Governor Cornwallis
Ferry · Lost 1944 · Nova Scotia & Sable Island
The Halifax–Dartmouth ferry Governor Cornwallis caught fire on December 22, 1944; all passengers landed safely before she was towed off to burn.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
Launched at Dartmouth in November 1941 for wartime Halifax–Dartmouth traffic, the ferry Governor Cornwallis was plagued by mechanical trouble. At 4:05 p.m. on December 22, 1944, she left Halifax with 20 vehicles and 300 to 400 passengers; almost at once a fire was found in the engine-room ceiling. Every passenger was landed safely at Dartmouth, and the blazing ferry was towed to Georges Island to burn. The fire marshal blamed a poorly installed furnace smoke pipe.
Vessel
- 1941
- Hugh D. Weagle
- Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Steam
- Not established
Loss
- December 22, 1944
- Fire
- Off Georges Island, Halifax Harbour
- Atlantic Ocean
- Halifax, Nova Scotia → Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
- Not established
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Halifax, Nova Scotia
No pin: no surveyed wreck position in the sources used.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (55/100)
Based on a published secondary account; original records were not independently inspected.
Wikipedia — Governor Cornwallis (ferry)
Article narrative of construction, voyage and loss (secondary summary of cited books and newspapers).
Nova Scotia Archives — An East Coast Port: Halifax in Wartime
Fire aboard the crowded Dartmouth ferry on 22 December 1944; about 400 passengers disembarked safely.
