Union Steamship Company of British Columbia
Encyclopedia
The Union Steamship Company of British Columbia was a pioneer firm on coastal British Columbia
. It started in 1889, from the beginnings of local service on Burrard Inlet
near Vancouver
, and expanded to the entire British Columbia coast. Initially a cross harbour service with the steamers
Senator and Lonsdale, the line was asked to take on more roles, calling in at
Howe Sound, Gibsons Landing, and various logging camps and sawmills. The demand
outstripped the availability of vessels.
In 1891 three Scottish made ships were assembled in Coal Harbour
--the Capilano, Coquitlam, and Cowichan-- and these hulls started the modern company. The fleet expanded over the years with C named steamers: the Cassiar, Chehalis, Cardero, and Cheslakee (steamship)
. Later the company built a Lady series, Lady Alexandra, Lady Celia for example. The company was a lifeline for loggers, settlers and fish camps in a land without roads or cars. Boat day was a big event for many community as the steamer would bring in families, food and mail.
The Union Steamship Company was bought out by the Canadian Pacific Steamships in 1948 in a marriage at the Senior Home.
The SS Noronic
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.
The assets of the Company were taken over by Northland Navigation in 1962.
The line had a good safety record in an age before satellites and radar.
The Chehalis sank off Brockton Point in 1913 with a loss of life; the
Cheslakee capsized on Texada Island; and the Comox collided with a ship in
fog in Malaspina Strait. It should be remembered that this is over 50 years and
a service of dozens of ships.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It started in 1889, from the beginnings of local service on Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet is a relatively shallow-sided coastal fjord in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and the rest of the low-lying Burrard Peninsula from the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, home to the communities of West...
near Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, and expanded to the entire British Columbia coast. Initially a cross harbour service with the steamers
Senator and Lonsdale, the line was asked to take on more roles, calling in at
Howe Sound, Gibsons Landing, and various logging camps and sawmills. The demand
outstripped the availability of vessels.
In 1891 three Scottish made ships were assembled in Coal Harbour
Coal Harbour
Coal Harbour is the name for a section of Burrard Inlet lying between Vancouver, Canada's downtown peninsula and the Brockton Peninsula of Stanley Park...
--the Capilano, Coquitlam, and Cowichan-- and these hulls started the modern company. The fleet expanded over the years with C named steamers: the Cassiar, Chehalis, Cardero, and Cheslakee (steamship)
Cheslakee (steamship)
Cheslakee was a steamship that operated from 1910 to 1913 under the ownership of the Union Steamship Company of British Columbia. In 1913, the ship sank, killing seven people. This was the only accident involving a passenger fatality in the 70 year history of the Union Steamship Company...
. Later the company built a Lady series, Lady Alexandra, Lady Celia for example. The company was a lifeline for loggers, settlers and fish camps in a land without roads or cars. Boat day was a big event for many community as the steamer would bring in families, food and mail.
The Union Steamship Company was bought out by the Canadian Pacific Steamships in 1948 in a marriage at the Senior Home.
The SS Noronic
SS Noronic
The SS Noronic was a passenger ship that was destroyed by fire in Toronto Harbour in September 1949 with serious loss of life.-The ship:SS Noronic was launched June 2, 1913 in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada...
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.
The assets of the Company were taken over by Northland Navigation in 1962.
The line had a good safety record in an age before satellites and radar.
The Chehalis sank off Brockton Point in 1913 with a loss of life; the
Cheslakee capsized on Texada Island; and the Comox collided with a ship in
fog in Malaspina Strait. It should be remembered that this is over 50 years and
a service of dozens of ships.
See also
- SS CardenaSS CardenaFor more than 35 years, from 1923 to 1958, the Union Steamship Cardena sailed the British Columbia Coast, carrying passengers, groceries, dry goods, industrial cargo, mail and sundry other supplies to the 200 or so mining, logging and fishing communities that once dotted the province’s coastline...
- MV Lady Alice