The SS Prince Rupert was a Grand Trunk steamship constructed by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson at their shipyard in Wallsend-on-Tyne, with her launch occurring on December 13, 1909, and her completion in March 1910. She measured 307 feet (93.6 meters) in length, with a beam of 42 feet (12.8 meters) and a draught of 24 feet (7.3 meters). Her gross register tonnage was 3,380 GRT, and she had a net register tonnage of 1,626 NRT. The vessel was powered by steam engines—two double-ended and two single-ended boilers operating at 180 psi—driving twin screws that produced 6,500 indicated horsepower, allowing a maximum speed of 18 knots (33 km/h). Initially coal-fired, she was converted to oil fuel in 1912. The ship featured large bilge keels to mitigate heavy seas, two masts, and three funnels. Designed to serve the coast of British Columbia and Alaska, the Prince Rupert had a passenger capacity of 1,756, including 220 in first class, 36 in second class, and room for 1,500 excursionists on the promenade deck. Her accommodations were later expanded in 1916 with the addition of staterooms for second-class travelers, including six four-berth and one two-berth cabins. She also had a refrigerated freight capacity of 350 tons. Constructed at Wallsend-on-Tyne and arriving on the West Coast of Canada in 1910, she primarily operated in express service between Vancouver, Victoria, Prince Rupert, Stewart, Anyox, the Queen Charlotte Islands, and Seattle. Throughout her long career, she experienced numerous incidents, including collisions, groundings, and damage from lightning and fire, earning a reputation as an "unlucky" ship. Notably, she ran aground on Genn Island in 1920, sustaining a 12-foot hole in her hull, which was subsequently salvaged and repaired after extensive cofferdam construction. She also grounded on Ripple Rock in 1927, requiring rescue and repairs, and in 1931, she unexpectedly listed and sank at her berth but was raised and refloated after repairs. Her service continued through the 1930s and 1940s, with further incidents such as grounding on Prolewy Rocks in 1943 and a collision with the American vessel Anna J in 1935. In 1951, she was involved in a significant collision with the cruise liner Princess Kathleen, inflicting substantial damage. After nearly 45 years of service, the Prince Rupert was decommissioned in April 1955 and sold for scrap in 1956. She was acquired by Rinko Iron Works in Japan, renamed SS Prince Maru, and broken up in Osaka that same year, marking the end of her notable maritime career.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.