy officer Sir Charles Ogle, 2nd Baronet, who served as Commander-in-Chief of North America and West Indies Station from 1827 to 1830.

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 early experience in steamship operation. Although she could only carry four passengers at a time, she was still very valuable to the city. 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.

Sir Charles Ogle as 108 feet (33 m) long, 35 feet (11 m) wide, with a beam of 20 feet (6.1 m). Her length of her deck was 108 feet, width of beam 20 feet, width of deck 35 feet; she measured 176 tons, and her engine produced 30 horsepower.^[2] Sir Charles Ogle 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^[3] and converted to a tender for ship fumigation as a disease prevention measure for a few years before being scrapped.^[4]

References

• Payzant, Joan M.; Payzant, Lewis J. (1979). Like a Weaver's Shuttle: A History of the Halifax-Dartmouth Ferries. Nimbus. ISBN 9780920852002.