Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
In the Canadian province of British Columbia, the paddle steamer sternwheeler Moyie was launched at Kootenay Lake in the city of Nelson. This vessel, which was built in prefabricated sections in Toronto, became the newest steamship acquired by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The launch of Moyie was described by the Vancouver-based Daily News Advertiser... Continue Reading →
October 16, 1888 CGS (Canadian Government Ship) Stanley, which is widely considered to be Canada’s first fully functional icebreaker, was launched at the shipyard of Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited (Fairfields) in the burgh of Govan (now part of Glasgow) in Scotland. This steamship was named after Frederick Arthur Stanley (1841-1908), 16h Earl of Derby,... Continue Reading →
September 30, 1862 Nearly a year-and-a-half after the start of the American Civil War, the Union Navy (the name for the U.S. Navy during that military conflict) acquired the side-wheel steamer Red Rover as part of its fleet. Red Rover became this military branch’s first vessel used specifically as a hospital ship. Red Rover had... Continue Reading →
June 6, 1924 In southeastern England’s ceremonial county of Hampshire, a paddle steamer constructed for the Southern Railway by John I. Thornycroft & Company was launched. This event was held at the company’s shipyard in Woolston, a suburb of the town (now city) of Southampton. The christening duties for the Friday launch of the newly... Continue Reading →
August 17, 1861 Just over four months after the start of the American Civil War, the Union Navy (the name for the U.S. Navy during that military conflict) acquired the steam tugboat Oliver M. Pettit in New York City as part of its fleet. This vessel was purchased on behalf of the Navy by commission... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 