From 1881 until 1906, the steamer SS Princess operated on Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. The ship, which was constructed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, by the Jarvis & Burridge shipyard, was considered the finest lake steamer east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Great Lakes, and it was considered the pride of Lake Winnipeg. The ship had forty roomy passenger cabins in all, and it looked a lot like a lot of the paddle steamers on the Mississippi River. The boat could reach a top speed of about twenty-five knots.
The thousand soldiers who had taken part in the North-West Rebellion were relocated from Grand Rapids, Manitoba, to Winnipeg in 1885 by Princess, along with the SS Colvile.
The warship underwent downgrade soon after 1885. She was reduced to a cargo vessel and had the passenger cabins removed. A new steam engine and a four-blade propeller were installed in place of the paddlewheels and the original steam engine. In the process, the hull was extended to a length of 49 meters (161 feet). There remained only six cottages, a kitchen, and a small dining area. Following the restoration, the ship was mostly utilized for railroad ties and heavy loads; she was also frequently employed to tow barges.
In 1906, her career came to an end in a fall storm. With 1,600 fish boxes in tow, Princess departed the Spider Islands on August 24 and made her way to Little George Island. Everything was fine until a strong northeast wind rose at around 6:00 p.m. Captain Hawes directed Princess toward the Berens Island after she had rounded Little George Island. The crew advised the captain to take cover from George Island as the winds picked up speed and became a storm.
At last, as the storm intensified, Captain Hawes gave the order to reverse course and proceed at “full speed ahead.” Her fate turned out to be this double order. Three crew members were trapped below when the ship’s hull was ripped apart by the force of eight-meter (26-foot) waves as it rotated nearly halfway around. Two small lifeboats were swiftly occupied by the passengers and crew, but Captain Hawes, Flora McDonald, a 17-year-old cabin servant from Selkirk, and Johanna Palsdottir, a 19-year-old cook, were never able to board the last boat. Johann Jonsson, a 19-year-old sailor, Loftur Gudmundsson of Gimli, and Charles Greyeyes, a native Canadian, were also lost.
The storm did not destroy either lifeboat. One landed on Berens Island, while the other reached the coast close to Berens River settlement. The survivors were rescued the next day by SS City of Selkirk.
Only two of the six victims who perished in the disaster were ever located. Captain Hawes was among the corpses, his only clothing being the life preserver straps. All the rest was ripped away.