SS Okanagan

SS Okanagan

SS Okanagan, with HRH the Duke of Connaught on board, 1912
History
Owner:	Canadian Pacific Railway
Port of registry:	Victoria, No. 122379
Builder:	Canadian Pacific Railway
Cost:	$90 000
Laid down:	July 10, 1906
Launched:	1907
Maiden voyage:	1907
In service:	1907
Out of service:	1934
Fate:	Mostly sold for scrap and spare parts, saloon being restored
General characteristics
Type:	Sternwheeler
Tonnage:	1,008 GT
Length:	61 m (200 ft)
Beam:	9.1 m (30 ft)
Depth:	2.1 m (6 ft 11 in)
Decks:	3
Installed power:	101.3 nominal horsepower
Capacity:	250-400 passengers

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 (after the SS Aberdeen). 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.

The SS Okanagan was commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railway company in 1906 to replace the aging SS Aberdeen, the first steamer on Okanagan Lake, and link communities along the lake to facilitate trade and transportation in the Okanagan Valley. A similar ship named Kuskanook was built in 1906 for Kootenay Lake to aid Moyie with increasing passenger demand. The construction of Okanagan freed Aberdeen to transport freight.

Construction began in the spring of 1906 at Okanagan Landing with James Bulger as master ship builder. The steel hull was built first, and the wooden interior was constructed after. Lightweight wood was chosen for the carpentry work as it would reduce the overall weight of the ship, allowing for greater loads of freight. The low strength of the lighter wood was remedied through the use of haug posts, large cross-laminate timber beams essential in maintaining the structural integrity of the ship, anchored in the steel hull. The keel was laid on July 10.

Although the work was not completely finished, the ship was launched on April 16, 1907: "A special train brought guests to the Landing for launching ceremonies...the beautiful boat then floated out on the bosom of Okanagan Lake as graceful as a swan." Mrs. Gore, wife of Captain Gore, manager of the British Columbia Lake and River Service in the early 1900s, named the ship after Okanagan Lake and the couple hosted a ball in the evening among other festivities.