S.S. Naramata - Penticton, BC
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 49° 30.119 W 119° 36.685
11U E 310931 N 5486538
Built in Ontario in 1914 and assembled in Vernon, the S.S. Naramata sailed the Okanagan for over half a century, pushing barges up and down the lake.
Waymark Code: WMQ4YT
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 12/20/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Marine Biologist
Views: 2
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PIC Launched on April 20, 1914, S.S. Naramata continued in service for 53 years until she was decommissioned on August 29, 1967. Today she is the last Surviving Steam Tug in the Interior of BC.

Named after the fruit growing community of Naramata north of Penticton, the ninety foot long, 150 ton, steel hulled tug with 150 horsepower steam engine was capable of hauling two fully loaded steel barges, moving the equivalent of a 16 to 20 car train. This she did day in and day out for many years, up and down the lake.

Her primary cargo was carloads of fruit grown in the orchards of the Okanagan Valley, which were shipped out of the valley by rail. The advent of the trucking industry and better highways slowly brought an end to this mode of cargo movement and her retirement in 1965 and decommissioning on August 29, 1967. In that year she was sold into private hands then placed under the protection of the S.S. Sicamous Restoration Society in 2001. Restoration efforts were begun and continue to this day.

Text from the plaque mounted at the Naramata by the S.S. Sicamous Restoration Society is below, followed by information provided by the society. Further below is information from the Historic Places Canada page for the S.S. Naramata.

S.S. Naramata

The S.S. Naramata is the only remaining steam tugboat in the interior of British Columbia. First launched in 1914, this coal-fired tugboat travelled from Penticton to Okanagan Landing (Vernon), transporting fruits from the many packing houses along Okanagan Lake. Due to her steel hull and speed she was used in ice-breaking service, and during the winter would clear a path for other ships on the lake. The ship was retired in 1967. The Naramata was moved from Okanagan Landing to this site in 1991, and was purchased by the S.S. Sicamous Restoration Society in 1996. The restoration of this historic vessel has now begun and will continue as funding becomes available.

SS Sicamous Restoration Society

• The only Interior steam tug preserved in the province of British Columbia.
• Built in 1914 in Port Arthur, Ontario along with the S.S. Sicamous for the cost of $43,000. The Boat was assembled in Vernon, and then shipped for service to Okanagan Landing, which was located just five miles southwest of Vernon.
• The Naramata was launched on April 20, 1914, and was named for the fruit-bearing community north of Penticton and in operation from 1914 until its retirement in 1965.
• The boat spans 89.8 feet in length, 19.5 feet in width, with an 8 foot draft and a weight of 149.9 tons.
• The tug had a passenger capacity of 20, but served the main purpose of barge transportation.
• Comprised entirely of steel, with the exception of the finishing work. The hull was painted green, with buff colored trim and cabins, and a gold-leaf inlaid name board.
• The Naramata was sold to the Kettle Valley Railway Society in 1991, and moved to its present home on October 1st, 1991.
• In 2001 the S.S. Sicamous Restoration Society purchased the tug for $1.00. It is now under the protection of the Society.

ENGINE:
• Operated on a compound steel, twin-cylinder engine. Steam was pumped into the first cylinder, which would generate exhaust that would drive the second cylinder.
• The Engine measures 12 & 26 x 18 inches, with a single, 4 bladed-propeller.
• One engineer and two firemen were on duty in the engine room, which reached a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The water used to drive the engine was removed from the lake.

BOILER:
• The Naramata contained a Scotch Marine Boiler, measuring 10 feet in length with a nine foot diameter.
• Operated at a pressure of 1103 kPa, with a 27.3 nominal horsepower capability. The boiler was coal-driven, and could propel the tug at a maximum speed of 12 miles per hour (19 km/h). The average speed of operation was 7 miles/hr, or 11.25 km/hr.
• During the initial recovery stage, 3 inches of asbestos were removed from the boiler. Underneath, the steel plating had rusted to the point of crumbling.
From the SS Sicamous Heritage Society
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S.S. Naramata

DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
S.S. Naramata is a 1914 Canadian Pacific Railway tugboat situated on the south shore of Okanagan Lake in Penticton, BC. This small ship sits aground, facing inland, in a park-like setting next to the historic steam sternwheeler, S.S. Sicamous.

HERITAGE VALUE
S.S. Naramata, a steel-hulled Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) steam tugboat, is valued as an important reminder of the key role of the CPR in Canadian and British Columbian transportation and commerce in the first half of the twentieth century. Commissioned by the CPR on July 23, 1913 and built by Western Drydock and Shipbuilding Company, S.S. Naramata was launched on April 20, 1914. As a connection to rail and passenger services, this historic ship provided an integral link in the company's transportation network, joining the communities around Okanagan Lake, and connecting this region to the rest of the province, Canada, and the world. S.S. Naramata is an important part of British Columbia's history because the fruit shipment and transportation services she provided facilitated agricultural and industrial growth in the prosperous Okanagan Valley from 1914 until she was retired from service on August 29, 1967.

Furthermore, as the only surviving inland steam tug in British Columbia, S.S. Naramata is an important example of bygone technology. She recalls the era of steam navigation on the lakes and rivers of British Columbia's interior, which was made obsolete by the advent of automobile travel and changes in industry and infrastructure which precluded its viability. It is also notable that S.S. Naramata still possesses her original steam engine.

Currently used as a museum, S.S. Naramata is also valued as a significant cultural resource which communicates the importance and diversity of the CPR's marine transportation and shipment history in British Columbia.

CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
- its association with the Canadian Pacific Railway, seen in such elements as its trademark paint scheme of green, white, buff, and black
- its relationship to Okanagan Lake
- evidence of its use for fruit shipment and transportation - its steel-hulled construction
- the intact quality of the vessel, including its original steam engine and boiler
- its ongoing role in communicating the history of marine transportation and shipping in British Columbia
From Historic Places Canada
Wikipedia Url: [Web Link]
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