SS Prince Rupert facts for kids
The Grand Trunk Pacific steamship Prince Rupert
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Quick facts for kids History |
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| Name | Prince Rupert |
| Owner |
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| Port of registry |  Prince Rupert, British Columbia |
| Builder | Swan Hunter, Wallsend-on-Tyne |
| Launched | 13 December 1909 |
| Completed | March 1910 |
| In service | 4 June 1910 |
| Out of service | 1955 |
| Fate | Scrapped 1956 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger ship |
| Tonnage |
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| Length | 307 ft (93.6 m) pp. |
| Beam | 42 ft (12.8 m) |
| Draught | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Capacity | 1,756 |
The steamship Prince Rupert was a passenger ship. She and her sister ship SS Prince George sailed along the coast of British Columbia and Alaska. Prince Rupert worked for 45 years, from 1910 to 1955. She served many northern ports from Vancouver, British Columbia. People thought the ship was "unlucky" because she had many accidents. Two of these accidents caused large parts of the ship to go underwater. The ship was taken apart for scrap in 1956.
Contents
Ship Design and Features
The Prince Rupert was 307 feet (93.6 m) long. Her width was 42 feet (12.8 m). The ship's depth in the water was 24 feet (7.3 m). She weighed 3,380 gross register tons (GRT) tons.
The ship used steam power. Two large triple expansion engines turned two screws. This gave Prince Rupert a top speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). At first, the ship burned coal for fuel. In 1912, she was changed to burn oil instead. The Prince Rupert had special fins called bilge keels. These helped stop the ship from rolling too much in rough seas. The ship had two tall masts and three funnels.
The Prince Rupert could carry many people. She had space for 1,756 passengers in total. This included 220 First class passengers and 36 Second class passengers. She could also carry 1,500 day-trippers on her promenade deck. In 1916, more rooms were added for second-class travelers. The ship also had a refrigerated area for 350 tons of cargo.
Ship's Service History
The Prince Rupert was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson. Her construction took place at their shipyard in Wallsend-on-Tyne. The ship was launched into the water on December 13, 1909. She was finished and ready in March 1910.
When she arrived on the West Coast of Canada, Prince Rupert began her trips. She traveled between Vancouver, Victoria, Prince Rupert, Stewart, Anyox, the Queen Charlotte Islands, and Seattle. The ship first arrived in her namesake town, Prince Rupert, on June 15, 1910. In 1912, the Prince Rupert was changed from burning coal to burning oil. This work was done at Esquimalt, British Columbia.
Early Accidents and Repairs
In 1916, the Prince Rupert started to gain a reputation as an "unlucky ship." On December 28, 1916, she crashed into the tugboat Cleeve in Vancouver Harbour. The next year, on March 23, the ship ran aground on Genn Island. This happened during a strong gale as she was leaving Anyox. The Prince Rupert was eventually pulled off the rocks. She then spent two months in dry dock in Prince Rupert for repairs.
More problems followed. On May 1, 1918, the ship's propellers were damaged. Prince Rupert had to go to Victoria for repairs. On January 14, 1919, lightning struck her in Vancouver Harbour. In October of that year, a fire broke out in her cargo hold. This caused $25,000 in damage, which was a lot of money back then.
Major Sinking Incident
On September 20, 1920, the ship hit a reef in Swanson Bay. This tore a 12-foot (3.7 m) hole in the bottom of her hull. The Prince Rupert was steered onto the beach. All the passengers and crew got off safely. However, when the tide came in, the ship became almost completely underwater. Only parts of the bridge and upper deck could be seen.
The ship was rescued by the Pacific Salvage Company. The back of the Prince Rupert was 72 feet (22 m) underwater. It took a salvage ship and two large barges to make her level. Workers then built a special box-like structure called a cofferdam around the ship. This structure was 75 feet (23 m) high, 175 feet (53 m) long, and 42 feet (13 m) wide. It used 125,000 feet (38,000 m) of wood. The wood was bolted to the ship's sides, and the gaps were sealed with thick canvas. This cofferdam added 200 tons to the ship's weight.
After this huge effort, the Prince Rupert was raised to the surface. She was then towed to Victoria for repairs at Yarrows. She was out of service until May 1921. In 1925, the Prince Rupert and her sister ship were given to the Government of Canada. They became part of the Canadian National Railway system.
Later Incidents and Retirement
On August 22, 1927, Prince Rupert ran aground on Ripple Rock. This was a very dangerous rock. Luckily, Captain Andy Johnson of another ship, Cardena, pulled Prince Rupert off the reef. This saved her from a likely disaster. Cardena then towed Prince Rupert to Deep Cove. There, passengers and cargo were moved to other ships. Prince Rupert was then towed to Vancouver for repairs.
On March 6, 1931, the ship was in Victoria for yearly maintenance. Water leaked into her hold, causing her to tip over at a 45-degree angle. She sank in 26 feet (7.9 m) of water. To stop her from tipping further, she was tied to the dock by her masts. Prince Rupert was raised again. After a month of repairs, she was ready to sail.
On September 4, 1935, Prince Rupert hit an American fishing vessel called Anna J. This happened near Maud Island. The Anna J was badly damaged and had to be beached. She was a total loss.
After the collision with Anna J, Prince Rupert had a quiet service until 1951. On August 20, 1951, Prince Rupert crashed into the cruise liner Princess Kathleen. This happened north of Prince Rupert. Prince Rupert made a 28-foot (8.5 m) v-shaped hole in the front of Princess Kathleen. Both ships were found to be at fault for the accident.
The Prince Rupert was taken out of service in April 1955. She was sold for scrap in 1956 to a Japanese company. The ship was renamed SS Prince Maru. She was then taken to Osaka, Japan, and taken apart in August 1956.
See also
Notes
Citations
Sources
- Guay, David R. P. (2016). Passenger and Merchant Ships of the Grand Trunk Pacific and Canadian Northern Railways. Toronto: Dundurn Press. ISBN 978-1-4597-3555-2.
- Hacking, Norman (1995). Prince Ships of Northern BC: Ships of the Grand Trunk Pacific and Canadian Northern Railways. Surrey, British Columbia: Heritage House Publishing Company. ISBN 1-895811-28-7.
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