 Klondike II | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada | |
| Owner |  British Yukon Navigation Co. |
| Launched |
|
| In service |
|
| Fate | Ran aground 1936 (Klondike I) |
| Status | Museum ship (Klondike II) |
| General characteristicsKlondike II | |
| Type | Sternwheeler |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 64 m (210 ft) |
| Beam | 12.5 m (41 ft) |
| Draught |
|
| Depth | 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) (molded depth) |
| Installed power | 2 × compound jet-condenser steam engines 525 hp (391 kW) |
| Propulsion | Stern paddlewheel |
| Capacity | 270 tonnes |
| Crew | 23 |
| Official name | SS Klondike National Historic Site of Canada |
| Designated | 24 June 1967 |
SSKlondike is the name of twosternwheelers, the second now aNational Historic Site located inWhitehorse,Yukon. They ran freight between Whitehorse andDawson City, along theYukon River, the first from 1929 to 1936 and the second, an almost exact replica of the first, from 1937 to 1950.
Klondike I was built by the British Yukon Navigation Company (a subsidiary of theWhite Pass and Yukon Route railway company) in 1929 and had the distinction of having 50% more capacity than a regular sternwheeler, while still having the shallowdraft and meeting the size requirements in order to travel down the Yukon River.Klondike I had a cargo capacity of 270metric tonnes without having to push a barge.
In June 1936,Klondike I ran aground north of The Thirty Mile section of the Yukon River (at61°40′17″N134°52′22″W / 61.67139°N 134.87278°W /61.67139; -134.87278 (The Thirty Mile)). The company salvaged the ship's boiler, engines, and many fittings to buildKlondike II the following year. The remains of the hull of theKlondike I can still be seen at low water by canoeists on the Yukon River.
Klondike II carried freight until the early 1950s. Due to the construction of a highway connecting Dawson City and Whitehorse, many Yukon River sternwheelers were decommissioned. In an attempt to saveKlondike II, she was converted into acruise ship by White Pass and Yukon Route.[1]The Duke of Edinburgh (consort ofElizabeth II,Queen of Canada) was invited to tour the ship in 1954, being taken on a short trip down the Yukon River and back to Whitehorse during his day-long visit to the city.[1] The venture shut down in 1955 due to lack of interest andKlondike II was left on the ways in the Whitehorse shipyards.
The ship was donated toParks Canada and was gradually restored until 1966, when city authorities agreed to move the ship to its present location, at that time part of a squatters' area. The task required three bulldozers, eight tons ofPalmolive soap, a crew of twelve men, and three weeks to complete. Greased log rollers eased the process. On 24 June 1967, the SSKlondike was designated a National Historic Site of Canada,[2] and she is now open during the summer as a tourist attraction.
National Historic Sites of Canada by location | |
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60°42′48″N135°02′51″W / 60.71333°N 135.04750°W /60.71333; -135.04750
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