“Chemainus Tug Boat” by artist Mark Heine and Harry Heine, painted in 1984
The tug boat Chemainus was built at Chemainus in 1909 for the Victoria Lumber
& Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Equipped with a coal burning engine (this was changed
to oil in the 1920s), she was 93ft. long.
On November 14, 1911, she caught fire at the coal bunkers in Coal Harbour,
Vancouver, and burned to the water’s edge. She was salvaged in December and
rebuilt. After being sold in 1918 to Kingcome Navigation Co. Ltd., she was
brought back to Chemainus in 1923 by the Chemainus Towing Co. Ltd.
On November 24, 1945, she ran aground at Copeland Island and was written
off as a total loss.
Best viewed in original size