Description of Historic Place

S.S. Naramata is a 1914 Canadian Pacific Railway tugboat situated on the south shore of Okanagan Lake in Penticton, BC. This small ship sits aground, facing inland, in a park-like setting next to the historic steam sternwheeler, S.S. Sicamous.

Heritage Value

S.S. Naramata, a steel-hulled Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) steam tugboat, is valued as an important reminder of the key role of the CPR in Canadian and British Columbian transportation and commerce in the first half of the twentieth century. Commissioned by the CPR on July 23, 1913 and built by Western Drydock and Shipbuilding Company, S.S. Naramata was launched on April 20, 1914. As a connection to rail and passenger services, this historic ship provided an integral link in the company's transportation network, joining the communities around Okanagan Lake, and connecting this region to the rest of the province, Canada, and the world. S.S. Naramata is an important part of British Columbia's history because the fruit shipment and transportation services she provided facilitated agricultural and industrial growth in the prosperous Okanagan Valley from 1914 until she was retired from service on August 29, 1967.

Furthermore, as the only surviving inland steam tug in British Columbia, S.S. Naramata is an important example of bygone technology. She recalls the era of steam navigation on the lakes and rivers of British Columbia's interior, which was made obsolete by the advent of automobile travel and changes in industry and infrastructure which precluded its viability. It is also notable that S.S. Naramata still possesses her original steam engine.

Currently used as a museum, S.S. Naramata is also valued as a significant cultural resource which communicates the importance and diversity of the CPR's marine transportation and shipment history in British Columbia.

Source: BC Heritage Branch properties files

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of S.S. Naramata include:
- its association with the Canadian Pacific Railway, seen in such elements as its trademark paint scheme of green, white, buff, and black
- its relationship to Okanagan Lake
- evidence of its use for fruit shipment and transportation
- its steel-hulled construction
- the intact quality of the vessel, including its original steam engine and boiler
- its ongoing role in communicating the history of marine transportation and shipping in British Columbia