Boats of the Mackenzie River watershed

The Mackenzie River and its watershed.

The Mackenzie River in Canada's Northwest Territories is a historic waterway, used for centuries by the original Dene as a travel and hunting corridor. It is part of a larger watershed that includes the Slave, Athabasca, and Peace rivers extending from northern Alberta. In the 1780s, Peter Pond, trader with the North West Company discovered this watershed and began viable trade with the Athapascan-speaking Dene of these rivers. The Mackenzie River itself, the great waterway extending to the Arctic Ocean, was first put on European maps by Alexander Mackenzie in 1789, the Scottish trader who explored the river. The watershed thus became a vital part of the fur trade, and before the advent of the airplane or road networks, the river was the only communication link between northern trading posts and the south. Water travel increased in the late 19th century as traders, dominated primarily by the Hudson's Bay Company, looked to increase water services in the Mackenzie River District.

Steamboat service established

The first steamship to ply in the Mackenzie River watershed was on the Athabasca River in 1882, and its name was the "S.S. Grahame", a sternwheeler built by the HBC, operating from Athabasca Landing north of Edmonton to the Slave River rapids, the only significant obstacle en route to the Mackenzie. In 1886, the "S.S. Wrigley" was launched on the other side of these rapids, at Fort Smith, and for the first time a steam-driven vessel operated on the Mackenzie River as far as Aklavik in the river delta before it spilled into the Arctic Ocean. A series of small portage trails were established between Smith's Landing (later Fort Fitzgerald) and Fort Smith to skirt the 16-mile rapids - this was later upgraded into a full road in the 1920s.

Effect of the Klondike Gold Rush

In 1898 the Klondike Gold Rush gave an impetus to the exploration of the Canadian North and the Mackenzie River basin was promoted as the best route to the Yukon if one was departing from Edmonton. The 1898-1900 period was very busy for the waterways with many new private vessels built and running between the Athabasca and Mackenzie Rivers. In 1908, the Hudson's Bay Company launched the S.S. Mackenzie, the first steam-powered shallow-draught sternwheeler ship on the Mackenzie River. In the 1920s, police, church missions, government agents, oil and mining companies, prospectors, and competing fur trade interests descended on the Northwest Territories and water transportation services boomed. Three companies competed for supremacy of the fur trade and water transportation: the Hudson's Bay Company, Lamson & Hubbard Trading Company, Alberta & Arctic Transportation Co., and Northern Traders Company each with a fleet of steam vessels. A series of amalgamations and takeovers left only two main water operators after 1924: the HBC and Northern Traders Co. which later became the Northern Transportation Company Limited (NTCL) in the 1930s. The HBC continued in the business of transportation in conjunction with serving its own posts through Mackenzie River Transport, until 1947 when it got out of public freighting. The "S.S. Distributor", built in 1920 by Lamson & Hubbard, was the flagship of the HBC on the Mackenzie River for over 20 years. Communities such as Waterways (now Fort McMurray) and Fort Smith thrived as the base for shipyards along the Athabasca and Slave Rivers, respectively.

Later years

Most of the old steam-driven vessels were replaced by diesel or gas-powered tug boats in the 1930s and 1940s. The Northern Transportation Company Limited inaugurated a new fleet of steel-hull, diesel tugs in 1937, and the Hudson's Bay Company and its transportation arm Mackenzie River Transport Limited got out of the common carrier business in 1947. The last steam-propelled sternwheelers, the "S.S. Distributor" and "S.S. Mackenzie" were retired around that time. In later years, with the construction of the Mackenzie Highway from Alberta to Great Slave Lake, the importance of the Athabasca-Slave River route dwindled and NTCL operations were based from shipyards in Hay River after 1959. NTCL became the primary carrier in the Mackenzie River watershed with the buyout of Yellowknife Transportation Company in 1965 including it's fleet of diesel tug boats. The northern barge traffic is still essential to the heavy freight as fuel, food, and heavy equipment can be moved economically in the summer months to communities along the Mackenzie River and oil fields of the Beaufort.

List of Historic Vessels

Ship prefixes used historically but often interchangeably depending on convention at the time: CGS (coast guard ship), MB (motor boat), MS (motor ship), MT (motor transport), MV (motor vessel), SS (steam ship)

image	name	launched	notes
	Adanac		Schooner operating out of Aklavik in the Mackenzie Delta c.1940.
	Aklavik		Schooner built in Fort Smith, and used by the Hudson's Bay Company in the Western Arctic Ocean around Cambridge Bay and King William Island c.1937-c.1947, and later in the Aklavik area.
	Aklavik II	1953	Boat used by Royal Canadian Mounted Police for patrols in the Mackenzie Delta, Aklavik and Inuvik area 1953-1960. Renamed the RCMP Jennings in 1961.
	Alcan		Motor tugboat used by Pfeffer Trading Company on the Mackenzie River with home port of Inuvik, Northwest Territories, in 1961.
	Alpha (aka Alfa)	1903	Steamship built in 1902/1903 by Nagle & Hislop Traders at Fort Resolution, Great Slave Lake. It was moved over the portage in 1903 to serve the Slave/Athabasca River routes between Fort Fitzgerald and Fort McMurray.
	Angus Sherwood	1969	Diesel tugboat (160' long, 40' beam, 5'6" draft, 4300 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company Limited in 1969 for use in the Western Arctic of the NWT. Renamed the Kitikmeot.
	Arctic Kugaluk	1973	Diesel tugboat (31m long, 11.6m beam, 1.4m draft) launched by Northern Transportation Company Limited in 1973 for use on the Mackenzie River. New engines installed 2003. Home port is Hay River.
	Argo		Steamship used on Great Slave Lake in 1899 during early gold prospecting in the area. Owned by Fred Gaudet in 1899.
	Athabasca (SS)	1888	Steam-driven sternwheeler (135' long, 28' beam) operated by the Hudson's Bay Company, built in 1888 to operate from Athabasca Landing to Grand Rapids on the Athabasca River and Lesser Slave Lake. It was decommissioned in 1899.
	Athabasca River (SS)	1912	Steam-driven sternwheeler (136' long, 28' beam, 340 tons gross tonnage) built and launched in 1912 at Athabasca Landing by the Hudson's Bay Company to operate on the Athabasca and Upper Peace River. The vessel was decommissioned in 1920 and hauled up on the banks of Peace River, Alberta and used as a warehouse by the HBC until destroyed by fire in 1930.
	Athabasca River	1922	Steam-driven sternwheeler (146' long, 36' beam, 200 tons cargo, 48 passengers) built and launched in 1922 by the Hudson's Bay Company to operate between Fort McMurray and Fort Fitzgerald on the Athabasca and Slave Rivers. The vessel was overhauled in 1936, and operated until about 1946.
	Aurous		Boat owned by R.M. Wynn, sawmill operator on the Jean/Slave River c.1942, who used it for hauling lumber to Yellowknife and other communities around Great Slave Lake.
	B.E.A.R.	1932	Diesel boat cabin cruiser (35' long) commissioned by Bear Exploration and Radium Limited for use on Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories and used to support its silver and uranium mine 1932-1939. Built by Captain J. Matheson in Edmonton. Later abandoned near Port Radium.
	Banksland	1953	Diesel tug boat (176' long, 27' beam, 10' draft, 500 hp, 650-ton cargo capacity). It was originally the MS Auriga, purchased by the HBC in 1956 and used in the Western Arctic Ocean to supply its trading posts for many years. From 1965 to 1980 it was owned by the Northern Transportation Company.
	Barbara Jean		Boat owned by Fred Norris at Aklavik, Mackenzie Delta c.1956.
	Beaver Lake (MS)		Diesel tug owned by the Hudson's Bay Company on the Athabasca/Slave River routes c.1939-c.1946.
	Birch (MB)	1954	Motor boat owned by Government of Canada on Great Slave Lake with home port in Yellowknife. It was used by the Game Warden and other federal officials during summer patrols, 1954-c.1957.
	Blue		Diesel tug (100 hp) owned by Jim McRitchie, operator of a sawmill on the Slave River in 1947. The boat moved milled lumber to customers in Yellowknife and around Great Slave Lake.
	Buffalo (MB)		Motor boat used by Government of Canada on Great Slave Lake c.1949-1961 with home port in Fort Smith, Slave River. It was used by the Game Warden and other federal officials in management and patrols of the Slave River and Great Slave Lake areas until its retirement in 1961. Captained by Billy McNeill from 1951-1951.
	Buffalo Lake (MS)		Motor boat owned by Hudson's Bay Company in 1939
	C.E. Sloan	1932	Diesel boat cabin cruiser (35' long) commissioned by Great Bear Minerals Limited for use on Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories and used to support its silver prospecting 1932-1933. Built by Captain J. Matheson in Edmonton.
	Canadusa		Gas boat operated by Alberta Arctic Transportation Company in 1921, followed by the Huddon's Bay Company (1924-c.1932) on the Athabasca River and lower Peace River, and on Lake Athabasca to Fond du Lac.
	Cameron Bay		Motor boat used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at its post at Cameron Bay/Port Radium on Great Bear Lake in 1935.
	Cariboo	1902	Steamboat built by Bill Connor at Fort Smith and launched in 1902. It was purchased by free-traders Hislop & Nagle in 1903 and used to supply its trading posts along the Slave/Mackenzie Rivers and Great Slave Lake. Northern Traders Company purchased all Hislop & Nagle assets in 1911. The Cariboo' was eventually replaced by Northern Trader's smaller more efficient schooner Speed. The old boat was derelict at Nagle Snye (former shipyard for Hislop & Nagle) outside of Fort Resolution in 1927.
	Caribou (MB)		Originally the Medico. By 1956/1957 it was called the Caribou was was being used by the Game Warden in Aklavik, Mackenzie Delta.
	Clearwater		Diesel tug (270 bhp) owned by Northern Transportation Company Limited on the Athabasca and Slave Rivers in northern Alberta, 1946-1956. On August 26, 1956, the vessel sank on Lake Athabasca bringing with it eight crew members. The Clearwater was later salvaged and renamed the Horn River. It may have originally been a US Army tug boat used on the Mackenzie River during construction of the Canol pipeline c.1944, carrying the designation RT-903.
	Coregonus		Motor boat used by Department of Fisheries patrols on Great Slave Lake 1945-1955, with home port of Hay River, Northwest Territories.
	Cross Fox		Diesel tug owned by the HBC on the Athabasca and Slave Rivers in northern Alberta, c.1939-c.1946.
	D.A. Thomas	1916	Steam-driven sternwheeler (187' long, 37' beam, 300-ton cargo, 300 passenger) built for Peace River Development in 1916 to operate on the Peace River above the Vermillion Chutes. Sold to Lamson-Hubbard in 1920, then to Alberta Arctic Transportation in 1921 and finally to the HBC in 1924. The shipped was badly damaged while trying to run the Vermillion Chutes on the Peace River and scrapped in 1930. It was one of the larger paddle wheeler steamships to ply in the Mackenzie watershed.
	Distributor (SS)	1920	Steam-driven sternwheeler (176' long, 30' beam, 200 ton cargo, 250 passengers) placed in service in 1920 by the Lamson & Hubbard Co., acquired by the Alberta Arctic Transportation Co. in 1921, and the Hudson's Bay Company in 1924. Operated on the Slave-Mackenzie River network, below Fort Smith on the Slave River, in the 1920s-1940s. Converted to oil in 1944. Decommissioned in 1946. Scrapped in the 1950s.
	Dease Lake (MV)	1934	Diesel tug (72 hp Fairbanks Morse engine) launched at Fort Smith in 1934 and owned by the HBC for use on the Slave/Mackenzie Rivers/Great Slave Lake.
	Diana		Fishing boat owned by Carter Fisheries c.1961 on Great Slave Lake, home port of Hay River.
	Dumit		Coast guard vessel operated by the Department of Transport on Great Slave Lake c.1961
	Eckaloo	1961	Coast Guard vessel built by Allied Ship Builders in 1961 at Fort Smith on the Slave River. The Department of Transport used it for coast guard activities from Great Slave Lake and up the Mackenzie River. It was replaced by a new Eckaloo vessel in 1988.
	Eckaloo II	1988	Coast Guard vessel on Great Slave Lake and up the Mackenzie River.
	Edjack		Robert Porritt's boat on Great Slave Lake, used for hauling lumber to Yellowknife and other communities around Great Slave Lake/Mackenzie River from his sawmill on the Slave River c.1940s
	Eldora		Pleasure craft used by employees of the Port Radium uranium mine on Great Slave Lake c.1939-c.1947.
	Ell-Too (MV)		Diesel tug owned by Yellowknife Transportation Company on the Mackenzie River c.1946.
	Enterprise		Steamboat (50' long) owned by Bill Connor, free trader, on Athabasca River c.1898. He successfully floated the boat over the rapids on the Slave River (after removing the boiler and portaging it over the rapids) and was using it on Great Slave Lake that summer.
	Ethel		Steamlaunch used by prospectors on Great Slave Lake in 1899 and then sold to J.S. Camsell. Dr. Robert Bell of the Geological Survey of Canada was using the boat during his mineral examinations around the lake in 1899.
	Eva Nagle	1900	(originally the Sparrow). Purchased in 1898 by Hislop & Nagle free traders, and renamed the Eva Nagle. They moved it down the Slave River for use on Great Slave Lake and the Mackenzie River, relaunching it in 1900 when it travelled as far north as Fort Good Hope. Northern Traders Company purchased all Hislop & Nagle assets in 1911.
	Evelyn		Gas schooner owned by fur trader Jim Darwish on Great Slave Lake c.1932, home port Fort Rae (Behchoko). It was wrecked at Gypsum Point on Great Slave Lake in September 1932.
	Fond du Lac		Gas schooner owned by the Hudson's Bay Company on Lake Athabasca c.1923/1924.
	Fort Hearne (MS)	1948	Freighting vessel owned by the Hudson's Bay Company and used to supply it's post in the Western Arctic Ocean of the Northwest Territories from 1948 to 1961 when it was damaged by ice.
	Fort James (MS)		Freighting vessel owned by the Hudson's Bay Company and used to supply it's post in the Western Arctic Ocean of the Northwest Territories from c.1928 to 1937 when it was crushed by ice.
	Fort McMurray	1916	Steam-driven sternwheeler (100 ton cargo, 40 passengers) built at Fort McMurray and launched in 1916 to operate between Fort McMurray and Fort Fitzgerald on the Athabasca River by the Hudson's Bay Company. Out of service by 1921.
	Fort Rae		RCMP schooner used on Great Slave Lake c.1922. Possibly also used by Hudson's Bay Company c.1923.
	Fort Reliance		RCMP schooner used on Great Slave Lake c.1928
	Frank Broderick	1965	Diesel tugboat (280' long, 42' beam, 10" draft, 2880 hp) launched by the Northern Transportation Company for use in the Western Arctic Ocean of the NWT. It was based in Tuktoyaktuk. NTCL sold it in 1995.
	George Askew		Steam-powered sternwheeler (135 hp) owned by Northern Transportation Company on the Mackenzie River routes c.1944-c.1947.
	Golden Hind		Schooner owned by Harry Harrison at Aklavik, Mackenzie Delta c.1940-c.1956.
	Grahame (SS)	1883	Steam-driven sternwheeler (130' long, 24' beam, 450 ton cargo) operated by the Hudson's Bay Company, launched in 1883 by Captain J.M. Smith, operating from Ft. McMurray to Fort Fitzgerald on the Athabasca and Slave Rivers.
	Great Bear (MV)	1934	Diesel freighter (90' long, 240 bhp, 135 ton capacity) used by Northern Transportation Company on Great Bear Lake from 1934 to 1960 when it was retired.
	Grenfell	1912	Built for service on the upper Peace River, by the Peace River Trading and Land Company. It was accidentally destroyed by fire in September 1914.
	Guy		Diesel boat used by sawmill operator A.J. MacDonald (c.1944), followed by the Sheck Brothers (c.1945), and finally Charles Sanders (c.1950s) on Great Slave Lake. Derelict on Jolliffe Island at Yellowknife and destroyed by fire 1970s.
	Guy (MV)		Roman Catholic mission boat on the Mackenzie River c.1961.
	Hearne Lake (MV)	1934	Diesel tug (72 hp Fairbanks Morse engine) launched at Fort Smith in 1934 and owned by the HBC for use on Great Bear Lake. It was later used on the Slave/Mackenzie Rivers/Great Slave Lake routes, and was still in service in 1956
	Henry Christoffersen	1973	Diesel tugboat (148.5' long, 52' beam, 3'9" draft, 4500 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company Limited in 1973 for use in the Western Arctic of the NWT. Still in use 2013.
	Herchell Island		Schooner used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at Herchell Island starting in 1956.
	Horn River		This vessel was apparently the retrofitted Clearwater diesel tug that sank on Lake Athabasca in 1956 and then salvaged. It was rebuilt for service on the Mackenzie River by Northern Transportation Company. Now drydocked at the NTCL shipyards in Hay River.
	Hudson's Hope	1920	A steam-driven sternwheeler relaunched in 1920 on the Peace River, originally the Northland Call. Operated by Peace River Development from 1920 to 1924 when it was scrapped.
	Hubaco		Boat owned by the Hudson's Bay Company c.1939
	Husky	1959	Diesel tug (121' long, 30' beam, 5' draft, 2880 hp) launched by the Yellowknife Transportation Company in 1959 for use on the Great Slave Lake/Mackenzie River routes. It was the flagship of the YTCL. Sold to Northern Transportation Company Limited in 1965 and renamed NT Husky. Decommissioned in Hay River.
	Immaculata		Roman Catholic mission boat based in Fort Resolution for use on Great Slave Lake/Mackenzie River/to the Arctic Ocean, 1940s-c.1961. Abandoned at Sawmill Channel near Fort Resolution.
	Jock McNiven	1974	Diesel tugboat (148' long, 52' beam, 3'9" draft, 4500 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company Limited in 1974 for use on the Mackenzie River.
	Johnny Berens	1961	Diesel-powered ferry built in Hay River in the winter of 1960/1961, and launched on July 20, 1961 as a ferry crossing the Mackenzie River. It was replaced by the ferry Merv Hardie in 1972. It is now used as a ferry crossing the Mackenzie River on the highway between Fort Simpson and Wrigley.
	Johnny Hope	1973	Diesel tugboat (148' long, 52' beam, 3'9" draft, 4500 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company Limited in 1973 for use in the Western Arctic of the NWT. Renamed the Edgar Kotokak in 1995.
	Kakisa	1973	Diesel tugboat (83' long, 35' beam, 3" draft, 1450 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company Limited in 1973 for use on the Mackenzie River with home port of Hay River.
	Kay Tee		A commercial fishing boat owned by Kucher and Trefiak on Great Slave Lake c.1961, home port of Hay River. Aka Kaytee. Now derelict in Hay River.
	Keewatin	1974	Diesel tugboat (126' long, 38' beam, 6'6" draft, 3370 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company Limited in 1974 for use in the Western Arctic of the NWT.
	Kelly Hall	1969	Diesel tugboat (160' long, 40' beam, 5'6" draft, 4300 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company Limited in 1969 for use in the Western Arctic of the NWT. Renamed the Pisurayak Kootook in 1995.
	Knut Lang	1969	Diesel tugboat (168' long, 48' beam, 5'6" draft, 4300 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company Limited in 1969 for use in the Western Arctic of the NWT. Renamed the Nunakput in 1994.
	Lady Mackworth	1919	Gas motor vessel built by the Lamson & Hubbard Co. and acquired by the Alberta Arctic Transportation Co. in 1921 to operate on the Mackenzie and Liard River network. Acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1924.
	Landa		Commercial fishing vessel owned by Alaska Fisheries on Great Slave Lake c.1961, home port of Hay River.
	Liard	1919	Paddlewheeler (80' long, 16' beam) launched in 1919 at Fort Smith to operate from Fort Simpson up the Liard River to service Hudson's Bay Company posts. It was wrecked on the Nelson River in October 1922.
	Liard River (MT)	1923	Gas motor vessel launched in 1923 by the Hudson's Bay Co. to operate on the Slave/Mackenzie/Liard Rivers. It was moved to Great Bear Lake in 1932. The boat was still operating in 1946 by which time it was again operating on the Slave/Mackenzie River routes. Apparently, it was later decommissioned in Hay River and may have been destroyed by fire.
	Limnos		Motor boat used by Department of Fisheries patrols on Great Slave Lake 1945-1955, with home port of Hay River, Northwest Territories.
	Little Chief		Diesel tugboat used by Yellowknife Transportation Company on the Slave River/Great Slave Lake routes c.1941.
	Lister		Diesel tugboat (72' long, 23' beam, 4' draft, 680 hp) owned by Northern Transportation Company Limited. Now drydocked at the NTCL shipyards in Hay River.
	Mabel		Boat used by Northern Waterways Limited (1932) and then Northern Transportation Company Limited (1934-c.1943) on the Athabasca/Slave River route.
	Mackenzie River (SS)	1908	Steelframe steam-driven sternwheeler (125' long, 115 ton cargo, 40 passengers) built at Fort Smith and launched in 1908 by Captain J.W. Mills operating on Great Slave Lake in the 1920s by the Hudson's Bay Company. It was mothballed by the HBC in 1923 but re-entered service during 1929/1930. In the 1940s it was commissioned for use during the Canol oil project along the Mackenzie River but was no longer being operated in 1947. In 1953 the retrofitted hulk was being used as living quarters and warehousing for commercial fisherman at Gros Cap on Great Slave Lake. The following year it ran aground at Hay River and was renovated into a fish processing barge for the fisheries there.
	Macleod		Motor boat used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at Tulita c.1921.
	Margaret A (MS)		Schooner used by the Hudson's Bay Company c.1934-1940 in the Western Arctic to Tuktoyaktuk, and later on the Mackenzie River and Great Slave Lake c.1941.
	Margaret A		Diesel tug used by the Yellowknife Transportation Company on the Mackenzie River/Great Slave Lake routes c.1961.
	Mareca		Motor boat used by Department of Fisheries patrols on Great Slave Lake until 1962, with home port of Hay River, Northwest Territories.
	Marila		Motor boat used by Department of Fisheries patrols on Great Slave Lake c.1962/1963, with home port of Hay River, Northwest Territories.
	Marjorie B		Diesel tug used by the Yellowknife Transportation Company on the Mackenzie River/Great Slave Lake routes c.1946
	Marjorie H	1956	Diesel tug (1000 hp) used by the Yellowknife Transportation Company on the Mackenzie River/Great Slave Lake routes 1956-1965. Also known as the YT Marjory. Acquired by Northern Transportation Company in 1965 and renamed NT Marjory? The NT Marjory was rebuilt in 1973 and given new engines in 2001.
	Matt Berry	1974	Diesel tugboat (148' long, 52' beam, 3'9" draft, 4500 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company Limited in 1974 for use in the Western Arctic of the NWT. Renamed the Kelly Ovayuak in 2011.
	McKinnon		Gas boat owned by the Hudson's Bay Company on the Slave/Mackenzie River routes c.1946.
	Medico	1929	Motor boat (35hp Kermath engine) used by Government of Canada in the Mackenzie Delta of the Northwest Territories. It was initially used by Dr. James Urquhart as a patrol hospital ship at Aklavik, who made visits to outlying communities with it including Herchell Island. It was later renamed the Caribou (c.1949) and used by the Game Warden and other federal officials in management and patrols of the Mackenzie Delta c.1956/1957.
	Merv Hardie	1972	Diesel-powered ferry built and launched in 1972 as a ferry crossing the Mackenzie River. Decommissioned in 2012 with the completion of the Dehcho Bridge.
	Messenger	1905	Steamboat (33' long, 7' beam, screw propeller) operated by the Hudson's Bay Company on the Peace River from 1905 to 1914.
	Messenger		Church mission boat used in the Aklavik area c.1933-c.1940
	Midnight Sun	1904	Built in 1904 by Northern Traders Co. Operated on the Lesser Slave Lake and Lesser Slave River.
	Molly Hogan		Diesel tugboat used by the Northern Transportation Company Limited on the Slave River/Great Slave Lake routes c.1935/1936.
	Nanook		Schooner owned by Charlie Gruben of Aklavik in 1956, purchased used from the Government of Canada.
	Nanook II (MV)		Motor schooner (48' long, 11' beam, 4' draft)used by the Government of Canada in the 1940s-1968 in the Mackenzie Delta with service between Aklavik, Inuvik and Reindeer Station. It was also used by Game and Forest Wardens in that area. In the 1970s it was sold to the community of Deline on Great Bear Lake where it was abandoned and later (c.1981) destroyed by arson.
	Netchilik		Boat captained by Johnny Norberg in the Aklavik/Inuvik area 1956, used for freighting on the DEW Line construction. In 1957, it was caught in ice and badly damaged near Tuktoyaktuk. Aka Nitchilik, or Natsilik?
	Niangua		Transport vessel used by Eldorado Mining & Refining on Great Bear Lake to transport freight and personnel between its uranium mine at Port Radium and airstrip at Sawmill Bay c.1946.
	Nodaway (MV)		Diesel tugboat used by Yellowknife Transportation Company on the Mackenzie River routes c.1946.
	Nor Alta		Diesel tugboat used by McInnes Products Corporation, commercial fishers, on the Slave River/Great Slave Lake routes c.1946.
	Nor Basca		Diesel tugboat used by McInnes Products Corporation, commercial fishers, on the Athabasca/Slave River routes c.1946.
	Northland Call	1910	Steam boat built in 1910 at Athabasca Landing by J.H. Woods and used by Northern Traders Company on the Athabasca/Lesser Slave Rivers until it was scrapped in 1913.
	Northland Call II	1915	Steam-driven sternwheeler, built in 1915 by George Magar at Peace River, operated by Peace River Navigation Company on the Upper Peace River. Relaunched in 1920 as the Hudson's Hope on the Peace River.
	Northland Echo	1912	Steam-driven sternwheeler built in 1912 by Northern Traders Company, who thought its shallow draft would enable it to transit the who length of the Peace River. It only transited the Vermilion Chutes once, and only functioned until 1914. It may have been rebuilt (or a new ship of this name built) and operated by Northern Traders Company on the Athabasca and Upper Slave Rivers between Fort McMurray and Fitzgerald. Scrapped in 1923 and rebuilt as Northland Echo II.
	Northland Echo II	1923	Steam-driven sternwheeler (135' long, 24' beam) operated by Northern Traders Company on the Athabasca and Upper Slave Rivers between McMurray and Fitzgerald from 1923-1928 and then by the Hudson's Bay Company from 1929-c.1941. Retired at Waterways, Alberta by 1946.
	Northland Pioneer	1921	Gas motor vessel (100' long, 20' beam, 90 tons cargo) launched in 1921 at Fort Smith, operated by Northern Traders Company on the Slave and Mackenzie Rivers and Great Slave Lake. It was the first crude oil burning boat used in the Northwest Territories. It may have been destroyed by fire after 1924.
	Northland Star (SS)	1911	Built in 1911 by Northern Traders Company. Operated on the Athabasca-Slave Rivers from Fort McMurray to Fort Fitzgerald.
	Northland Sun (SS)	1909	Built in 1909 by Northern Traders Company and operated on the Athabasca/Slave Rivers from Fort McMurray to Fort Fitzgerald.
	Northland Trader		Screw steamer operated by Northern Traders Company on the Slave/Mackenzie Rivers c.1921 until it was wrecked on Great Slave Lake in October 1924.
	Northern Prospector		A converted motor barge used by Northern Transportation Company on the Slave/Great Slave Lake routes servicing the Yellowknife gold camp c.1935-1938. It was a derelict at Fort Resolution in 1946.
	North Star		Schooner owned by A.W. Boland a free trader on Great Bear Lake c.1928-c.1932, followed by the Northern Transportation Company c.1935. Also known as the Star?
	North Star of Herchell Island	1936	Schooner (58' long, 15' beam, 6'6" draft, 30 tons tonnage) built in San Francisco in 1935/1936. It was owned by Fred Carpenter in the Western Arctic Ocean near Herchell Island until 1960/1961. It was owned by Sven Johansson in 1967-1973 and used for arctic scientific investigations. Purchased by Bruce Macdonald in 1996.
	Our Lady of Lourdes		Roman Catholic mission supply boat in the Western Arctic and Herchell Island, c.1930s-1950s. Moored on land at Tuktoyaktuk in 1967 and now on display near community's Catholic church.
	Peace (MV)		Diesel tug (270 bhp) owned by Northern Transportation Company Limited on the Slave/Mackenzie River routes c.1946, and later on the Athabasca/Slave River routes c.1950s. It may have originally been a US Army tug boat used on the Mackenzie River during construction of the Canol pipeline c.1944, carrying the designation RT-901.
	Peace River (SS)	1905	Steam-driven sternwheeler (110' long, 24' beam) built 1904/1905 at Fort Vermillion, Alberta and operated by the HBC on the Upper Peace River from Vermillion Chutes to Hudson's Hope. Retired in 1915.
	Pelican Rapids (MS)	1947	Diesel tug (98' long, 28' beam, 3'6" draft, 929 hp) owned by the Hudson's Bay Company on the Athabasca/Slave River routes c.1947, and then moved over the Fort Smith portage to serve the lower Slave River/Mackenzie River routes by 1953. It was acquired by the Northern Transportation Company by 1956 and was still in service in 1973. It is now abandoned in Hay River.
	Pelly Lake (MV)		Diesel tug (78' long, 18' beam) owned by the Hudson's Bay Company on the Athabasca/Slave River routes (c.1931-c.1933), on Great Slave Lake (c.1933), and back to the Athabasca/Slave River in c.1946.
	Peter Pond		Motor boat used by Government of Canada on Great Slave Lake c.1935-c.1961 with home port in Fort Resolution, Slave River.
	Pilot (I & II)		Motor boat used by Government of Canada on Great Slave Lake and Mackenzie River for maintaining navigational beacons and channel markers, c.1942-c.1961.
	Pinnebog		Diesel tug (311' long, 49' beam, 18' draft, 5700 hp) owned by the Northern Transportation Company.
	Porphyry	1938	Diesel tug built by Consolidated Mining & Smelting Company (Cominco) at Waterways, Alberta in 1938 and used on the Slave/Mackenzie River routes for many years, first by Cominco, and then by the Hudson's Bay Company (c.1946), and the Northern Transportation Company on Great Slave Lake (c.1949). It was later abandoned on the Slave River near Fort Smith.
	Radium Charles (MV)	1947	Diesel tug (111' long, 28' beam, 4' draft, 1530 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company in 1947 for use on the Mackenzie River routes. Now drydocked at the NTCL shipyards in Hay River.
	Radium Cruiser (MV)	1939	Diesel tug (60' long, 136 bhp) launched by Northern Transportation Company in 1939 for use on the Mackenzie River routes to Great Bear Lake.
	Radium Dew	1955	Diesel tug (120' long, 30' beam, 5' draft, 1540 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company in 1955 for use on the Slave /Mackenzie River and Great Slave Lake routes. Retired in 1976 and sold to Groenewagen family in Hay River.
	Radium Express	1939	Diesel tug (70' long, 20' beam, 3' draft, 240 bhp) launched by Northern Transportation Company in 1939 for use on the Slave /Mackenzie River and Great Slave Lake routes. Rebuilt in 1953.
	Radium Franklin	1951	Diesel tug (61' long, 24' beam, 2' draft, 460 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company in 1951 for use on the Mackenzie River/Bear River routes. Now drydocked at the NTCL shipyards in Hay River.
	Radium Gilbert	1946	Diesel tug (113' long, 28' beam, 5' draft, 926 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company in 1946 for use on Great Bear Lake to transport uranium ores from Port Radium to the portage at Bear River. The route was abandoned in 1980 with the closure of the silver mine at Great Bear Lake, and the boat donated to the community of Deline for a potential heritage display. Contamination concerns lead to the boat being remediated and cut up for scrap by the Government of Canada in 2005.
	Radium King	1937	Diesel tug (96' long, 20' beam, 520 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company in 1937 for use on the Slave/Mackenzie River/Great Slave Lake routes. The boat was retired in 1967 and donated to the Northern Life Museum in Fort Smith.
	Radium Lad		Diesel tug (120 bhp) used by Northern Transportation Company on the Mackenzie/Bear River routes c.1937-1946.
	Radium Miner	1956	Diesel tug (95' long, 28' beam, 2'10" draft, 926 bhp) used by Northern Transportation Company on the Slave/Mackenzie River routes.
	Radium Prince		Diesel tug (240 bhp) used by Northern Transportation Company on the Mackenzie/Bear River routes c.1946-c.1966.
	Radium Prospector	1956	Diesel tug (95' long, 28' beam, 2'10" draft, 926 bhp) used by Northern Transportation Company on the Mackenzie River/Great Slave Lake routes.
	Radium Queen	1937	Diesel tug (96' long, 20' beam, 520 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company in 1937 for use on the Athabasca/Slave River routes. Still in use in the 1950s.
	Radium Scout	1946	Diesel tug (136 bhp) launched by Northern Transportation Company in 1946 for use on the Athabasca/Slave River routes. The boat was retired and donated to the museum in Fort McMurray.
	Radium Trader	1956	Diesel tug (95' long, 28' beam, 2'10" draft, 926 bhp) launched by Northern Transportation Company in 1956 for use on the Slave/Mackenzie River routes. Still in use in 1982. Now drydocked at the NTCL shipyards in Hay River.
	Radium Yellowknife	1948	Diesel tug (120' long, 28' beam, 4' draft, 1530 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company in 1948 for use on the Slave/Mackenzie River/Great Slave Lake routes. In the 1990s, it was owned by McKeil Marine and in service on Lake Ontario.
	Rae (MV)		Survey boat used by Canadian Hydrographic Survey on Great Slave Lake c.1961.
	Rae Point	1963	Diesel boat used by Department of Fisheries patrols on Great Slave Lake starting in 1963, with home port of Hay River, Northwest Territories.
	Ranger		Boat used by the Government of Canada game warden in the Slave/Peace River area c.1925/1926.
	Rayrock		Boat owned by A.S. Hodgson on Great Slave Lake to move freight from Hay River to the Rayrock Mine road at the north end of Marian Lake, c.1957/1958.
	RCMP Jennings		Boat used by Royal Canadian Mounted Police for patrols in the Mackenzie Delta, Aklavik and Inuvik area 1961-1964. Formerly the Aklavik II.
	RCMP Spalding		Boat used by Royal Canadian Mounted Police for patrols in the Mackenzie Delta, Aklavik and Inuvik area 1961-1965. Sold to Coppermine Eskimo Cooperative in 1965 and renamed the Amoulik.
	Resolution		Schooner used by Royal Canadian Mounted Police for patrols on Great Slave Lake c.1921-c.1941.
	Richard E		Diesel tug used by the Yellowknife Transportation Company on the Mackenzie River/Great Slave Lake routes c.1949-1965. Also known as the YT Richard. Acquired by Northern Transportation Company in 1965 and renamed NT Richard?
	Saline (MV)		Diesel tug used by the Yellowknife Transportation Company on the Mackenzie River/Great Slave Lake routes c.1946-c.1963.
	Sandy Jane (MV)	1946	Diesel tug (800 hp) used by the Yellowknife Transportation Company on the Mackenzie River/Great Slave Lake routes from 1946 to October 1956 when it sank 25 miles south of Yellowknife in a storm. The crew was rescued by another ship.
	Sans Sault	1965	Diesel tug (23m long, 7m beam, 1m draft, 925kW) owned by the Northern Transportation Company.
	Santanna	1936	Roman Catholic mission boat based in Fort Resolution for use on the Slave/Mackenzie River/Great Slave Lake routes 1936-1960. In 1983 it was dry docked in Hay River at Porritt's Landing.
	Scamp		Diesel tug used by the Yellowknife Transportation Company on the Mackenzie River/Liard River routes c.1961.
	Sikanni Chief (MV)		Diesel tug (wooden construction, 55 gross tonnage) used by the Yellowknife Transportation Company on the Mackenzie River routes c.1946. In 1973, it was a derelict wreck at Axe Point near Mills Lake on the Mackenzie River, YTCL's former shipyard.
	Silver Belle		Motor vessel pleasure craft used on Great Bear Lake by employees at the Echo Bay silver mine 1960s-1970s. Brought to Yellowknife by Dave Lorenzen and sold to David Smith who operated it on Great Slave Lake for many years before it was decommissioned.
	Slave (MV)		Diesel tug (270 bhp) owned by Northern Transportation Company Limited on the Slave/Mackenzie River routes c.1946. It may have originally been a US Army tug boat used on the Mackenzie River during construction of the Canol pipeline c.1944, carrying the designation RT-902.
	Slave River (SS)		Steam-driven sternwheeler (125' long, 23' beam, 125 ton cargo, 100 passengers) owned by the Lamson-Hubbard company (1919), Alberta Arctic Transportation (1921), and the Hudson's Bay Company (1924) for use on the Athabasca/Peace/Slave River routes. It was no longer in service by 1924.
	Slave River	1929?	Diesel tug operated by Hudson's Bay Company from 1929-c.1946 on the Athabasca/Slave River routes.
	Sparrow	1897	Steamboat (steel frame covered in oak, 65' long, two 60 hp marine engines) built at Athabasca Landing in 1897 by George T. Leitch. Sold to Dick Secord in 1898 and then to Hislop & Nagle soon after, who floated it down the Athabasca/Slave Rivers to Fort Fitzgerald and then over the portage to Fort Smith. It was then renamed the Eva Nagle.
	Speed		Gasoline schooner operated by the Northern Traders Company c.1921-c.1924 along the Slave/Mackenzie Rivers and Great Slave Lake. It caught fire and sank on Great Slave Lake and was replaced by the Speed II which ironically later suffered the same fate.
	Speed II		Gasoline schooner (45' long) operated by Northern Traders Company on Great Slave Lake c.1927, and later by Northern Waterways Limited on Great Bear Lake 1932-1933. It caught fire and sank on Great Bear Lake in October 1933 killing two people.
	Spruce (MB)		Motor boat owned by Government of Canada on Great Slave Lake c.1952 with home port in Yellowknife. It was used by the Game Warden and other federal officials during summer patrols.
	St. Alphonse	1894	An Oblate Order mission ship, on the Mackenzie and lower Slave rivers.
	St. Ann		Roman Catholic mission boat from 1941-1963 in the Western Arctic Ocean, at Tuktoyaktuk. In 1963 it was sold to someone in Hay River.
	St. Charles	1903	Roman Catholic mission boat on the Upper Peace River from 1903-1915. The first steamship on the Upper Peace River.
	St. Emile	1902-1903	An Oblate Order mission ship, on Lesser Slave Lake.
	St. Gabriel		Catholic Mission boat on Great Slave Lake based in Fort Resolution c.1945.
	St. Joseph	1893	An Oblate Order mission ship, on the Athabasca, Peace and upper Slave rivers.
	St. Marie	1907	Catholic Mission boat built and launched in 1907 at Fort Smith on the Slave River. By 1914 it was owned by Northern Traders Company.
	Stenodus	1956	Department of Fisheries cabin cruiser patrol boat (43' long, 12' beam, 5' draft, 15 tons displacement, 165-hp Cummins diesel engine, V-bottom hull) on Great Slave Lake, built by Matheson Boat Works in Ontario and launched in 1956, with home port at Hay River.
	Sternwheeler		Steam-powered sternwheeler used by Northern Transportation Company for use on the Mackenzie/Bear River routes c.1935-c.1942. It primarily ran the route from Tulita on Mackenzie River up the Bear River to where the portage into Great Bear Lake started.
	Stewart Lake		A gas boat used by the Hudson's Bay Company on the Mackenzie/Liard River routes, with service as far north as Aklavik, c.1946-c.1957.
	Vic Ingraham	1971	Diesel tugboat (149.5' long, 50' beam, 3'9" draft, 4700 hp) launched by Northern Transportation Company Limited in 1971 for use in the Western Arctic of the NWT, with home port in Inuvik.
	Watson Lake		Diesel tug (75', 18' beam, 2'3" draft, 294 hp) used by the Hudson's Bay Company on the Slave/Mackenzie routes c.1946, followed by the Northern Transportation Company in the 1950s.
	Weenusk		Motor boat owned by the Hudson's Bay Company on the Peace River c.1921-1939.
	Weenusk II	1940	Diesel tug (85 hp) owned by the Hudson's Bay Company on the Peace River beginning in 1940.
	Wrigley (SS)	1886	Screw-prop steamer (90' long, 14' beam, 130 ton cargo) operated by the Hudson's Bay Company, commissioned at Fort Smith in 1886, operating on the Slave and Mackenzie Rivers below Fort Smith. Captain J.W. Mills piloted this vessel from 1893 to 1903. The Wrigley was overhauled and rebuilt in Fort Smith in early 1898, and continued to serve until it was replaced by the S.S. Mackenzie River launched in 1908.
	Yellowknife Expeditor	1949	A war-surplus landing craft, converted in 1949 into a passenger and freight carrying vessel by Yellowknife Transportation Company. It provided scheduled service between Hay River and Yellowknife on Great Slave Lake during the summers of 1949, 1950, and 1951 only. It was damaged by hitting a reef in 1951 so was not used the following summer. In 1958, the craft was transporting freight between Hay River and Aklavik on the Mackenzie River. It was later scrapped.

See also

• Steamboats of the Peace River
• Northern Alberta Railways
• Northern Transportation Company

References

• MacGregor, James Grierson (1974), Paddle wheels to bucket-wheels on the Athabasca, McClelland and Stewart, Toronto, ISBN 0-7710-5450-5
• The Edmonton Bulletin newspaper articles, 1920-1924.