MV ''Pentowna'' was a motor ship that transported passengers, and later freight, on

Okanagan Lake Okanagan Lake ( oka, kɬúsx̌nítkw) is a lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. The lake is long, between wide, and has a surface area of 348 km2 (135 sq. mi.). Hydrography Okanagan Lake is called a fjord lake as i ...

from 1926 to 1973.Turner, Robert D. ''Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs''. Victoria: Sono Nis Press, 1984. It was the first boat to be owned and operated by

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

(CNR) on Okanagan Lake and the first diesel-powered boat on the lake."Pentowna is successfully launched". ''Kelowna Courier''. 24 June 1926. ''Pentowna'' served the communities between

Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ''ki� ...

and Penticton with two daily round trips, aiding the development of the Okanagan Valley with its modern technology and speed.

Construction

In September 1925, CNR completed its branch line from

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, w ...

to Kelowna. It built a transfer slip at Kelowna and started boat service on Okanagan Lake with the twin-screw ''Pentowna''. ''Pentowna'' was prefabricated at the Prince Rupert Dry Dock yards, and then broken apart and shipped to Kelowna. There, 65 experienced shipbuilders from Dumbarton, Scotland reassembled the boat under the supervision of CNR officials and its future skipper, Captain Roe. ''Pentowna'' was of modern design, with a steel hull and twin diesel engines. The absence of boilers and heat greatly improved the handling of perishable fruits, and officials ensured that speed, accommodation, and the buffet service were up to the highest standards in Canada."C.N.R. Boat to be named 'Pentowna. ''Kelowna Courier''. 20 May 1926. ''Pentowna'' was the first diesel-powered ship on the lake, with the finest and most up-to-date engines possible made by Gardner and Company in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England. The keel was laid on 13 May 1926. The ship was long with a beam of ,

moulded depth A hull is the watertight body of a ship, boat, or flying boat. The hull may open at the top (such as a dinghy), or it may be fully or partially covered with a deck. Atop the deck may be a deckhouse and other superstructures, such as a funnel, der ...

of , and rated for gross and net tonnage at and . It had accommodation for a crew of 30 and 130 passengers. ''Pentowna'' could carry 125 tons of freight at .

Name

Captain Roe originally had 27 names in mind for the new boat, but travelled to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

and found that all 27 were already in the marine registry. Some of these included ''Kelowna'' and ''Orchard City''. Finally, the vice president of CNR suggested the name ''Pentowna'', a portmanteau of Penticton and Kelowna, the boat's two terminal stations.

Service

''Pentowna'' was launched on 20 June 1926, and served the communities between Kelowna and Penticton.Cox, Doug. ''S.S. Sicamous: Queen of Okanagan Lake''. Penticton: Skookum Publications. 1995. It made two round trips from Kelowna to Penticton every day, except for Sunday. It left Kelowna at 6am, stopped at Westbank, Peachland, Greata, Summerland, and

Naramata Naramata is an unincorporated community in the Okanagan region of south central British Columbia. On the eastern shore of southern Lake Okanagan, the locality is by road about north of Penticton. Name origin In November 1906, John Moore Robinso ...

, and arrived in Penticton at 9am. It would be back in Kelowna by 1pm and leave again at 2:15, arriving in Penticton at 5:15 and returning to Kelowna by 9pm. It played an important role as CNR's first boat on Okanagan Lake, and improved passenger service to the railway with its modern technology.

Conversion into tug

Despite its modern conveniences, one problem on ''Pentowna'' was vibration. One account even says that it was so bad that ketchup from uncapped bottles would shoot up from the table in the small dining room. Because of these deficiencies and because new highways and modes of transportation meant fewer passengers, ''Pentowna'' was converted into a cargo tug in 1937. The job was given to North Vancouver Shipyards Ltd., who installed a new steel deck and towing machinery and stripped off Pentowna's upper structures. The galley was moved to the top deck and the life boats were raised. After a two-month layover, ''Pentowna'' went back into service as a freight ship.

Retirement

CNR ceased operations on Okanagan Lake in 1973. ''

Canadian National Tug no. 6 ''Canadian National Tug no. 6'' was a diesel-powered tugboat owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway (CNR) company on Okanagan Lake, British Columbia. It was launched in 1948 and transferred railway barges between Penticton and Kelown ...

'', CNR's other remaining ship, was sold and ''Pentowna'' was docked on the Peachland waterfront. In the 1980s, private owners tried to refit the boat for tourism but dropped the project. ''Pentowna'' was bought by Dennis Dumaresq, owner of the Michaelbrook Ranch Golf Course in Kelowna, in 1994. However, he decided to scrap it nine years later because he didn't have the funds to refurbish it as planned. Andy Schwab tried to buy the boat and save it for CAD$20,000, but was unable to amass the sum."Tugging for attention". ''Kelowna Courier''. 30 October 2005. ''Pentowna'' was scrapped in November 2005.

References