Mini-submarine to Seek Sunken B.C Ferry

Officials prepared a mini-submarine on March 25 that will be used to inspect the wreck of the Queen of the North as the search continues for two people missing since the ferry sank. The ship usually turned as it passed a lighthouse on the rocky shore. It apparently missed the turn in the dark and ran up onto the rocks. The collision ripped out the botom out of the ship, flooding crew sleeping quarters in the forecastle. Two crew members were trapped in their cabins with water up to their waists as their shipmates smashed open the doors to let them out. Officials with BC Ferries which operated the Queen of the North say it could take up to a week for the diving vessel to look over the ferry. It capsized early on March 22 after veering off course and hitting a rock. The ship is believed to have settled at a depth of at least 350 meters. Shirley Rosette and Gerald Foisey, a couple from 100 Mile House in the B.C. interior, are feared to have died in the accident. The search continued as investigators tried to determine why the ship was so far off course when it hit a rock. (Source: CBC Ottawa)