Auriga (I)

The Hudson's Bay Company had sold out the assets of it's Mackenzie River transportation services to several companies and concentrated on it's many other commercial interests.

They then sold out their Arctic Ocean transportation services to Northern Transportation Co. Ltd. including the Banksland. A pilot house aft this vessel was configured as a little steel-hulled freighter. This vessel picked up her cargoes from the barges landing at Tuktoyaktuk which had come up the Mackenzie River. This vessel was laid up for a considerable period at anchor in Tuktoyaktuk. Now operating in British Columbia waters as a floating salmon sport fishing camp and winters at Ogden Point in Victoria. When this vessel was rebuilt as the Banksland Surveyor the superstructure this vesselhas now was fabricated which made her a little top heavy. This vessel requires a lot of ballast to operate now. When this vessel was used as a cargo ship this vessellacked the large superstructure as well as carrying heavy loads, and was almost always safe. An open deck and a small pilot house aft was all this vessel had originally. Thomas Wagner in (British Columbia Nautical History Facebook Group 08/02/2018) states that "Salmon Seeker just got holed up at April Point on Quadra. Underwater divers were pressure washing her when the hull gave away. Towing her to Victoria, but if the hull is that bad this vessel will probably have to be broken up. Waiting for more news from friends who work up there."