THE C.P.R
FLEET 1
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| C.P.R. (BCCS) BRITISH COLUMBIA
COAST STEAMSHIPS |
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Before the PRINCESS JOAN there was the
S.S. JOAN
| The first JOAN was a wooden hull ship, built
in Victoria in 1892 for Esquimalt and Nanaimo
Railroad. She was a twin screw Steamer with two compound engines, with
a mamimum speed of 13 knots. 821gt. - 177ft. long and 30ft. wide. She was
aquired by the C.P.R. in 1905, and registered in the company name May 19,
1909. Sold in 1914 to Terminal Steam Navagation Co. and renamed "Ballena".
She burned at her Vancouver dock on Nov. 13, 1920. Her hulk was sold to
the Vancouver Dredging and Salvage Company |
 |
| PRINCESS JOAN &
PRINCESS ELIZABETH |
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 |
| This ship is the S.S.Princess
Joan, and
her sister ship Princess Elizabeth,were
the night boat luxury liners of the day, that ferried passengers and about
70 cars to and from Victoria and Vancouver, before B.C. Ferries. |
|
They left each port at midnight and arrived at
about 07.30. Most of the approx. 430 night passengers had staterooms, but
those with more modest means, could rent a bunk in the dorm forward.(she
was licensed to carry 1000 day passengers). Both ships went into
service in the late spring of 1930, (relieving the Princess Alice, and
Adelaide). Displacing 5,251 tons, and driven by two quadruple expansion
steam engines, and four oil fired scotch marine boilers, they had a service
speed of 16.5 knots, speed was not necessary on the night run. However
they were sometimes used on the Victoria, Vancouver, Seattle, triangle
run, where speed was a concern. During the 2nd. W.W. -- Many of the Royal
Canadian Navy [ERA'S] Engine Room Artificers, received valuable training
aboard these vessels. (during this time they were wartime gray).The last
sailing's of these night boats was on Tuesday February 24, 1959,
at 11.59pm, from Victoria and Vancouver.Both ships were put up for sale
on November 8. 1960, and sold to the Greek shipping Co. "Epirotiki Lines",
and modified for Mediterranean cruising. The Pr. Joan became the HERMES,
and the Pr. Elizabeth became the PEGASUS. In 1971 they were again sold
as accommodation for oil exploration crews in the North Sea, and in 1974
the former Pr. Joan was scrapped.
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THE
BEGINNING OF THE B.C.C.S.
| The Canadian Pacific
Railway took control of the C.P. Navigation Co. on January 12,1901. The
British Columbia Coast Service (B.C.C.S) -Officially commenced on May 15,1903.
The first Princess in the fleet was the side wheeler "Princess Louise"
Captain James W. Troup took over as Manager, and by the late 1940's
they had as many as 26 passenger ships. I believe it
retained the name B.C.C.S. till sometime in the 1970's after
B.C.Ferries, were started and all the passenger ships were either
sold or on other duties. |
SS PRINCESS LOUISE:
The
First Princess (Sidewheeler)
 |
The name was changed
to Coastal Marine, for the ships carrying rail cars, and drop trailers,
to and from Vancouver Island. On November 17, 1998 Coastal Marine, and
the last two vessels, the Carrier Princess and Superior Princess
were sold to the privately owned U.S. "Washington Group" This will end
a 95 year era of C.P. Ships on the West Coast. |
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The ship below was the beginning, of
THE
END, of British Columbia Coast Steamships
M.V.
COHO
| The
M.V.COHO
was built by Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging, and launched in 1959, she
was 219 ft. long,76 ft. beam, and draws approx. 12ft. powered by two Cooper
Bessemer Diesels, @ 2080 hp. each with a speed of 15 knots, and carried
about 100 cars. She was originally built for the Victoria to Port Angeles
run, by Black Ball Transport Co. (she became the inspiration for
the first of the B.C.Ferries). "Flying Phil"Gaglardi, British Columbia's
Highways Minister at the time, saw the COHO and had the drawings modified
to allow bow loading of CARS. The Queen of Sidney and the Queen
of Tsawwassen wer launched in 1960. All three are still in service. |
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| THE FIRE AT"PIER D"
THE PIER AT THE NORTH FOOT OF GRANVILLE
STREET, VANCOUVER WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE IN
JULY 1938, AND NEVER REBUILT.
THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE WAS
BERTHED ON THE EAST SIDE, BUT
SHE CLEARED WITH NO DAMAGE. |
 |
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END OF AN ERA:
By Bill Etchell -- of The World Ship
Soceity.
For 95 years coastal ships of the Canadian
Pacific Railway Company sailed the waters of British Columbia. On November
17, 1998, this all came to an end when Seaspan Coastal Intermodal Company,
a member of the Washington Marine Group, purchased the assets of the Coastal
Marine Operations of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Before the early 1970's
this service was known as the British Columbia Coast Steamship Service,
or (B.C.C.S.S) later to become the Coastal Marine Operations. With
the commencement of service by B.C. Ferries in 1960, the marine transportation
business of Canadian Pacific along the British Columbia Coast over many
years, declined. When the Coastal Marine Operations moved from Vancouver
Harbor, near Canada Place, in October 1995 to the shores of the Fraser
River in Delta, the long association of this service with Vancouver harbor
ended.
In Vancouver, Canada Place is built on the
foundations of what was originally Pier B-C, from where many of the ships
of this service sailed.
On the Victoria waterfront, near the Parliment
Buildings, is the former headquarters of the British Columbia Coast Steamship
Service. Now the home to the Royal Wax Museum.
In Nanaimo, on its waterfront, highrise apartments
now stand on the location that was originally the Canadian Pacific Railway
dock, built in 1949.
No doubt there are many who, when they travel
the Seattle waterfront, will recall the Canadian Pacific Railway's Lenore
Street Terminal, Pier 64.
The above are just the main ports that these
ships called at. The places on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, noted
for calls for 40 years by the PRINCESS MAQUINNA, will be remembered
by many, In the same degree the PRINCESS MARY will be remembered
for sailing the Gulf Islands and all those various ports of call.
With Alaska cruises so popular today, we should
remember that the ships of the B.C. Coast Steamship Service were sailing
to Alaska long before the big cruise ships came along. Names like the PRINCESS
CHARLOTTE, PRINCESS LOUISE, PRINCESS NORAH, PRINCESS PATRICIA
and PRINCESS KATHLEEN come to mind.
I for one have many pleasant memories of sailing
on the ships of the B.C.C.S.S. No doubt many of you who read this
will also have some pleasant memories.
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