The steamboat ''Daily'' operated in the early 1900s as part of the

Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet The Puget Sound mosquito fleet was a multitude of private transportation companies running smaller passenger and freight boats on Puget Sound and nearby waterways and rivers. This large group of Steamboat, steamers and sternwheelers plied the wat ...

. In later years, ''Daily'' was renamed ''Island Princess'' and later ''Cy Peck''.

Construction

''Daily'' was built in 1913 by Matthew McDowell at his yard at Caledonia, near

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

. ''Daily'' was one of the larger vessels built by Captain McDowell, 116' long, 25' on the beam, 8' depth of hold and rated at 254 tons.Turner, Robert D., ''The Pacific Princesses'', at 109-110, 136, 236, Sono Nis Press, Victoria, BC 1977 ''Daily'' was the seventh Puget Sound passenger and freight vessel built by Captain McDowell. ''Daily'' was a classic example of a mixed-used Puget Sound mosquito fleet vessel, as shown by photos published and drawings prepared by Professor Turner.

Operations

''Daily'' was placed on the Seattle-Tacoma route, running via points on Vashon and Maury islands.Newell, Gordon R., ed., ''H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest'', at 208, 297, 613, Superior Publishing, Seattle, WA 1966

Sale to Canadian Pacific Railway

In 1918, ''Daily'' was sold to the coastal service of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

, who renamed her ''Island Princess''. CPR put her in the

Gulf Islands The Gulf Islands is a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the British Columbia Coast, mainland coast of British Columbia. Etymology The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia", the original term used by Geor ...

service, where she made a significant improvement. She was the smallest vessel in the CPR Fleet. ''Island Princess'' (ex ''Daily'') ran for CPR from 1918 to 1930. She served points on North Pender, South Pender, Mayne, Galiano, and Saltspring Islands.

Sale to Gulf Islands Ferry Co.

CPR's Gulf Island service was proving successful, so Captain Troup, the head of CPR's steamship division, decided to replace ''Island Princess'' with the old CPR steamer ''Charmer'' in 1927. Unlike ''Island Princess'', ''Charmer'' had been rebuilt to carry automobiles. In 1930, CPR sold ''Island Princess'' to the Gulf Islands Ferry Company which renamed her ''Cy Peck'' after British Columbia war hero and politician

Cyrus Wesley Peck Cyrus Wesley Peck & Medal bar, Bar (26 April 1871 – 27 September 1956) was a Canadians, Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth of Nat ...

. The new owners rebuilt her to carry automobiles.

Later career

''Cy Peck'' (ex ''Island Princess'' ex ''Daily'') was still in regular operation in British Columbia waters (on the

Fulford Harbour Fulford Harbour is a residential community on the southeast side of Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, located near the island's southern end. Fulford Harbour is the site of a BC Ferries terminal with regular ferry service to Swartz Bay on Va ...

Swartz Bay Swartz Bay, located on the north end of the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island, is primarily known for being the location of one of BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former pr ...

crossing) as late as 1956. In 1961,

BC Ferries British Columbia Ferry Services Inc., Trade name, operating as BC Ferries (BCF), is a former provincial Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation, now operating as an independently managed, State-owned enterprise, publicly owned Canadian c ...

purchased the ''Cy Peck'' along with other Gulf Island ferries, keeping her as a relief vessel at Fulford Harbour. In 1966, she was sold to J.H. Todd & Sons for use as a floating fishing camp. In 1975, she was reported still extant in private use on

Saltspring Island Salt Spring Island or Saltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada, and Vancouver Island. The island was initially inhabited by various Salishan peoples before being settled ...

at the town of

Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

. A replica of the ship's wheelhouse can be found on the Ganges waterfront.

Notes

External links

Historic image from collection of the University of Washington

''Daily'' on Puget Sound
This is a classic image of this small steamer, probably taken for publicity purposes. The vessel in typical steamboat style, carries a pennant with her name ''Daily'' flying from the masthead. The boat, built for almost exclusively passenger service, shows a large number of windows on all decks.

Historic images from B.C. Provincial Archives

''Island Princess'' (ex ''Daily''), excellent image from starboard bow
''Daily'' must have been reconstructed when acquired by CPR, as the pilot house was moved down from the boat deck to the passenger deck to approximately where the forward passenger cabin had been. The Texas (the small cabin structure on the boat deck just behind the pilot house) was completely removed, and there appears to have been a cargo boom added to the mast, indicating a change in use from passenger to mixed passenger and freight.
''Island Princess''
This photo shows the vessel backing away from a landing, as can be seen by the wake in front of the bow, rather than the stern, as would of course be the case if the vessel were moving forward.
''Island Princess'', good profile image
This photograph should be compared with the photo of the ''Daily'' in Puget Sound service, the differences in the vessel at these two times of service can be readily seen.
''Island Princess'' approaching a landing in Vancouver Harbor
This photograph shows the passengers gathered on the forward passenger deck getting ready to disembark. A net is hanging over the side of the boat, this is a safety net that will be rigged under the gangplank to prevent people who might fall off the plank from landing in the water. {{DEFAULTSORT:Island Princess (1913) Steamboats of Washington (state) Propeller-driven steamboats of Washington (state) 1913 ships Passenger ships of the United States Passenger ships of Canada Steamships of Canada Ships of CP Ships History of British Columbia Ships of BC Ferries