Thursday, October 28, 2010

More Black and White

Number 5 Ferry/Seven Seas Restaurant

"Constructed by the West Coast Salvage and Contracting Company in 1941, this was the last of the end-to-end loading ferries, and the last to be built for use on the North Shore run.  It accommodated 600  passengers and 30 vehicles, and ran until the cessation of service in 1958.  The following year, it was purchased by a private company and converted into a seafood restaurant." (Reference 1.)



The large neon sign "Seven Seas Seafoods" atop the old #5 Ferry at the foot of Lonsdale Avenue was a North Vancouver City landmark for many years.  In 1996 the City questioned the ships safety and a lengthy court battle ensued. (North Shore News, June 23, 2002.) In June of 2002, at midnight, the vessel was towed from the foot of Lonsdale to  Vancouver Pile Driving at the foot of Brooksbank Avenue.  The removal and destruction of the ship and legal bills, all paid for by the City was estimated at $600,000.(See Outlook, May 23 and June 27, 2002.) "In dry dock it proved to be quite sound, but at that point the decision had already been made to scrap it and a piece of heritage was lost." (Wikipedia.) "Then on July 2,(2002) workers using a cutting torch to remove large bolts got too close to the wooden hull, starting a fire.  North Vancouver District firefighters managed to contain the fire to a small area of what was left of the vessel.(North Shore News, July 12, 2002.)  The neon "Seven Seas" sign finally made its way to the City of North Vancouver Works Yard.

Kitchen of Seven Seas Restaurant 2002



The #5 Ferry had two wheel houses and there was no reverse gear.  To go in the opposite direction the captain would disengage the drive shaft, then go to the wheel house on the opposite end of the ferry and engage a second drive shaft.  Hence, there were two wheel houses, two drive shafts, and two propellers. There were 4 floors to the ferry: engine deck, upper engine room and car deck, passenger/restaurant deck, top deck. (A more complete description accompanies the Demolition and Construction Project Roll #14 report at the North Vancouver Archives.)

Engine of #5 Ferry

Diamond Almas was the owner of the Seven Seas Restaurant.  In 2008 he was inducted into the B.C. Restaurant Hall of Fame. (See Link 2.)

Thank you: To Sharon Proctor for information as to the storage of the removed
                         "Seven Seas" neon sign.

Demolition: Took place at Vancouver Pile Driving in 2002. (Note fire.)

Reference 1: City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994, page 169.

Photos: Taken in the year 2001 and 2002 as part of the Demolition and Construction Project  Rolls #4 and 14 and 15 by SW.
Link 1: http://www.heritagevancouver.org/pdf/hv_news_2002_05_web.pdf
Link 2: http://www.bcrhof.com/bio_DiamondAlmas_2008.php