Story
This fishboat, trawler was built in 1912 by Cochrane & Sons Ltd. in Selby, Yorkshire.
Historical Notes
In 1946 she towed the Pamir out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
In 1914 this vessel arrived at Prince Rupert BC Canada.
In 1917 this vessel rescued the tug Commodore and her tow the sailing ship St. David. This vessel is said to be the last Grimsby Trawler still afloat.
In 1949 this vessel ran aground on Thrasher Rock BC Canada.
In 1956 this vessel was re-built as a salvage vessel. Drew Clarke (Email to Nauticapedia 11/09/2025) stated "l half kept track of the old Island Commander. Ken Higgs gave her to a guy running local tours but he soon had it for sale on Facebook marketplace. It seems it did sell although with much less than the 18000 gallons of fuel that Ken said it had on board and seems it sold for $8500 - no further news of her."
Owners & Masters
In 1912 she was owned by Atlin Construction Co. Ltd., Grimsby UK.
In 1914 she was owned by the Canadian Fishing Company.
In 1929-1933 she was owned by the Canadian Fish and Cold Storage Co. Ltd., Prince Rupert BC Canada.
In 1936 she was owned by Dominion Tug & Barge Co. Ltd.
In 1939 she was owned by the Pacific Salvage Co. Ltd., North Vancouver BC Canada.
In 1940 she was owned by Vancouver Dry Dock & Salvage Co. Ltd., Vancouver BC Canada.
In 1941 she was owned by Island Tug & Barge, Victoria BC Canada.
In 1941-1944 she was chartered to the US Government in the Aleutians for the United States Army Transportation Service.
In 1947-1970 as a tug she was owned by Island Tug & Barge Ltd., Victoria BC Canada.
In 1971-2020 she was owned by Island Sea Marine Ltd. (Ken Higgs), West Vancouver BC Canada.
In 2021-2025 she was owned by Atlas 1909 Adventures Ltd., Vancouver BC Canada.
Masters
Captain Jack Gillam (1941), Captain 'Drydie' Jones, Captain Charlie Goodwin, Captain George W. Hovel, Captain G.W. Higgs; Captain George Dance
Name Significance
She was named for Andrew Kelly, a principal of the Canadian Fish & Cold Storage Co., Prince Rupert BC.
Rebuilds
In 1941 she was rebuilt. In 1956 she was re-built as a salvage vessel.
Repower
In 1936 she was powered with a steam 58rhp triple expansion steam engine. In 1941 she was converted to a tug re-engined as a 500 hp. McIntosh-Seymour diesel engine from the Boobyalla. In 1947 she was powered by an oil 6-cylinder McIntosh & Seymour engine, Auburn NY. In 1956 she was re-engined with a 1200hp. 8-cylinder Union diesel engine. In 1975 she was re-powered at Seattle WA with a 1750hp. 16-cylinder EMD GM-567 diesel engine.
References
- Canada List of Shipping
- Prince Rupert: An illustrated history (2010)
- Morris, Rob and Leonard McCann. (1997) Greater Vancouver Hall of Fame. In The Greater Vancouver Book: an urban encyclopedia. Ed. Chuck Davis. Vancouver BC: Linkman Press
- Wells, Richard E. (1992)
- Drew Clarke (Email to Nauticapedia 11/09/2025)
