T HE S.S. B EAVER

Model of the Beaver
mmbc collection

The Beaver in Victoria Harbour mmbc 3608.04P

The S.S. Beaver was the first steamship on the Pacific Coast, arriving at Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River in 1836. As a Hudson's Bay Company (H.B.C.) vessel, the Beaver served in many capacities including the transportation of passengers and goods to coastal outposts, as a small man-of-war, and as a tug. In 1862 she was chartered by the Royal Navy for a period of eight years to conduct an improved hydrographic survey of British Columbian coastal waters.

In total, she served on the coast for 52 years. In 1888 she ran aground off Prospect Point near Stanley Park in Vancouver. Four years later her hulk finally slipped off the rocks and into the depths of Burrard Inlet.

Aground off Prospect Point mmbc 4634P

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