S.S. Essington

The Essington was built in Prince Rupert in 1931 for the Canadian Dept. of Public Works. They ran her on the Skeena and Nass Rivers as a snag boat, removing trees and stumps from the river that interfered with fishing the in river until 1960.

The Essington replaced the Bobolink as the snagboat on the Skeena, and was Captained by Jack Watson. Some of the machinery from the Bobolink was used in the Essington. The bow of the vessel was fitted with a 30 ft. A-frame with cross beam, as snag-pulling equipment, and her speed was determined by the current, averaging between 7 1/2 and 10 knots. A government wharf was built in 1949 at Port Essington for the Essington.

In 1960, the Essington was transferred to the Fraser River to temporarily replace the snagboat Samson V which was destroyed by fire.

As her retirement approached, it was suggested she be made into an historical museum, or as a cruise ship to take part in the BC Centennial celebrations, but she ended up as a beached restaurant in Vancouver called “The Wharf”, which specialized in seafoods. Around 1973, she caught fire and was mostly destroyed. Parts of her, including some fittings, sternwheel, railing, tank vents and possibly the funnel live on in Hazelton as part of a static display of a replica sternwheeler, located at the Hazelton Library.

Captains:
Capt. Jack Watson

ESSINGTON II: was a snagboat built in Victoria BC in 1958. It never worked on the Skeena River.

Ships Registry for Essington courtesy Library and Archives Canada: