Site Navigation:

Site Search:

Looking for more? Search for Articles on the Nauticapedia Site.

Some Early Images by Bill Holland.

by Garry Holland 2016

Oneska II

Onerka II off North Beach Graham Island (Photo from the Garry Holland collection. )

I assembled a small collection of images taken by my father which I wanted to share with a wider audience.

My father was William (Bill) McDougall Holland. who was an early marine diesel engineers. He served with the British Columbia Department of Fisheries; the British Columbia Forest Service, and in RCMP coastal patrol vessels during the prohibition era. While with the RCMP he served a short stint on the RCMP St. Roch, but only in BC waters. During the depression years he was the bridge operator on the Second Narrows Bridge lift span. During the Second World War he served in the RCNVR as a Diesel Mechanic RCNVR and on loan to the RN at the big base at Scapa Flow, as they had few diesel men. He returned to BC and served in HMCS Givenchy (II) motorizing landing craft at Newcastle Island. They sailed them to Esquimalt and then they were shipped overseas to Plymouth and used in the Normandy landings. Following the war years his focus was in teaching and education.

The Onerka II was built in 1931 at Walkem’s Shipyard Ltd. 46.5’ x 12.0’ x 6.6’ (14.17m x 3.66m x 2.01m) She was powered by a 72bhp 4–cylinder engine from the Gardner Engine Co., Manchester UK. In 1931–1968 she was owned by the Minister of Fisheries Ottawa ON. In 1969–1971 she was owned by Peder O. Melo (MO), North Vancouver BC. In 1972–1979 she was owned by Charles Lamb, Prince Rupert BC. In 1980–2016 she was owned by Harvey Humchitt, Waglisla BC.

Fisheries vessels

Prince Rupert BC from the wharf outwards the FPL Metra; the Egret Plume II; the Clupea (Photo from the Garry Holland collection. )

The Metra was built in 1914 by V.M. Dafoe in Vancouver BC. 61.1’ x 14’ x 6’ (18.6m x 4.3m x 1.8m) She was later renamed as the Ina–Kira. In 1914–1931 she was owned by Canadian Ministry of the Interior, Ottawa ON. In 1944 she was owned by the Minister of Fisheries, Ottawa ON. In 1949 she was owned by The Director of the Veteran&rsquo's Land Act, Ottawa ON. In 1958 she was owned by Roy b. Clark, Vancouver BC. In 1958 she was owned by Roy B. Clark, Vancouver BC. In 1961 she was owned by Herbert Vogel (MO), Haney BC. In 1979–2010 she was owned by Lange Services Ltd., Vancouver BC.

The Egret Plume II was built in 1931 by Walkem’s Shipyard Ltd. Vancouver BC. 46.5’ x 12.0’ x 6.6’ She was pwoered by a 72bhp 4-cylinder engine from the Gardner Engine Co., Manchester UK. In 1931–1966 she was owned by the Minister of Fisheries, Ottawa ON. In 1977 she was owned by Nancy Steinbach, New Westminster BC. In 1979 she was owned by Ronald W. Mielke, White Rock BC. In 1986–1989 she was owned by Charles McAloney, New Westminster BC. In 2003 she was owned by William A. Rice, Victoria BC. The Clupea was built in 1930 at Vancouver BC. 46.2’ x 12.0’ x 5.6’ In 1930–1958 she was owned by The Minister of Fisheries, Ottawa ON. Prince John

The S.S. Prince John near Port Clements BC (Photo from the Garry Holland collection. )

The Prince John was built in 1910 at Bowling Green Scotland by Scott & Sons Co. as the Amethyst. In 1911 she was renamed as the Prince John and was later the Cassiar and the Cassiar II. 185.3’ x 29.6’ x 10.9’ She was powered by a 103hp steam engine. In 1911–1931 she was owned by The Grand Trunk Pacific Development Co. Ltd., Montreal QC. In 1951 she was broken up.

P.M.L. No. 8

P.M.L. No. 8 in Massett Inlet (Photo from the Garry Holland collection. )

In 1929 she was built at Yarrows Ltd., Esquimalt BC as the P.M.L. No. 8 and later renamed as the Diamond Lee. 45.2’ x 12.0’ x 7.4’ (13.78m x 3.66m x 2.26m) In 1929–1946 she was owned by The Attorney–General for British Columbia, Victoria BC and operated by the British Columbia Provincial Police. In 1949–1965 she was owned by Mrs. Caroline Sawchuck, Vancouver BC. In 1966–1994 she was owned by Josephine Sawchuck, Vancouver BC. In 1995–2003 she was owned by William D. Sawchuck, Vancouver BC. In 2004 she was owned by WDS Holdings Ltd., Victoria BC. In 2011–2014 she was owned by Nootka Reforestation Ltd., Tahsis BC.

Graham Island

Graham Island fishing camp, during fishing season, operated by First Nations fishermen from Masset. (Photo from the Garry Holland collection. )

Trolling Fleet

Part of the trolling fleet at Masset Inlet: the scow is the Union Oil Station and anchored there during the fishing season. (Photo from the Garry Holland collection. )

Langara Island lighthouse

Cape Knox, Langara Island lighthouse and wireless station (Photo from the Garry Holland collection. )


To quote from this article please cite:

Holland, Garry (2016) Some Early Images by Bill Holland. Nauticapedia.ca 2016. http://nauticapedia.ca/Gallery/Holland_Images.php

Nauticapedia

Site News: November 2, 2024

The vessel database has been updated and is now holding 94,538 vessel histories (with 16,140 images and 13,887 records of ship wrecks and marine disasters). The mariner and naval biography database has also been updated and now contains 58,599 entries (with 3989 images). Vessel records are currently being reviewed and updated with more than 35,000 processed so far this year.

Thanks to contributor Mike Rydqvist McCammon for the hundreds of photos he has contributed to illustrate British Columbia's floating heritage.

My very special thanks to our volunteer IT adviser, John Eyre, who (since 2021) has modernized, simplified and improved the update process for the databases into semi–automated processes. His participation has been vital to keeping the Nauticapedia available to our netizens.

Also my special thanks to my volunteer content accuracy checker, John Spivey of Irvine CA USA, who continues (almost every day) to proof read thousands of Nauticapedia vessel histories and provided input to improve more than 14,000 entries. His attention to detail has been a huge unexpected bonus in improving and updating the vessel detail content.

© 2002-2023