SS Beaver
Paddle Steamer · United Kingdom · Lost 1888 · The British Columbia Coast
The first steamship on the Pacific Northwest coast, a Hudson's Bay Company pioneer, wrecked at the entrance to Vancouver's harbour in 1888.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
Built for the Hudson's Bay Company in 1835, Beaver was the first steam vessel to operate on the North Pacific coast, serving fur-trade posts, the 1858 gold rush, and a Royal Navy survey charter. Sold in 1874, she spent her final years as a towboat. On 26 July 1888 she ran aground on rocks at Prospect Point at the entrance to Burrard Inlet. The hulk lingered on the rocks, picked apart by souvenir hunters, until a passing steamer's wake broke it up in 1892.
Vessel
- 1835
- Wigram & Green, Blackwall Yard
- London, England
- Wood
- 101.75 ft
- 33 ft
- 109
- Steam, sidewheel paddles, auxiliary brigantine rig
- Hudson's Bay Company; later British Columbia Towing and Transportation Company
Loss
- July 26, 1888
- Grounding
- Prospect Point, Burrard Inlet, Vancouver
- Burrard Inlet
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Wreck broke apart at the site; stripped by souvenir hunters and finally destroyed by ship wake in 1892.
- Not established
- Not established
- Commemorated by federal historic plaques at Stanley Park and Fort Langley
Position
- 49.32° N 123.14° W
- Approximate position
- Prospect Point, Stanley Park, Vancouver
Location given as Prospect Point, entrance to Vancouver Harbour.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (80/100)
Exact cause of the grounding and the wreck's present remains are not established beyond historical accounts.
Build details, service history, and loss date and location.
