Halifax Transit's newest ferry, Viola Desmond, arrives in Halifax Harbour

The ferry named after Nova Scotia civil rights activist Viola Desmond docked on the Dartmouth side of the harbour on Sunday, but its maiden voyage won't be for another couple of weeks.

Halifax Transit's newest ferry will officially launchJuly 7 at 10:00 a.m. at Nathan Green Square in Halifax.

The publicvoted to name the ferry after Viola Desmond. Out of 19,239 votes, she received just under a third.

Desmond who ran a barbershop and beauty parlour in Halifax was arrested in New Glasgow in 1946 when she sat in the whites only section of a movie theatre. She fought the charges and won an appeal in court. Desmond's case is credited with helping end segregation in Nova Scotia in 1954.

The ferry was built by A.F. Theriault & SonLtd., which is located in Meteghan River, N.S.