SS Aberdeen

SS *Aberdeen*
	SS Aberdeen on Okanagan Lake, 1895
History
Canada
Name:	Aberdeen [1]
Namesake:	John Hamilton-Gordon, 7th Earl of Aberdeen (1870-1916) and Governor General of Canada (1893-1898)
Owner:	Canadian Pacific Railway
Route:	Penticton to Okanagan Landing
Builder:	B.C. Iron Works and CPR
Launched:	May 22, 1893
In service:	1893
Out of service:	December 31, 1919
Fate:	Hull sold for $35
General characteristics
Class and type:	Sternwheeler
Tonnage:	544.0
Length:	146.2 feet (44.6 m)
Beam:	29.9 feet (9.1 m)
Depth:	6.8 feet (2.1 m)

Last updated May 27, 2020

SS Aberdeen was a steamship commissioned by Canadian Pacific Railway company. It was the first CPR steamship on Okanagan Lake and carried passengers and cargo from Okanagan Landing to Penticton from 1893 to 1919.^[2]Aberdeen connected communities along Okanagan Lake for the first time, creating a new era in the Okanagan Valley and greatly aiding the economy and settlement of the interior of British Columbia.^[3]

Construction

Aberdeen was commissioned by CPR to extend the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway line from Okanagan Landing to Penticton.^[4] President William Cornelius Van Horne authorized construction in 1892. The ship was designed by the Danish shipbuilder John F. Steffen and master builder Edwin G. McKay supervised the building of the steamer. Horace Campbell of Portland, Oregon designed the engines, which were built at B.C. Iron Works. CPR built the boiler in Montreal. Aberdeen burned wood until 1902, when she was converted to a coal burner.^[2]

A shipyard named Okanagan Landing was constructed near Vernon to build and maintain Aberdeen.^[5] Okanagan Landing was later used for many ships, such as SS Okanagan, SS Naramata, and Sicamous. The construction of Aberdeen also provided work for local businesses, such as those supplying moulding, lumber, and fittings.

Aberdeen was a sternwheeler of classic western design, and called the “Finest inland steamer set afloat in the Northwest in 1893".^[6] She measured 146.2 feet (44.6m) by 29.9 feet (9.1m) and her depth of hold was 6.8 feet (2.1m). Her passenger capacity was 250 and her cargo deck capacity was 200 tons (180 tonnes).

The first deck held the boiler, machinery, freight, and crew’s quarters for eight. At the front of the freight deck was a staircase leading to the saloon deck, which had a smoking room in front, purser’s office aft, and a spare room. The dining saloon was in the center with 11 staterooms lining both sides. The stewardess’ room, pantry, and ladies’ toilet and cabins were also on the saloon deck.^[5] However, the cabins were not completed when Aberdeen was launched. The woodwork needed a year to shrink fully before the last coat of paint and gilt stripping could be applied. Officers’ quarters were behind the pilothouse.^[7]

Crew

The first captain of Aberdeen was Captain J. Foster, former mate of the coaster liner Islander. R. Williams was first mate, H. Fawcett was purser, and W.B. Couson was first engineer. A notable captain was Captain Joseph Weeks, who first joined Aberdeen's crew as a deckhand. He later went on to command SS York and Aberdeen before becoming the last captain of Sicamous.^[7]

Name

Aberdeen was named after John Campbell Gordon, 7th Earl of Aberdeen. He owned the large Coldstream Ranch near Vernon and was appointed Governor General of Canada in 1893.

Service

Aberdeen was launched on May 22, 1893, with crowds arriving on foot or by train to Okanagan Landing to participate in the festivities. Farmers, settlers, and merchants were pleased to have a first-class, modern steam vessel to connect the Okanagan for the first time. Before Aberdeen, only primitive transportation was provided by individuals on Okanagan Lake. The operations were small, unreliable and insufficient to promote the development of the region.^[7]Aberdeen greatly improved service for residents and held a virtual monopoly on the lake as there were no comparable vessels to compete with her.

She made round trips from Penticton to Okanagan Landing three times a week, with service being suspended between mid-January to March, when the steamer Penticton would fill in twice a week. In later years, this was done by SS Fairview and Greenwood. Until the construction of Okanagan in 1907, Aberdeen ran south on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, leaving Okanagan Landing in the morning and arriving in Penticton by the afternoon. She ran from Penticton to Okanagan Landing on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

In the beginning, wharves were primitive and there were few traveller amenities, but improvements were made and business increased. Mining developments in the 1890s meant large volumes of traffic. The Okanagan had a booming fruit industry by the early 1900s and steamers were essential for exportations.^[8]York was launched in 1902 as relief steamer for Aberdeen. By 1904, it was becoming clear that the ageing Aberdeen could not handle the traffic on the lake. Okanagan was launched in 1907 and replaced Aberdeen, freeing her for freight. Aberdeen was retired in 1916 and her hull was sold for $35.^[7]

Related Research Articles

Okanagan Lake is a large, deep lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. The lake is 135 km (84 mi) long, between 4 and 5 km wide, and has a surface area of 348 km².

The Okanagan, also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of the Okanagan Country, extending into the United States as Okanogan County in north-central Washington. According to the 2016 Canadian census, the region's population is 362,258. The primary city is Kelowna.

<i>Moyie</i> (sternwheeler) paddle steamer sternwheeler

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SS Sicamous is a large five decked sternwheeler commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and built by the Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company for Okanagan Lake service between the fruit communities of Penticton, and other towns of Kelowna and Vernon, British Columbia. Launched in 1914, Sicamous ran for many years connecting rail lines and areas. The vessel operated until 1937 and is currently beached as a part of a heritage shipyard operated by the S.S. Sicamous Restoration Society in Penticton. The vessel today is operated both as a museum and events and banquet facility.

Okanagan Landing was an unincorporated settlement and steamboat port at the north end of Okanagan Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. Located southwest of the city of Vernon, it was the terminus station for the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway and served as the port and shipyard for steamboats operating to the south, as well as a transfer barge slip.

SS Naramata is a steam tug commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) company. She pushed barges and broke ice on Okanagan Lake from 1914 to 1967. After over 50 years of service, the boat was eventually retired and left to rest in Penticton beside her sister ship, SS Sicamous. In 2001, she was purchased by the S.S. Sicamous Restoration Society and is currently undergoing extensive renovations. Naramata is the only interior steam tug to be preserved in the province of British Columbia, Canada.

SS Okanagan was a steamship owned and operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway Lake and River Service. The vessel was constructed in 1906 at Okanagan Landing and launched in 1907, becoming Okanagan Lake's second steamship. She linked the transportation hubs at both the north and south ends of Okanagan Lake (Vernon and Penticton, respectively, aiding the development of interior British Columbia with other steamships of the 1900s. The ship was retired in 1934 and sold for scrap and spare parts. Only the Stern Saloon, a room in the back of the upper deck, remains. It was moved to the SS Sicamous Heritage Park in Penticton in 2002, to undergo restoration work.

SS York was a small steamer that was used to haul freight on Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake. York was built in 1902 by Bertram Iron Works of Toronto and assembled at Okanagan Landing. She was pre-fabricated with a steel hull and was twin-screw-driven. She was a small vessel in comparison to the many other ships on the lake; York was only 88 by 16 feet. York was capable of moving 134 tons in freight and could carry up to 90 passengers.

Canadian National Tug no. 6 was a diesel-powered tugboat owned and operated by the Canadian National Railway (CNR) company on Okanagan Lake, British Columbia. It was launched in 1948 and transferred railway barges between Penticton and Kelowna. It was retired in 1973, becoming the last of many tugboats to operate on Okanagan Lake. Tug 6 was moved to Penticton in 2007 to rest alongside the SS Naramata and SS Sicamous, two Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) steamboats, as part of the S.S. Sicamous Inland Marine Museum. The ships are currently being restored by the S.S. Sicamous Restoration Society.

MV Okanagan was a tugboat that operated on Okanagan Lake, Penticton, British Columbia, from 1947 to 1972. It was the largest and last Canadian Pacific-operated tugboat on Okanagan Lake and its retirement marked the end of Canadian Pacific’s service on B.C.’s inland lakes and rivers, as well as 80 years of service on Okanagan Lake. During service, the Okanagan pushed railway barges up and down the lake and broke ice during winter.

MV Pentowna was a motor ship that transported passengers, and later freight, on Okanagan Lake from 1926 to 1973. It was the first boat to be owned and operated by Canadian National Railway (CNR) on Okanagan Lake and the first diesel-powered boat on the lake. Pentowna served the communities between Kelowna and Penticton with two daily round trips, aiding the development of the Okanagan Valley with its modern technology and speed.

SS Kootenay was a Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) wooden-hulled sternwheeler that serviced the Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada from 1897 to 1919. She was a large freight and passenger steamship and the first in a series of CPR riverboats built for the Arrow Lakes.

SS Kelowna was a tow boat that was operational between the years 1892–1912 on Okanagan Lake in British Columbia. It was later dismantled in Penticton.

Castlegar was a wooden-hulled tugboat for the Canadian Pacific Railway company. Built in 1911 at Okanagan Landing, its purpose was to handle railway car barges on Okanagan Lake. The Castlegar was a significant improvement over existing vessels in the Okanagan for service at the time.

SS Whatshan was a steam tug owned by Canadian Pacific Railway that operated on the Lower Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada from 1909 to 1919. Although she was small, she proved to be the most suited to the Lower Arrow Lake run of all the tugs on the route from 1909 to 1961 because she had enough power to keep the channel open in bad weather when other ships became stranded in ice.

SS Columbia was a large screw-driven tugboat that operated on the Arrow Lakes and Columbia River in British Columbia, Canada.

SS Maude-Moore was a wood-burning screw steamer that provided a ferry service between the communities of Summerland, Naramata, and Penticton on Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada.

SS Red Star, later called Okanagan, Lucy, and Red Star again, was a screw steamer that operated on Spallumcheen River and later Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada, serving various purposes under many owners, as well as undergoing renovations and modifications from her construction in 1887 to the closing of her registry in 1915.

Kuskanook was a wooden, stern-wheel driven steamboat that operated on Kootenay Lake, in British Columbia from 1906 to 1931. After being taken out of service, Kuskanook was sold for use as a floating hotel, finally sinking in 1936. The vessel name is also seen spelled Kooskanook.

References

↑ Turner, Robert (1984). Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs . Sono Nis Press. p. 252.
1 2 "A Pictorial History of Kelowna BC". Kelowna BC. p. 4.
↑ "The Story of Lake Boats in the Okanagan". SS Sicamous. Archived from the original on 2014-08-02.
↑ "1890: 1893 - S. S. Aberdeen". Lake Country Museum and Archives.
1 2 Turner, Robert D. (1947). The Sicamous and the Naramata: Steamboat days in the Okanagan. Victoria: Sono Nis Press.
↑ Wright, E. W., ed. (1895). Lewis and Dryden's Marine History of the Pacific Northwest. Portland, OR: Lewis & Dryden Printing Company. p. 408.
1 2 3 4 Turner, Robert D. (1984). Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service . Victoria: Sono Nis Press.
↑ Wilson, Wayne. Kelowna: one hundred years of history (1905-2005). Kelowna: Kelowna Publishers.

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[1] Turner, Robert (1984). Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs . Sono Nis Press. p. 252.

[kelowna4-2] 1 2 "A Pictorial History of Kelowna BC". Kelowna BC. p. 4.

[3] "The Story of Lake Boats in the Okanagan". SS Sicamous. Archived from the original on 2014-08-02.

[4] "1890: 1893 - S. S. Aberdeen". Lake Country Museum and Archives.

[Turner_1947-5] 1 2 Turner, Robert D. (1947). The Sicamous and the Naramata: Steamboat days in the Okanagan. Victoria: Sono Nis Press.

[6] Wright, E. W., ed. (1895). Lewis and Dryden's Marine History of the Pacific Northwest. Portland, OR: Lewis & Dryden Printing Company. p. 408.

[Turner_1984-7] 1 2 3 4 Turner, Robert D. (1984). Sternwheelers and Steam Tugs: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Lake and River Service . Victoria: Sono Nis Press.

[8] Wilson, Wayne. Kelowna: one hundred years of history (1905-2005). Kelowna: Kelowna Publishers.