Sam McBride (ferry)
Sam McBride is a Toronto Island ferry operated by the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division of the City of Toronto government. The ferry serves the Toronto Islands from a dock at Jack Layton Ferry Terminal in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Construction. The ferry was commissioned in 1939, built by Toronto Dry Dock Ltd. Her namesake was a former Alderman and Mayor, who had been the founding chairman of the Toronto Transportation Commission. Operational history. On November 20, 1941, a Norwegian Northrop N-3PB seaplane clipped the second deck of the ferry. The plane was destroyed after hitting the  waters, and the two crew members, Instructor Lieutenant Finn Strand Kjos and student pilot Tron Harsvik, on board were killed. Damage was sustained to upper deck and later repaired. She was transferred from the TTC to Metro Parks and Culture department in 1962 (and by Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division since 1998). The ship was dry docked in 1973 to replace her engines. In October 2012, Toronto City Council decided that funds should be set aside to replace "Sam McBride" and her two fleet-mates, "Thomas Rennie" and "William Inglis" with new vessels.