Princesses

Princess Royal, a single—stack wooden passenger steamer, was constructed for the Canadian Pacific Railway's British Columbia Coast Service, including excursions to Southeast Alaska. Princess Royal was a single—screw steamer of 1,997 tons with a service speed of 15 knots. The steamer had a capacity of 700 daytime passengers and overnight accommodations for 164. It was the last wooden vessel built for the company. In comparison, the Ruby Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, was one the largest ships to visit Ketchikan in 2015 and can host 3,082 passengers in addition to her crew of 1,200. Her $400,000,000 price tag included 19 decks with a gross tonnage of 113,000 and a top speed of 23 knots.

Modern image
Photographer: Denzel Colmenares
On loan courtesy of Denzel Colmenares, L2015.4.64.1

Historic image
CPR Princess Royal at dock in Ketchikan, circa 1915
Photographer: David Nicoll
Donor: Harold Keith, THS 79.9.9.3