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The first 2 C-Class ferries were the Queen of Cowichan and the Queen of Coquitlam, constructed in 1976. The Queen of Oak Bay, and Queen of Surrey were built in 1981. There are some minor modifications to the design of these two ships compared to the earlier C-Class ships.
The C-Class ferries are 139.29 m long, with a car capacity of 362, and a crew and passenger capacity of 1500 persons. The engines provide 11,860 HP, which provides a service speed of 22 knots.
The Queen of Alberni was also constructed in 1976. Although this ferry is considered to be a C-Class vessel, it is significantly different in layout. It was originally designed to carry only overheight (truck) traffic. This ferry has a car capacity of 292 cars and a crew and passenger capacity of 800 persons, and has a maximum service speed of 19 knots.
Since these ferries are double-ended, they are not required to turn around during the sailing. These ferries generally run on the Duke Point- Tsawwassen, Horseshoe Bay- Departure Bay and Horseshoe Bay- Langdale routes. At one time these ferries operated on the Swartz Bay- Tsawwassen route, but limitations placed on their speed when transiting Active Pass (after an accident they were required to operate in the more maneuverable docking mode rather than cruising mode) make it unfeasible to run them on that route anymore.