A LENS ON VANCOUVER'S PAST
Photography by Walter Frost
M.S. DELFTDYK
TECHNICAL DATA
Type:
Tonnage (GRT):
Length:
Service Speed:
Complement:
Grain Cube:
Bale Cube:
Passengers:
Year Delivered:
Years In Service:
Year Dismantled:
Combination cargo-passenger ship
10,220
152.20 m / 509 ft.
15.5 kts
54
723,000 cu. ft.
676,000 cu. ft.
30
1929
1929-1952
1966
Interesting Facts & Figures
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HAL’s ‘D’ class vessels were combination cargo-passenger liners (so called Combi-Liners) designed and built for the North Pacific Coast service. Accommodating between 18 and 61 passengers, the vessels were all given place names starting with ‘D’ and ending in ‘dyk'.
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On her maiden voyage in November 1929, the Delftdyk (Capt. L. Rynick) carried a full passenger list as far as Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Combi-Liner made passage from London to Los Angeles in 21 days and went from San Francisco to the Race Rocks (near Victoria) in 50 hours, which usually took vessels of this type at least 60 hours.
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In addition to having room for 3,000 tons of refrigerated cargo, the Delftdyk featured spacious and comfortable accommodations for up to 30 passengers setting a new mark for luxuriousness on a ship of this type. All staterooms had beds instead of regulation steamer berths, comfortable chairs and settees, electric fans, full length mirrors, hot and cold running water, and each room had a private bath and toilet adjoining. The public rooms comprised a large tastefully decorated lounge, a cozy library, a reading and writing room, and wide glass-enclosed promenades.