Ferry sinking remembered in sombre ceremony

There was a short ceremony of remembrance aboard the ferry, the Queen of Prince Rupert, on Thursday morning as the ship stopped at the scene of last month's sinking of her sister ship, the Queen of the North.

• FROM MARCH 31, 2006: RCMP considering criminal investigation into ferry sinking

The Queen of the North ran onto rocks on Gil Island on B.C.'s North Coast and sank more than 400 metres to the bottom of Wright Sound on March 22.

Ninety-nine passengers and crew managed to escape, but two passengers did not. Gerald Foisey and Shirley Rosette of 100 Mile House are presumed dead.

• FROM MARCH 28, 2006: Passengers sue BC Ferries for alleged negligence

The Queen of Prince Rupert is making its first trip up B.C.'s Inside Passage since the disaster, arriving in its namesake city late Thursday morning.

At daybreak on Thursday, when it reached the spot where the Queen of the North sank, the captain stopped the ferry for a sombre ceremony.

Ninety-nine white roses were handed to passengers who threw them overboard. Two red roses were also thrown over the side to symbolize the couple who died in the sinking.

A former Queen of the North crew member than sang a song commemorating the loss of the ship and the two passengers.

Premier Gordon Campbell and BC Ferries president David Hahn flew to nearby Hartley Bay on Thursday to thank residents of the tiny community for their help in rescuing the 99 survivors.

• INDEPTH: Ferry accidents in B.C.: Timline

• INTERVIEW: The Early Edition's Rick Cluff speaks with CBC TV reporter Chris Brown aboard the ferry, and with Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond.