A short video of the engine room crew of the SS Master getting the ship underway.
Built in 1922, in False Creek, Vancouver, by Arthur Moscrop, the SS MASTER is the last remaining example of a once formidable fleet of wooden hulled, steam powered tugboat on the West Coast.
The MASTER displaces about 200 tons, is 85 feet long, 19.5 foot beam and draws12 feet of water. Her triple expansion steam engine was built for the Royal Navy in 1916. Turning an 8 foot diameter propeller at 100 r.p.m., she cruises at over 8 knots.
From 1922 to 1959, the Master towed logs and barges in Georgia Strait and beyond, steaming over a million miles. She has seen many ports on the Pacific Coast, from Alaska to San Francisco. Laid up in 1959, she was bought in 1962 for $500, to be restored as a memorial to the men of the BC towing industry. In 1971, the Society for the Preservation of the steam towboat MASTER was formed to continue the struggle. In 1980, the society decided that only a near total re-building could save her. In May, 1986, she once again raised steam and proudly took her place as the Flagship of Expo 86.
This was only made possible by the efforts of a small, dedicated group of volunteers, assisted by generous corporate and individual donors, and with the aid of all levels of government. Sponsorship must continue, if the vessel is to be retained.
Today the MASTER steams around her home waters, unquestionably the Dowager Queen of the Vancouver waterfront, bringing wonder to the eyes of the young, and lumps to the throats of the old timers.
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