SS ''Princess Kathleen'' was a passenger and freight

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

owned and operated by

Canadian Pacific Steamships CP Ships was a large Canadian shipping company established in the 19th century. From the late 1880s until after World War II, the company was Canada's largest operator of Atlantic and Pacific steamships. Many immigrants travelled on CP ships fr ...

. She served the coastal communities of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. The ''Princess Kathleen'', along with the , was built to replace the and , which had been requisitioned by the

British Admiralty The Admiralty was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom that was responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Historically, its titular head was the Lord High Admiral of the ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. ''Princess Kathleen'' was built by John Brown & Co.,

Clydebank Clydebank () is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Milton beyond) to the w ...

and launched in 1924. She sailed from

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

via the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

on her maiden voyage in 1925. The ''Princess Kathleen'' and ''Princess Marguerite'' relieved the and on the "triangle service" between Vancouver,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

and

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, for which she was built. With a capacity of 1,500 passengers, 290 berths, 136 staterooms, a 168-seat dining room and the ability to carry 30 automobiles, the ''Princess Kathleen'' and ''Princess Marguerite'' quickly became the preferred ships on this service, successfully competing against the Black Ball Line. Both ships were later modified to carry 1,800 passengers by reducing the number of staterooms to 123.

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

and

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

traveled aboard ''Princess Kathleen'' en route to Victoria in 1939. In September 1939 ''Princess Kathleen'' and ''Princess Marguerite'' were requisitioned by the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

for use as

troop ship A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable to land troops directly on shore, typic ...

s. ''Princess Marguerite'' was lost in action but ''Princess Kathleen'' was returned to Canadian Pacific in 1947 and resumed service on the "triangle service." Changing demands and increased automobile traffic saw Canadian Pacific transfer her in 1949 to the Vancouver - Alaska cruise service along the

Inside Passage The Inside Passage () is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland. The route extends from southeastern Alaska in the United St ...

. It was during this assignment at 0300 local time on September 7, 1952 that ''Princess Kathleen'' ran aground at Lena Point in Alaska's

Lynn Canal Lynn Canal is an inlet (not an artificial canal) into the mainland of southeast Alaska. Lynn Canal runs about from the inlets of the Chilkat River south to Chatham Strait and Stephens Passage. At over in depth, Lynn Canal is the deepest fjor ...

at low tide; it was later determined that

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

was not operational at the time of the grounding. The

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

was alerted two hours later and a rescue cutter arrived at 0630. The crew tried to reverse off Lena Point, however, as the tide rose, her

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...

became swamped. All passengers and crew were transferred to lifeboats and ashore as she slid into deeper water and then sank stern first. The wreck of ''Princess Kathleen'' sits in approximately - of water and is accessible to divers, however, tides and currents in the vicinity of Lena Point are strong. In 2010, when it was determined that there was a significant threat of a large leak, a salvage operation recovered of petroleum products from the wreck.Crystal Smith, Sarah Moore, LT Latarsha McQueen, and LTJG Christopher Kimrey (2011).
The SS PRINCESS KATHLEEN: A Case Study on Historical Wreck Fuel Recovery
, International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings: March 2011, Vol. 2011, No. 1, pp. abs129.

Citations

References

* Canadian Pacific Railway. (1939)
''Visit of Their Majesties the King & Queen to Canada: Itinerary, May-June, Nineteen hundred thirty-nine.'' OCLC 220981354

External links

* State of Alaska, Dept. of Environmental Conservation,

{{DEFAULTSORT:Princess Kathleen 1924 ships 1952 in Alaska Ships built on the River Clyde Maritime incidents in 1952 Passenger ships of Canada Ships of CP Ships Shipwrecks of the Alaska coast Steamships of Canada Troopships of the Royal Canadian Navy Ships sunk with no fatalities

See also

Citations

References

External links