Malahat (schooner) facts for kids
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The Malahat was a very large ship. She was a 5-masted lumber schooner from Vancouver, British Columbia. People called her "the Queen of Rum Row" because of her role in a special time in history. She became well-known for carrying illegal alcohol. This happened on the US Pacific Coast between 1920 and 1933. The Vancouver Maritime Museum says Malahat carried "more contraband liquor than any other ship."
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Building the Malahat
The Malahat was built in 1917. She was made in Victoria, British Columbia, by Cameron Genoa Mills Shipbuilders. Her first owner was the Canadian Steamships Company. During World War I, there was a big need for ships. So, Malahat was put to work even before her engines were ready. She sailed quite well using only her sails on her first trip.
By 1934, Malahat was very comfortable for long journeys. She even had a fireplace in the owner's rooms. She also had two full-sized bathtubs.
The Malahat was active until 1944. She was part of the Mabel Brown class of ships. She was the longest-lasting of 12 similar ships built in Victoria and North Vancouver between 1917 and 1918.
Malahat as a Lumber Ship
The Malahat started her life carrying lumber. She sailed between Canada and Australia. In 1917, she carried a huge load of 1,300,000 board feet of wood.
After Prohibition ended, Malahat went back to being a lumber ship. In 1934, Gordon Gibson, Sr. and his brother were very excited. They found Malahat for sale for only $2,500. They bought her right away. She was then used to carry logs. She moved Sitka spruce trees from the Queen Charlotte Islands. These logs went to a booming ground at the Powell River. This area is in Teakerne Arm in Desolation Sound. The Malahat needed a crew of fifteen people. It was a challenge to find a crew who knew both how to sail and how to work with logs.
During World War II, her engines were taken out. This happened because engines were hard to find at that time.
Malahat: The Queen of Rum Running
The Malahat was owned by the Riefel family from Vancouver. This family was involved in making beer. The Malahat would sail out to "Rum Row." This was an area far out at sea, possibly near the Farallon Islands. There, she acted like a floating storehouse. Smaller, faster boats would come to her. They would pick up the illegal alcohol and take it to shore. The bottles were loaded in cases or in burlap bags. Each bag held 12 bottles. Some of the fast "mosquito boats" had powerful Liberty engines. They could go very fast, up to 25 knots, or even 35–40 knots. The Malahat herself was not fast. One person said she could only go "about five knots!"
Jim Stone is the son of Captain Stuart Stone, who was the Malahat's captain. Jim Stone talked to family and friends. He wanted to learn more about his father's work during the Prohibition Era (1920–1933). In his book, My Dad, The Rum Runner, Stone found out that the Malahat could carry up to 100,000 bottles of illegal alcohol. About 40,000 of these were stored on the ship's deck. Another source said she carried "84,000 cases in the hold plus about 16,000 on deck." One time, she carried "32,000 cases of whiskey and 15 barrels of beer." It took "almost nine months to unload" this cargo. This was because of the foggy weather in 1925 along the California coast. One estimate says the ship delivered 120,000 cases every year. This happened "even when the trade was slow." She usually made one or two trips each year.
It's amazing that Malahat managed to carry illegal alcohol for 13 years. She avoided the U.S. Coast Guard for all that time. This was partly because Captain Stone's sister-in-law helped. She lived near Jericho Beach, Vancouver. She got information from other ships. These ships would tell her where the Coast Guard was. She then sent secret radio messages to the Malahat. The ship also had tricks to get away. They would drop burlap bags filled with sand into the water. This was a trick to make the Coast Guard think they had found a hidden stash of alcohol. While the Coast Guard was busy, the Malahat would sail away to another spot.
Even though the Malahat was expensive to run, it was very profitable. Carrying illegal alcohol made huge amounts of money. This part of history is important. It kept many sailors and shipyards busy when the economy was very bad during the Great Depression.
Two other captains also worked on Malahat during the rum-running years. They were Archie McGillis and Captain John D. Vosper. The Malahats illegal alcohol was found as far south as San Diego, California. It was supposedly brought from Malahats stopping point 140 miles south, at Punta Colonet, Baja California.
Shipwreck
The Malahat sank in Barkley Sound in 1944. She was then pulled to Powell River, British Columbia. Her remains are still there today.
The Malahat was featured in a 2002 TV show. It was called The Sea Hunters: True Adventures With Famous Shipwrecks. The episode about her was named The Malahat: Queen of the Rum Runners. Clive Cussler told the story.
Legacy
The story of the Malahat is still remembered. In October 2011, a politician named Randall Garrison spoke about her. He mentioned her in the House of Commons of Canada. He used her story as an example of what could happen if a new law was passed. This law would stop people from moving wine between provinces for their own use.
A company in San Diego, California, makes rum. It is called Malahat Spirits Co. They named their company after the famous ship.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada |
|
| Name | Malahat |
| Owner | Archibald McGillis, Vancouver, 1923; General Navigation Co., Vancouver, 1929; Gordon Gibson, Sr., 1934; Canada West Coast Navigation Company |
| Builder | Cameron Genoa Mills Shipbuilders Ltd., Victoria, BC |
| Cost | $750,000 Canadian |
| Completed | August 1917 |
| Fate | Wrecked 23 March 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Mabel Brown class |
| Tonnage | 1,544 grt, 1199 net |
| Length | 246 ft (75 m) |
| Beam | 43 ft 9 in (13.34 m) |
| Depth | 21 ft (6.4 m) |
| Propulsion | Twin Bolinder semi-diesels, 320 bhp; coal-fired steam boiler |
| Sail plan | Five-masted schooner |
| Complement | Minimum of 15 crew members |
| Notes | Hull of Douglas fir. Top speed (est.) 5 knots. Infamous rum-runner that eluded US Coast Guard for 13 yrs. |
