SS York

SS York was a small steamer that was used to haul freight on Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake. The York was built in 1902 by Bertram Iron Works of Toronto and assembled at Okanagan Landing. She was pre-fabricated, with a steel hull and was twin-screw-driven. She was a small vessel, in comparison to the many other ships on the lake; the York was only 88 by 16 feet (27 by 4.9 metres). The York was capable of moving 134 tons in freight.

Purpose
The SS York was originally made to be sent to Trout Lake in the Kootenays with the purpose of replacing the SS Victoria. However, the SS Aberdeen had been sailing on Okanagan Lake since 1893 without a relief vessel. The Aberdeen was in need of some refitting after her nine years of service so the York was diverted to Okanagan Lake to relieve the Aberdeen. The York hauled excess freight from the Aberdeen as well as any other cargo that required transportation. This allowed the Aberdeen to carry more passengers because she was not weighed down with so much freight. The York was not a passenger ship, but was used to push barges and carry freight. Barge and tug service was just as important to daily life as the passenger carrying sternwheelers were. The York was used during fruit season to move perishables to Okanagan Landing so they could be readied for shipment to markets. Prior to 1926, there were barge slips in Okanagan Centre, Kelowna, Westbank, Summerland and Penticton. However, after 1926, the only remaining barge slip was located in Kelowna and by 1936 the only important shipyard, for the Lake and River Service, was the shipyard at Okanagan Landing. During the winter when the lake would freeze, the York was used to break the ice for other larger ships, like the SS Sicamous.

The York worked on Okanagan Lake until 1921, when she was relocated to Skaha Lake (Dog Lake). There, she continued to move cargo until 1931, when she was retired. Due to the completion of a rail line along the west shore of Skaha Lake, the York was no longer as vital to transportation as she once was. The railway was starting to take over the transportation industry.

Operation
The York was launched in 1902 by the Canadian Pacific. The York was only in service from 1902-1931, twenty-nine years. In 1921, the York was moved from Okanagan Lake to Skaha Lake. In 1931, she retired. 1932 saw the York sold. She was later dismantled and used for scrap.

Officer and crew complement
The York was a comparatively small vessel, with two decks and a pilot house. One deck was the cargo deck, used to store what was being transported. The pilot house was the area in which the captain would control the boat from. Throughout her career, the York had a quite a few different people working aboard her. From 1904-1907 the captain of the ship was Captain J. Weeks, who had just earned his Master’s Certificate. This was Weeks’ first captain job. He would later go on to become the captain of the Aberdeen and the Sicamous, in that order. In 1913, according to Canadian Railway and Marine World, in 1913, the York was captained by M. Reid and her chief engineer was A. McLena.

Comparison
The York was not built to be a passenger ship and was therefore created much smaller than boats such as the Aberdeen or the Sicamous. She did not have many decks, only what was necessary for her basic operation. Unlike many of the other ships on Okanagan Lake during that time period, the York did not have a sternwheel.