Princess Royal (steamship)
Encyclopedia
Princess Royal was a wooden steamship built in 1907 for the Canadian Pacific Railway Coast Service
. The ship operated on the coasts of British Columbia
, south east Alaska, and northern Puget Sound
until 1933, when the ship was sold for scrapping.
, and was intended to run on routes north of Vancouver along the coast of British Columbia
and southeast Alaska.
Princess Royal was built in 1907 by the B.C. Marine Railway Company, Ltd., at Esquimalt, British Columbia
. Princess Royal was the second ship built for the CPR Coast Service by B.C. Marine Railway Co. (The first was Princess Beatrice
.) Princess Royal, like Princess Beatrice, was built of wood. The ship's dimensions were 228 feet (69.5 m) long, 40 feet (12.2 m) beam, 17 feet (5.2 m) depth of hold, and 1997 gross tons. The ship had a single propeller. The power plant had a single triple-expansion steam engine
, with cylinder diameters, from high to low steam pressure, of 22, 35 and 60 inches (1,524 mm). Bore stroke on all cylinders was 36 inches (914.4 mm). This power plant, manufactured by Bow, McLachlan and Co. of Paisley, Scotland generated 1600 horsepower. The ship's speed maximum speed was 15 kn (29.4 km/h). Princess Royal had 72 staterooms with 144 berths. The ship's Canadian registration number was 121988.
Princess Royal was launched on September 2, 1906. At the time the ship was launched, it was anticipated that it would not be ready for service until the following summer.
on July 18, 1907 under the command of Captain W.O. Hughes. 120 passengers were carried north, with 136 embarking for the southbound trip. Captain Troup himself was on board for the trip. The plan was to provide a weekly Alaska service, with the Princess Royal running in alternate weeks with the Princess May
. Princess Royal was run on this route for a while, then transferred to the Victoria-Seattle route. It was on the Seattle route that Princess Royal became involved in the 1908 rate war between the CPR and the Puget Sound Navigation Company
. Fares on the steamers on the route fell well below costs, to as low as 25 cents.
The ship was also operated on route from Victoria to Vancouver, British Columbia.
Originally Princess Royal was painted light gray and white. By 1913, the color scheme had changed to a black hull and white upper works.
In 1928 Princess Royal was converted to oil fuel. To better transport automobiles, the overhead clearance was increased from 5 in 6 in (1.68 m) to 6 feet (1.8 m) four inches (102 mm) .
Canadian Pacific Railway Coast Service
The Canadian Pacific Railway Coast Service, also known as the British Columbia Coast Steamships , was a division of Canadian Pacific Railway which began operating Pacific coastal shipping routes in the late 19th century...
. The ship operated on the coasts of British Columbia
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...
, south east Alaska, and northern Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
until 1933, when the ship was sold for scrapping.
Design and construction
Princess Royal was ordered by James W. Troup, superintendent of the coastal steamship service of the Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific Railway Coast Service
The Canadian Pacific Railway Coast Service, also known as the British Columbia Coast Steamships , was a division of Canadian Pacific Railway which began operating Pacific coastal shipping routes in the late 19th century...
, and was intended to run on routes north of Vancouver along the coast of British Columbia
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...
and southeast Alaska.
Princess Royal was built in 1907 by the B.C. Marine Railway Company, Ltd., at Esquimalt, British Columbia
Esquimalt, British Columbia
The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the west by Esquimalt Harbour and Royal Roads, to the northwest by the...
. Princess Royal was the second ship built for the CPR Coast Service by B.C. Marine Railway Co. (The first was Princess Beatrice
Princess Beatrice (steamship)
Princess Beatrice was a steamship built for and owned by the marine division of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The ship served from 1903 to 1928 in the coastal waters of British Columbia. The ship also operated on Puget Sound on a route from Victoria, British Columbia to Seattle, Washington...
.) Princess Royal, like Princess Beatrice, was built of wood. The ship's dimensions were 228 feet (69.5 m) long, 40 feet (12.2 m) beam, 17 feet (5.2 m) depth of hold, and 1997 gross tons. The ship had a single propeller. The power plant had a single triple-expansion steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
, with cylinder diameters, from high to low steam pressure, of 22, 35 and 60 inches (1,524 mm). Bore stroke on all cylinders was 36 inches (914.4 mm). This power plant, manufactured by Bow, McLachlan and Co. of Paisley, Scotland generated 1600 horsepower. The ship's speed maximum speed was 15 kn (29.4 km/h). Princess Royal had 72 staterooms with 144 berths. The ship's Canadian registration number was 121988.
Princess Royal was launched on September 2, 1906. At the time the ship was launched, it was anticipated that it would not be ready for service until the following summer.
Operations
Princess Royal began its first Alaska trip from Victoria, British ColumbiaVictoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
on July 18, 1907 under the command of Captain W.O. Hughes. 120 passengers were carried north, with 136 embarking for the southbound trip. Captain Troup himself was on board for the trip. The plan was to provide a weekly Alaska service, with the Princess Royal running in alternate weeks with the Princess May
Princess May (steamship)
Princess May was a steamship built in 1888 which was operated under a number of different names and owners. The ship is best known for having been involved in a grounding in 1910 which left the ship jutting completely out of the water, which became the subject of a famous shipwreck...
. Princess Royal was run on this route for a while, then transferred to the Victoria-Seattle route. It was on the Seattle route that Princess Royal became involved in the 1908 rate war between the CPR and the Puget Sound Navigation Company
Puget Sound Navigation Company
The Puget Sound Navigation Company was founded by Joshua Green in 1913. It operated a fleet of steamboats and ferries on Puget Sound in Washington and the Georgia Strait in British Columbia...
. Fares on the steamers on the route fell well below costs, to as low as 25 cents.
The ship was also operated on route from Victoria to Vancouver, British Columbia.
Originally Princess Royal was painted light gray and white. By 1913, the color scheme had changed to a black hull and white upper works.
In 1928 Princess Royal was converted to oil fuel. To better transport automobiles, the overhead clearance was increased from 5 in 6 in (1.68 m) to 6 feet (1.8 m) four inches (102 mm) .
Disposition
In 1933 Princess Royal was sold to Capital Iron and Metals Co. of Victoria to be scrapped. After all metal salvage was removed, in August 1934 the hulk was deliberately burned off Albert Head near Victoria.Further reading
- Hacking, Norman R., and Lamb, W. Kaye, The Princess Story -- A Century and A Half of West Coast Shipping, Mitchell Press, Vancouver BC 1974