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18-727: William Denny and Brothers built Princess Helene in 1930 at Dumbarton , Scotland . She was custom designed for CPR’s Bay of Fundy service connecting the CPR's eastern mainline railway terminus at Saint John, New Brunswick with the port of Digby, Nova Scotia , which was served by a CPR subsidiary, the Dominion Atlantic Railway . Replacing the older and smaller DAR steamer Empress , Princess Helene could carry 500 passengers and 50 automobiles as well as large amounts of freight. Special side-loading doors moved vehicles and freight to large wharf elevators at Digby and Saint John to cope with

36-528: A blue elephant against a white field. This image was taken from the civic arms of Dumbarton, and it also served to symbolise the strength and solidity of the company's products. River Leven, Dunbartonshire 56°03′14″N 4°37′12″W  /  56.054°N 4.620°W  / 56.054; -4.620 The River Leven ( Scottish Gaelic : Uisge Leamhna ) is a stretch of water in West Dunbartonshire , Scotland , flowing from Loch Lomond in

54-484: Is crossed by nine bridges and two weirs. There is a path for pedestrians and cyclists near the river, which connects with a cycle path to Glasgow . It follows the river very closely from Balloch to Renton , less closely from Renton to Dumbarton. The river includes two large meander bends, at Cordale and Dalquhurn. In the past the river was used to get steamers into Loch Lomond, although they sometimes did not find it an easy journey and could have difficulty getting past

72-450: Is now open to the public as a museum. William Denny & Company went into voluntary liquidation in 1963. Inspired by the work of eminent naval architect William Froude , Denny's completed the world's first commercial example of a ship testing tank in 1883. The facility was used to test models of various ships and explored various propulsion methods, including propellers, paddles and vane wheels. Experiments were carried out on models of

90-582: The Denny-Brown stabiliser and the Denny hovercraft to gauge their feasibility. Tank staff also carried out research and experiments for other companies: Belfast -based Harland and Wolff decided to fit a bulbous bow on the liner Canberra after successful model tests in the Denny Tank. After the Denny yard closed, the test tank facility was taken over by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited and used for

108-535: The tidal range in the Bay of Fundy. Princess Helene was part of a chain of CPR's transportation system that “spanned the world” and as such she was outfitted in the style of the company's "Duchess" ocean liners. She had 43 state rooms complemented by beautiful interior fittings that exceeded the usual standards of Canada's regional ferries. Crew uniforms were modeled on the Royal Canadian Navy and each time she passed

126-518: The DAR's Digby Pines Hotel , bellboys would dip the hotel's flag and salute. Nicknamed the "Digby Boat", Princess Helene made her crossings without fail across the turbulent and foggy Bay of Fundy and through the dangerous waters of Digby Gut . She steamed 168,400 miles during 33 years of service, including precarious crossings during World War II where she was often escorted by Royal Canadian Navy warships and Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft because of

144-560: The North to the River Clyde in the South. The river is about 6 miles (10 kilometres) long. It is very popular with salmon and sea trout anglers, trying to catch one of these migratory fish going up to Loch Lomond. The Vale of Leven is a collection of communities in the northern part of the river, whilst the town of Dumbarton sits at the southern end. Dumbarton Castle sits at the confluence of

162-507: The danger of attack by German U-boats . Princess Helene was replaced on April 27, 1963, by Princess of Acadia , formerly the CPR’s British Columbia ferry Princess of Nanaimo . The new ship had a greater capacity for automobile and truck traffic but lacked her predecessor's grand ocean liner charm and would be replaced by another newly built vessel carrying the same name Princess of Acadia within 7 years. Hugh "Sam" Macdonald

180-847: The firm was reconstituted as William Denny & Brothers , this being William, James and Peter Denny. Although the Denny yard was situated near the junction of the River Clyde and the River Leven , the yard was on the Leven. The founder developed the company's interests in ship owning and operation with interests in the British & Burmese Steam Navigation Company, the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company and La Platense Flotilla. The Company built all types of ships but were particularly well known as producers of fine cross-channel steamships and ferries . It

198-613: The river with the Clyde. The Leven is a relatively short river but is widely claimed to be the second fastest flowing river in Scotland, after the River Spey . Possibly because of this, or possibly because it passes through a built-up area, it has a reputation as a dangerous river with many drownings over the years. The Linnbrane Hole in Alexandria is reputed to be the most dangerous spot. The river

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216-554: The testing of submarines until the early 1980s. Re-opened as part of the Scottish Maritime Museum in 1982, it retains many of its original features, including the 100m long ship testing tank . The towing carriage is still in working order and is demonstrated from time to time, but all instrumentation has been removed and so the tank cannot currently be used for hydrodynamic research and testing. Some significant Denny-built vessels include: The company's flag consisted of

234-542: Was a Scottish shipbuilding company . The shipbuilding interests of the Denny family date back to William Denny (born 1779), for whom ships are recorded being built in Dumbarton as far back as 1811 such as the sailing sloop Alpha . By 1823 the company name had changed to William Denny & Son . The first ship it built under this name was the paddle steamer Superb . From 1845 the company became Denny Brothers (this being William jnr, Alexander and Peter ), and in 1849

252-573: Was a nostalgic one for its 240 passengers, it was even more so for Captain A. Roy Conley, master since 1946, who has been with the vessel since she entered service in 1930. Captain Conley has made over 21,000 crossings on the Bay of Fundy during his half-century at sea - 45 of them with the Canadian Pacific. “ The Montreal Gazette - May 6, 1963. William Denny and Brothers William Denny and Brothers Limited , often referred to simply as Denny ,

270-467: Was a pioneer in the development of the ship's stabiliser in conjunction with Edinburgh -based Brown Brothers & Company. In 1913 the Channel steamer Paris was one of the first ships to use geared turbine engines utilising new Michell tilting-pad fluid bearing . It also undertook experimental work in hovercraft and helicopter -type aircraft. A marine engineering company, also based in Dumbarton ,

288-413: Was formed by Peter Denny , John Tulloch and John McAusland in 1850 as Tulloch & Denny . In 1862 the company was renamed Denny & Co . The company manufactured a wide range of types of marine engines and was absorbed into William Denny & Brothers in 1918. Dennys were always innovators and were one of the first commercial shipyards in the world to have their own experimental testing tank: this

306-650: Was laid up and subsequently sold for scrap several years later. A large builder’s model of Princess Helene is preserved today at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa . “The 4,000 ton Princess Helene closed out 33 years service Saturday (May 4th, 1963) - on this run patronized by the people of the Maritimes as well as vacationers from other parts of Canada, the United States and elsewhere. While Helene’s last trip

324-549: Was the longtime Chief Engineer of the SS Princess Helene. His nephew, Donald Stovel Macdonald was a member of Pierre Trudeau's Cabinet and served as President of the Privy Council, Minister of National Defence, Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources and Minister of Finance. Princess Helene was sold to Chandris Lines of Greece, extensively rebuilt, and renamed Carina II . She operated budget cruises until 1972 when she

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