The Union Steamship Company of British Columbia was a pioneer firm on coastal
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. It was founded in November 1889 by John Darling, a director of the
Union Steamship Company of New Zealand
Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand Limited was once the biggest shipping line in the southern hemisphere and New Zealand's largest private-sector employer. It was incorporated by James Mills in Dunedin in 1875 with the backing of a Scot ...
, and nine local businessmen. The company began by offering local service on
Burrard Inlet
french: Baie Burrard
, image = Burrard Inlet 201807.jpg
, image_size = 250px
, alt =
, caption = Aerial view of Burrard Inlet
, image_bathymetry = Burrard-Inlet-map-en.svg
, alt_bathymetry ...
near
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 later expanded to servicing the entire British Columbia coast.
The Union Steamship Company was bought out by the
Canadian Pacific Steamship Company
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
in 1948. The fire in Toronto forced the Federal Maritime Department to change marine regulations regarding wooden passenger vessels, while the nature of the BC coastal fleet changed more to freight and a tug and barge operation. The Union Steamships ran until 1956 when a strike finished the fleet.
Company organized
Union Steamship had its origins in the Burrard’s Inlet Towing Company, whose original principals were Alfred N.C. King, Hugh Stalker, John Morton, and Capt. Donald McPhaiden.
The fleet upon formation consisted of three smaller wooden-hulled steamers:
''Leonora'',
''Senator'', and, the largest of the three, the
steam tug ''Skidegate''.
[
]
1890 to 1896
''Cutch'', 324 GT, , was the first steamer the company acquired after its initial incorporation. ''Cutch'' had been built at Hull, England
Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a ...
in 1884.[ Capt. William Webster, one of the founders of Union Steamship, located ''Cutch'' in India, where it had been in service as a ]maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
’s yacht.[ Webster purchased the steamer with funds raised in England by John Darling.][ Webster brought ''Cutch'' from India to British Columbia, arriving in Vancouver in June 1890.][ ''Cutch'' was placed on the run from Vancouver to ]Nanaimo, British Columbia
Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "Hub City," which was ...
.[
''Capilano 1'' and ''Coquitlam'' were built in ]Glasgow, Scotland
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
and shipped to British Columbia in a knocked-down condition, then reassembled on the beach near present-day Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a public park in British Columbia, Canada that makes up the northwestern half of Vancouver's Downtown Peninsula, surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The park borders the neighbourhoods of West End and Coal ...
. ''Capilano 1'' was launched in December 1891, and ''Coquitlam'' followed in April 1892.[
]
1897 to 1906
Gold rush transportation
In 1897 the Klondike Gold Rush created a demand for transportation. To meet the demand, both ''Capilano 1'' and ''Coquitlam'' were outfitted with crude berths for passengers, and then run north to the mouth of the Yukon River
The Yukon River (Gwichʼin language, Gwich'in: ''Ųųg Han'' or ''Yuk Han'', Central Alaskan Yup'ik language, Yup'ik: ''Kuigpak'', Inupiaq language, Inupiaq: ''Kuukpak'', Deg Xinag language, Deg Xinag: ''Yeqin'', Hän language, Hän: ''Tth'echù' ...
.[ ''Capilano 1'' left in late July and ''Coquitlam'' in early August.][ They were the first British vessels to proceed directly to the mouth of the Yukon from Vancouver.][
In 1898 Union Steamship placed ''Capilano 1'', ''Coquitlam'', and ''Cutch'' in service to ]Skagway
The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,240, up from 968 in 2010. The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal wit ...
and Dyea
Dyea ( ) is a former town in the U.S. state of Alaska. A few people live on individual small homesteads in the valley; however, it is largely abandoned. It is located at the convergence of the Taiya River and Taiya Inlet on the south side of th ...
, in southeast Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
. Skagway and Dyea were the principal disembarkation point for traffic bound for the Klondike gold fields. These three steamers remained in the Skagway/Dyea service in 1899.
''Skidegate'' scrapped and ''Cutch'' wrecked
The company’s old steam tug ''Skidegate'' was scrapped in Vancouver in 1900. Also in 1900, the company’s first steamer purchase, ''Cutch'', was wrecked, on August 24, and sold for salvage.[
]
''Coutli'' and ''Camosun'' added to fleet
In 1904 the company built the steam tug ''Coutli'', 99 GT, LOA, for use in log towing service for British Columbia Mills Co.
In 1905 the company placed ''Camosun'' into service. ''Camosun'', 1,369 GT, LOA, was a steel-hulled modern vessel built at Paisley, Scotland
Paisley ( ; sco, Paisley, gd, Pàislig ) is a large town situated in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Located north of the Gleniffer Braes, the town borders the city of Glasgow to the east, and straddles the banks of the White Cart Wate ...
by the Bow, McLachlan concern.[ ''Camosun'' could carry 54 persons overnight, with room for 120 deck passengers.][ ''Camosun'' arrived from Scotland in Vancouver on June 30, 1905 and was placed in service on a weekly route to ]Prince Rupert, BC
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Its location is on Kaien Island near the Alaskan panhandle. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and has a population of 12 ...
under Capt. F. Saunders.[
]
1907 to 1911
''Cowichen'', ''Cheslakee'', and ''Inlander'' added to fleet
In 1908 Union Steamship added ''Cowichan'', 962 GT, LOA, to its fleet. ''Cowichan'', an all-steel vessel with twin propellers, was built in Troon, Scotland by Ailsa Shipbuilding Co.[ ''Cowichan'' was licensed to carry 165 passengers and 125 tons of freight.][ It was used in the company’s service to logging camps.][
'' Cheslakee'', 526 GT, LOA, was completed for the company in 1910 by an Irish concern, Dublin Dockyard Co.] Built to the highest standards, the twin-propeller all-steel ''Cheslakee'' was intended to run out of Vancouver in passenger service on northern routes.[ ''Cheslakee'' could carry only a limited amount of freight, which was restricted to perishable items such as butter, fruit and fish.][ Passenger accommodations were large for a vessel of this size.][
Also in 1910 the company invested in the river sternwheeler '']Inlander
The ''Inlander'' was a sternwheeler that worked on the Skeena River in British Columbia, Canada, from 1910 until 1912. She was owned by the Prince Rupert and Skeena River Navigation Company which was a syndicate of Skeena River businessmen who p ...
''. ''Inlander'' ran for three seasons, 1910 to 1912, on the Skeena River
The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (after the Fraser River). Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose n ...
.[
]
Welsford & Company buys control of the company
In 1911 Welsford & Company, a Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
shipping line, purchased a controlling interest in Union Steamship Co. Also in 1911, on September 23, the Welsford company purchased the Boscowitz Steamship Co., Ltd., of Victoria, BC, for $160,000, half in cash and half in Union Steamship stock.
1912 to 1918
The start of World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
caused economic disruption and a fall off in the British Columbia salmon fishery, impacting the company’s operations so much that one-half of its fleet was taken out of service. This soon changed, when wartime production demands generated an unprecedented surge in business.[
]
Loss of ships in 1913 and 1914
On June 7, 1913, disaster struck when ''Cheslakee'' capsized at its dock in Van Anda, on Texada Island
Texada Island is a large island located in the Strait of Georgia of British Columbia, Canada. With an area of , it is the largest island of the Gulf Islands and the third largest island in the Strait of Georgia after Whidbey Island in Washington a ...
, drowning several people.
The company lost two ships in 1914. On February 3, 1914 the company’s freighter ''Vadso'', running a few hours out of Port Simpson
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...
, struck an uncharted rock, caught fire, and sank. There were no casualties among the crew, but they had to row twelve miles to the Arrandale Cannery, from whence they were able to return to Vancouver on board another company freighter, ''Venture''.[ Later in 1914 ''Capilano 1'' stranded in ]Malaspina Strait
Malaspina Strait is a strait in the northern Gulf of Georgia- Sunshine Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It separates Texada Island from the upper Sunshine Coast-Malaspina Peninsula area on the adjacent mainland.
The strait and the penin ...
and became a total loss, but also with no casualties to anyone on board.[
]
Purchase of the All-Red Line
The All-Red Line had been running local service from Vancouver to Powell River with the steamers ''Selma'' and ''Santa Maria''. The All-Red Line also owned property at Selma Park, on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, near the town of Sechelt
Sechelt (, Shishalh language chat'lich) is a district municipality located on the lower Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Approximately 50 km northwest of Vancouver, it is accessible from mainland British Columbia by a 40-minute ferry tr ...
.[ In 1917 Union Steamship purchased the All-Red Line, including all of its floating equipment and the property at Selma Park.][ Union Steamship renamed ''Selma'' as ''Chasina'', and ''Santa Maria'' as ''Chilco''.][ Union Steamship later developed Selma Park as an excursion destination resort.][
]
1919 to 1924
Post-war expansion program
After World War I, the company, under manager Ernest H Beasley (or Beasley) (d.1920), began an expansion program.[ The automobile had not yet been able reach most of the points served by the company’s steamers.][ The company carried freight and passengers to new pulp mills at Powell River, ]Ocean Falls
Ocean Falls is a community on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Formerly a large company town owned by Crown Zellerbach, it is accessible only via boat or seaplane, and is home for a few dozen full-time residents, with the seasonal ...
, and Swanson Bay.[ The company also provided service to the Granby Copper Mine at ]Anyox
Anyox was a small company-owned mining town in British Columbia, Canada. Today it is a ghost town, abandoned and largely destroyed. It is located on the shores of Granby Bay in coastal Observatory Inlet, about southeast of (but no land link to) ...
, the gold mine at Surf Inlet (now Port Belmont), and the many coastal logging camps.[
]
Death of company manager Beazley
There were periodic labor disputes in the Canadian shipping business after World War 1.[
In May 1920 company manager Ernest H. Beazley was killed in an airplane crash at ]Minoru Park
Minoru Park is a park located on the site of a former horse-racing track and airstrip in Richmond, British Columbia.
The park's running track is often used by School District 38 Richmond for school competitions, such as track and field. The area ...
. Beazley had just settled a labor strike
Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became common during the I ...
, and was taking a brief vacation.[ John Barnsley (d.1924), who had joined the company when the Boscowitz shipping concern was acquired, then became general manager, and R.A.H. Welsford came to British Columbia from Liverpool to act as managing director.][
]
Two freighters purchased
In 1919 Union Steamship bought the freighter ''British Columbia'' from Griffiths, renamed it ''Chilliwack'', and used it to replace the 1891 steamer ''Comox''. ''Comox'' was first resold for scrap, but soon sold again to a Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
n concern and renamed ''Alejandro''.[
The company also had the steel freighter ''Chilkoot 1'' built in 1920 by Wallace Shipbuilding Co.][ ''Chilkoot 1'' remained in service for a long time, being operated in 1966 by Northland Navigation Co. under the name ''Alaska Prince''.][
]
Day excursion business developed
Union Steamship continued to develop the day excursion business which had begun in 1917 with the acquisition of the All-Red line.[ In 1920, the company had the wooden steamer ''Capilano 2'' built at B.C. Marine Ways, using engines from the ]Puget Sound
Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...
steamer ''Washington''.[ ''Capilano 2'' was intended to serve the resort at Selma Park, formerly owned by the All-Red Line.][
'']Lady Alexandra
''Lady Alexandra'' was a steamship built in 1924 in Montrose, Scotland which served in British Columbia from 1924 to 1952, mostly on Howe Sound.
Design and construction
''Lady Alexandra'' was designed for the routes from Vancouver, British Columbi ...
'', completed at Montrose, Scotland
Montrose ( , gd, Monadh Rois) is a town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Situated north of Dundee and south of Aberdeen, Montrose lies between the mouths of the North and South Esk rivers. It is the northernmost coastal town in Ang ...
was the most important addition to shipping in the Pacific Northwest in 1924. ''Alexandra'' was a two-stack steamer of 1,396 GT and 230 feet, capable of carrying 1200 passengers on day excursions.[ During the approximately 30 years ''Alexandra'' was in service, the steamer seldom left Howe Sound, and was mostly used during the summer months, including especially cruises to Bowen Island.][
]
Terminal Steam Navigation purchased
In December 1920, Union Steamships bought the Terminal Steam Navigation Company from the veteran shipping man Capt. John Andrew “Jack” Cates for a price of about $250,000. The sale included the Bowen Island
Bowen Island (originally Nex̱wlélex̱m in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh), British Columbia, is an island municipality that is part of Metro Vancouver. Bowen Island is within the jurisdiction of the Islands Trust. Located in Howe Sound, it is approximate ...
property of Terminal Steam, the wooden steamer ''Bowena'', and the route up East Howe Sound
Howe Sound (french: Baie (de /d')Howe, squ, Átl'ka7tsem, Nexwnéwu7ts, Txwnéwu7ts) is a roughly triangular sound, that joins a network of fjords situated immediately northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia. It was designated as a UNESCO Biosph ...
to Squamish.[
The deal was to have included the steamer ''Ballena'', but before the sale was finalized, ''Ballena'' was destroyed by fire while alongside the Union dock in Vancouver, killing a coal stoker.][ ''Bowena'' also sustained $15,000 damage from the same fire.][ Following repair, ''Bowena'' was renamed ''Cheam'', and placed in service on the Bowen Island route in May, 1921.][
]
''Cardena'' added to fleet
In 1923 ''Cardena'' 1559 GT 223 ft, was completed at Glasgow, Scotland for Union Steamship, which placed the new vessel on a route running from Vancouver to Prince Rupert, and then to Stewart, British Columbia
Stewart is a district municipality at the head of the Portland Canal in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, near the Alaskan panhandle. In 2011, its population was about 494.
History
The Nisga'a, who live around the Nass River, called the h ...
.
1925 to 1929
''Celicia'', ''Cynthia'', and ''Catala'' added to fleet
In 1925 Union Steamships added three new steamers to its fleet, '' Lady Cecilia'', '' Lady Cynthia'', and ''Catala''. All were built by the same firm, Coaster Construction Co, at Montrose, Scotland
Montrose ( , gd, Monadh Rois) is a town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Situated north of Dundee and south of Aberdeen, Montrose lies between the mouths of the North and South Esk rivers. It is the northernmost coastal town in Ang ...
.[ ''Catala'' was an entirely new vessel, intended for northern service.][
''Cecilia'' and ''Cynthia'' had been rebuilt from Royal Navy minesweepers.][ They each had to be sponsoned out to improve their stability, but this reduced their speed from 19 to 15 knots.][ ''Cecilia'' and ''Cynthia'', each about 950 GT, were fitted to carry 800 passengers and 75 tons of freight on Howe Sound routes and to Powell River.][ In later years ''Cynthia'' received substantial alterations for logging camp service.][
]
Collision between ''Lady Cynthia'' and ''Cowichan''
On December 27, 1925, ''Lady Cynthia'' collided with and sank another Union company ship, ''Cowichan’’. '' Lady Cecilia'' had brought a Christmas excursion from Powell River to Vancouver.[ More people wanted to come south than Cecilia could carry, so Harold Brown, the company's general manager, ordered ''Cynthia'' to embark an additional 200 passengers, after which ''Cynthia'' departed southbound for Vancouver.][
Meanwhile, northbound ''Cowichan'' encountered fog off Roberts Creek.][ Knowing ''Cecilia'' would be coming, ''Cowichan''’s Captain Robert Wilson, proceeded slowly, listened carefully for ''Cecilia''s whistle.][ ''Cecilia'' passed safely by, but then Wilson was taken by surprise 15 minutes later when ''Cynthia'', under Capt. John Boden appeared out of the fog, colliding with its bow into ''Cowichan''’s amidships.][
Boden kept ''Cynthia''’s bow in place to keep ''Cowichan'' from sinking.][ Wilson, the last to leave his ship, first helped all 45 people on ''Cowichan'' to board ''Cynthia''][ When ''Cecila'' backed away, ''Cowichan'' sank almost immediately.][
]
1938 to 1945
Waterhouse concern acquired
In 1939 Union Steamship bought the ships and freighting interests of the Frank L. Waterhouse Co., which had been in the cannery service business for many years. Vessels acquired were three freighters directly owned by Waterhouse, '' Northholm'', '' Southholm'', and '' Eastholm'', and three more under charter, ''Gray'', '' Bervin'', and ''Salvor'' which was same vessel as the company’s old 1891 ''Coquitlam''.[
The Waterhouse acquisitions were operated as a separate division of Union Steamships, under the management of R.L. Solloway.] Acquisition of the Waterhouse freighters brought the Union Steamship fleet to a total of 16 vessels.[ At this time, all shipping on the Canadian west coast was operating under war time conditions, meaning blacked-out ]porthole
A porthole, sometimes called bull's-eye window or bull's-eye, is a generally circular window used on the hull of ships to admit light and air. Though the term is of maritime origin, it is also used to describe round windows on armored vehicles ...
s, minimum lights, radio silence
In telecommunications, radio silence or Emissions Control (EMCON) is a status in which all fixed or mobile radio stations in an area are asked to stop transmitting for safety or security reasons.
The term "radio station" may include anything cap ...
and in many cases, carrying guns manned by naval personnel.[
]
''Northholm'' lost in a storm
On January 16, 1943, the freighter ''Northholm'' was sunk in a storm off the west coast of Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...
. ''Northholm'' was struck by heavy seas, and sunk so quickly that nine men went down with the ship.[ Eight men managed to escape the vessel, but of these, six later drowned, leaving the first officer and a seaman as the only survivors.][
]
1946 to 1950
Surplus warships acquired and converted
After World War II Union Steamships resumed regular weekly service to Ketchikan, Alaska
Ketchikan ( ; tli, Kichx̱áan) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic District.
With a population at the 202 ...
after a lapse of many years, including stops en route at Prince Rupert and Ocean Falls. To serve the route, the company had acquired three British-built corvettes
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloop ...
, ''HMCS Leaside'', ''HMS St. Thomas'', and ''HMS Hespeler'', and converted them into civilian passenger vessels ''Coquitlam 2'', ''Camosun 3'', and ''Chilcotin'', respectively.[ Originally the company intended to run on the route year-round, but winter traffic proved to be insufficient, so in December 1947 the Ketchikan run became seasonal only.][
]
''Chelosin'' stranded and sold to salvors
On November 4, 1949 ''Chelosin'' stranded off Siwash Rock near the entrance to Vancouver Harbor
Burrard Inlet ( hur, səl̓ilw̓ət; french: Baie Burrard) is a relatively shallow-sided fjord in northwestern Lower Mainland, British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the Last Glacial Period, last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and th ...
. The company could not pull the ship off, and it was sold to salvors for $1,500.[ All passengers and crew were safely evacuated from the vessel.][ Victor David, who had bought ''Chelosin'', surprised everyone when he and a five-man salvage crew were able to quickly refloat the ship and take it into a dock.]
List of vessels
Notes
Vessels
Sources
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Union Steamship Company Of British Columbia
Transport companies established in 1889
Transport companies disestablished in 1956
Defunct shipping companies of Canada
1889 establishments in British Columbia
Canadian companies established in 1889
1956 disestablishments in British Columbia