Vessels Built by Dawe Shipyards Ltd.

compiled by John M. MacFarlane and Bruce Dawe 2016

Sam Dawe

Samuel Dawe ("Big Sam") was instrumental in establishing ship building companies at Queensborough during the period 1910–1936. (Photo from the Arthur and Bruce Dawe collection.)

Samuel Dawe was born in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland in 1860 and learned his trade working for his father in the C. & A. Dawe shipyard in the town. He, along with his brother Albert James Dawe and Noah Spracklin Mosdell left Bay Roberts and arrived in New Westminster in 1890. His father Samuel ("Norand Sam") and mother joined the brothers the following year. Samuel and Albert, were both Master Mariners, and quickly found work with the many canneries on the Fraser River. Sam and Albert were skilled mariners and carpenters and found themselves doing what came easy for them. Sam was promoted to Net Boss for a cannery during this time. Their first shipbuilding enterprise was the Westminster Marine Railway Company in Queensborough established around 1909.

Throughout the Company’s history, it was managed by up to five partners. They were, we believe: Samuel Dawe, his brother Albert James Dawe, brother–in–law Noah Spracklin Mosdell, George Blakeley, and Samuel’s cousin Samuel Dawe (also known as "Little Sam").

Captain Albert Dawe was the brother of Samuel’s wife Emma Patience Daw. He came to New Westminster and Vancouver around 1890 with his young family. As far as we know, he never took part in the Dawe shipbuilding operations. We believe that Albert never had a business relationship with his brother–in–law Samuel Dawe. The family settled in Vancouver while Samuel and Emma raised their family in New Westminster. The "Daw" spelling of his name is our accepted version. He was born "Daw" but appears to have adopted the "Dawe" spelling later in life. He was well known as the Master of the Canadian Government steam dredge Mastodon.

In 1924 at the Westminster Marine Railway Company, Limited, Sam Dawe and his partners built the D.B.M. a 102 ton steam tug at their yard in New Westminster. She was fitted with the boiler and engine from the old Howe Sound excursion steamer Britannia.

The Dawe Family believe that Westminster Marine Railway Company, Ltd. built the 60–foot full diesel powered tug Radius for Captain J.A. Cates in 1923. A wooden tanker, the Armac followed in 1927 powered by a 180hp Washington–Estep diesel engine for A.M. & O. Transportation Co. The company was sold to Star Shipyards (Mercer), Ltd. ca 1936.

The chronology of the development of the business was:

  • –Westminster Marine Railway Company (WMRC) 1910 – 8 March 1919
  • –Westminster Marine Railway Company, Limited (WMRCL) 21 March 1919 – 9 March 1927
  • –New Westminster Shipbuilding & Engineering – (NWS&E) (Poplar Island Shipyards) April 1918 – September 1919 (approximate dates) A separate company with Big Sam as foreman.
  • –Dawe Shipyards, Limited (DSYL) incorporated 10 March 1927 – sold ca 1936 to Star Shipyards (Mercer), Ltd. ca 1936
WMRC

Articles of Incorporation for Westminster Marine Railway Company (21 March 1919) (Photo from the Arthur and Bruce Dawe collection.)

Westminster Marine Railway

Sometime prior to the launch of the Columbia Coast Mission’s ship Columbia II at the Westminster Marine Railway Company’s yard at Queensborough in 1910. Bruce Dawe’s great grandfather Samuel "Big Sam" Dawe is standing second from the left and his son Arthur Wilfred Dawe, his grandfather, is sitting in the middle of a group of three next to the hull. (Photo from the Bruce Dawe collection.)

Vessels Built by Dawe Shipyards Ltd.

24 matches. 1 page. Max 50 records per page.
Page # 1
Name Registration Vessel Type Year Built
Armac 154637 (Canada) Freighter 1927
B.C.F.P. No. 10 156979 (Canada) Barge 1931
Banks Island 154439 (Canada) Fishboat, general 1927
Bette Ann 157210 (Canada) Tug 1935
Burnaco 154637 (Canada) Freighter 1927
C.F. Co. No. 21 156905 (Canada) Scow 1920
C.Q. No. 15 156902 (Canada) Scow 1930
C.Q. No. 16 156903 (Canada) Scow 1930
Canadian National No. 3 150998 (Canada) Tug 1923
Celnor 157210 (Canada) Tug 1935
D.P.W. No. 316 176272 (Canada) Barge 1934
D.S. No. 1 154598 (Canada) Scow 1927
E.R.W. 154598 (Canada) Scow 1927
Eltoro 156980 (Canada) Yacht 1931
G. of G. No. 80 156979 (Canada) Barge 1931
Innchanter 154637 (Canada) Freighter 1927
Island Scamp 170432 (Canada) Tug 1914
M.and M. No. 3 156581 (Canada) Barge 1929
M.L.C. No. 7 156979 (Canada) Barge 1931
P.W.D. No. 316 176272 (Canada) Barge 1934
Radius 150998 (Canada) Tug 1923
Royal Stranger 156980 (Canada) Yacht 1931
Shellco (II) 154637 (Canada) Freighter 1927
Standto (I) 170432 (Canada) Tug 1914


Advertisement

Advertisement from Harbour and Shipping Magazine 1925 (Photo from the Frank Clapp collection.)

Vessels Built by Westminster Marine Railway Co. Ltd.

73 matches. 2 pages. Max 50 records per page.
Page # 1
Name Registration Vessel Type Year Built
A.M.G. No. 1 152877 (Canada) Barge, crane & derrick 1925
A.P.L. No. 1 153331 (Canada) Scow 1926
A.T. and B. No. 9 150879 (Canada) Barge 1923
B.B. Co. No. 5 152683 (Canada) Scow 1924
B.B. Co. No. 6 153336 (Canada) Scow 1926
B.F. No. 3 (II) 152877 (Canada) Barge, crane & derrick 1925
B.F. No. 4 153337 (Canada) Scow 1926
B.Jax 130489 (Canada) Scow 1911
Bamfield No. 6 153339 (Canada) Scow 1926
Barnston 126791 (Canada) Dredge 1910
C. and M. No. 2 153143 (Canada) Scow 1926
C. and S. 152451 (Canada) Tug 1924
C. and S. No. 1 151068 (Canada) Barge 1923
C.R.M. No. 1 150878 (Canada) Scow 1923
C.R.M. No. 2 150880 (Canada) Barge 1923
Caterpillar Chief 153074 (Canada) Tug 1926
Cedar King (I) 141539 (Canada) Tug 1920
Circle M. No. 1 152761 (Canada) Barge 1925
Coaster (II) 138304 (Canada) Freighter, collier 1916
Columbia (III) 126899 (Canada) Work Boat 1910
D.B.M. 152456 (Canada) Tug 1924
Dredge Barnston 126791 (Canada) Dredge 1910
Evco No. 35 152761 (Canada) Barge 1925
G. of G. No. 22 130489 (Canada) Scow 1911
G. of G. No. 26 150878 (Canada) Scow 1923
G. of G. No. 74 150879 (Canada) Barge 1923
G.S. and McD. No. 10 150643 (Canada) Dredge 1920
Gander (II) 141539 (Canada) Tug 1920
Gilley No. 17 153339 (Canada) Scow 1926
Gilley No. 26 152877 (Canada) Barge, crane & derrick 1925
Gilley No. 6 153337 (Canada) Scow 1926
Hyak (II) 153074 (Canada) Tug 1926
J.B.A. No. 1 152763 (Canada) Scow 1925
Johnstone Straits (I) 150873 (Canada) Tug 1923
Joyful (I) 130499 (Canada) Tug 1912
K.21 150880 (Canada) Barge 1923
K.78 152763 (Canada) Scow 1925
K.80 153333 (Canada) Scow 1926
K.C.M. No. 1 152761 (Canada) Barge 1925
K.N. No. 5 138529 (Canada) Scow 1917
Kaisun 152800 (Canada) Fishboat, seiner 1925
Klemtu 152798 (Canada) Fishboat, general 1925
L.A.D. No. 3 153333 (Canada) Scow 1926
Lady Valentine (II) 126899 (Canada) Work Boat 1910
M.and M. No. 1 154324 (Canada) Barge 1926
M.C.M. 134119 (Canada) Tug 1914
M.L.C. No. 3 153073 (Canada) Scow 1925
M.L.C. No. 4 153336 (Canada) Scow 1926
Margaret McKenzie 152451 (Canada) Tug 1924
Masset 141173 (Canada) Tug 1918

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Vessels Built by New Westminster Construction & Engineering Co.

7 matches. 1 page. Max 50 records per page.
Page # 1
Name Registration Vessel Type Year Built
Etienne Marcel (UK Registry) Freighter, (standard WW1) 1918
Giuditta (UK Registry) Freighter, (standard WW1) 1918
Serbier (UK Registry) Freighter, (standard WW1) 1918
War Comox (UK Registry) Freighter, (standard WW1) 1918
War Edensaw (UK Registry) Freighter, (standard WW1) 1918
War Ewen (UK Registry) Freighter, (standard WW1) 1918
War Kitimat (UK Registry) Freighter, (standard WW1) 1918

Author’s Notes: This is a partial list (work in progress). Co–author Bruce Dawe is the great grandson of Captain Samuel Dawe, the company founder.

Vessel Images: Can you help us fill gaps in the vessel images in the database? If you have pictures of missing vessels that you have taken and would be willing to contribute to the database to make it more complete all our users would be very grateful. Please send them to admin(at)nauticapedia.ca


Note to Reader: Vessel names containing Roman numerals in parentheses (e.g. Floater (II)) indicates more than one vessel in the database with the same name. The numerals in parentheses are NOT part of the vessel name but are used to distinguish one vessel from another in the database.


To quote from this article please cite:

MacFarlane, John M. (2015) Vessels Built by Dawe Shipyards Ltd. Nauticapedia.ca 2016. http://nauticapedia.ca/Articles/Vessel_Builders_Dawe_Shipyard.php

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