Princess Beatrice (steamship)

Launching of Princess Beatrice at Esquimalt, British Columbia, September 10, 1903
History
Name:	Princess Beatrice
Owner:	Canadian Pacific Railway Coast Service
Route:	coastal British Columbia, Puget Sound
Completed:	1903
Out of service:	1928
Identification:	Canada registry #116405
Fate:	Converted to floating cannery
General characteristics
Class and type:	coastal steamship
Tonnage:	1290 gross tons
Length:	197 ft (60 m)
Beam:	37 ft (11 m)
Depth:	15 ft (5 m) depth of hold
Installed power:	triple-expansion steam engine
Propulsion:	single propeller
Speed:	13 knots (24 km/h)
Capacity:	350 day passengers; 86 overnight

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 Beatrice was the first ship to operate in the year-round steamship service between Seattle and Victoria that was run by CPR from 1904 to 1959. This ship should not be confused with an earlier Princess Beatrice, built in Scotland in 1874, which served on the Atlantic coast of Canada.

Princess Beatrice was built in 1903 at Esquimalt, British Columbia by the B.C. Marine Railway Co., Ltd. The Beatrice was the first Princess ship built for the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The dimensions of the ship were 197 feet (60 m) in length, 37-foot (11 m) beam, and 15-foot (4.6 m) depth of hold, 1290 gross tons. The power plant was a triple expansion steam engine, manufactured by Bow, McLachlan & Co. of Paisley, Scotland, producing 1,392 horsepower. The engine had three cylinders, with diameters ranging from high pressure to low pressure of 18, 30 and 50 inches (1,300 mm), with a bore stroke on all three cylinders of 36 inches (910 mm). The ship had design speed of 13 knots (24 km/h) and was driven by a single propeller. The ship was built of wood. Beatrice was one of the largest vessels to have been constructed in British Columbia up to that time. The cost of construction was $200,000.

The ship was launched on September 10, 1903. Trial runs were completed in November, 1903. The Canadian registration number was 116405. The ship was licensed for 350 day passengers. There were 40 staterooms which could accommodate 86 overnight passengers. The ship's accommodations were considered to be luxurious, and they included, consistent with the practices of the times, a separate cabin for women and children.