The 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 (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

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

British Admiralty The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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

Clydebank Clydebank ( gd, Bruach Chluaidh) 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, Mil ...

and launched in 1924. She sailed from

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

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 ...

via the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

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

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, for which she was built. With a capacity of 1500 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 1800 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 Ind ...

and Queen Elizabeth 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; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

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 land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

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 spectacular Inside Passage. It was while 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 fjord ...

at low tide; it was later determined that

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

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 law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

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 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.

References

;Specific ;General * 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

See also

References

External links