Sea lion Ship

Ship Name: Sea Lion
Owner : Komagata Maru Heritage Foundation
Vital Statistics:
Length: 39.6 m (130’) Beam: 7 m (23’) Draft: 5.2 m (17’) Tonnage: 221 t
Hull: carvel 10 cm (4”) thick fir
Power source: original engine (1905) McKie and Baxter triple expansion marine steam engine, 52 HP; current engine (installed 1953) Enterprise 8 cylinder 800 HP
Built: Charles Robertson’s Shipyard, Vancouver, 1905

Charles Robertson’s shipyard, at the foot of Cardero Street (now the site of the Bayshore), launched Sea Lion into the waters of Vancouver’s Coal Harbour on May 25, 1905. Her keel, a one-piece, cut from a 120-foot long fir log, had been curing on the ways since 1904. Robertson built the tug for Captain George H. French, the first independent log tower to operate out of Vancouver.

What is the significance of Sea Lion?

First tug in BC to have ship-to-shore radio and a searchlight

Played a role in the dramatic story of the immigrant ship Komagata Maru

Made the first tow of a ‘Davis raft’ in BC

Struck a rock in the Yaculta Rapids (1930). The rock (Sea Lion Rocks) is named in memory of the event

Its whistle had a sliding scale, on which the crew could play songs

Still active 100 years after it was built