Ordered and built for the Pacific Salvage Company of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 1925 at Bow McLachlan Co. Ltd, Paisley, Scotland with its port of Registry Victoria, B.C. under the British Flag. Registered with Lloyds of London Book No.33941, its official number was 150909.
A single decked vessel of steel construction she was one of the finest craft of her type in the world. Of 1164 tons gross weight and with dimensions of 186.3' x 36.2' x 16.2', she was driven by an oil-fired 3000HP reciprocating steam engine, having a cruising range of 15,000 miles and a top speed of 14 knots. She was fitted with equipment to distill sea water at a rate of a ton an hour, wireless, radio telephones, walkie talkies for communication with barges or ships in tow, a fully equipped machine shop, air compressors, decompression chamber for divers and a battery of portable pumps with a capacity of 50 tons of water per minute. She was Skippered by an Orkney man, Catt J.M.Hewison, a veteran British Columbia Salvage Master who served the Pacific Northwest well, both in salvage work and carried out some of the longest tows on record from the Pacific Northwest while under his command.
During the early part of the war the Salvage King went to the Orkney Islands in the service of the Royal Navy, (under control of Metal Industries and Chief Salvage Officer Thomas McKenzie, joining the other salvage ships, Metinda, Bertha, Indefatigable and William H. Hastie).
Capt. Hewison passed away in March of 1940 while engaged in work for the British Navy as Salvage Master in the Orkney Islands.
During a storm and in darkness, she ran aground on the Ness of Duncansby. Longhope and Wick lifeboats stoodby and the crew were taken off by the Wick lifeboat and transferred to HM tug Buccaneer.
Despite efforts by the Buccaneer to free her from the rocks, all was in vain, tow ropes parting in several attempts. The surf became so heavy that the salvage crew were taken off by Stroma fishermen in a dangerous operation. All salvage gear etc. was later saved by Stroma fishermen and transferred to another vessel and landed at Lyness.
She was eventually broken up for scrap, which after being transported to Wick was then conveyed south by rail.
All that remains of the Salvage King are the boilers of the ship lying on the rocks at the Ness of Duncansby.
A single decked vessel of steel construction she was one of the finest craft of her type in the world. Of 1164 tons gross weight and with dimensions of 186.3' x 36.2' x 16.2', she was driven by an oil-fired 3000HP reciprocating steam engine, having a cruising range of 15,000 miles and a top speed of 14 knots. She was fitted with equipment to distill sea water at a rate of a ton an hour, wireless, radio telephones, walkie talkies for communication with barges or ships in tow, a fully equipped machine shop, air compressors, decompression chamber for divers and a battery of portable pumps with a capacity of 50 tons of water per minute. She was Skippered by an Orkney man, Catt J.M.Hewison, a veteran British Columbia Salvage Master who served the Pacific Northwest well, both in salvage work and carried out some of the longest tows on record from the Pacific Northwest while under his command.
During the early part of the war the Salvage King went to the Orkney Islands in the service of the Royal Navy, (under control of Metal Industries and Chief Salvage Officer Thomas McKenzie, joining the other salvage ships, Metinda, Bertha, Indefatigable and William H. Hastie).
Capt. Hewison passed away in March of 1940 while engaged in work for the British Navy as Salvage Master in the Orkney Islands.
During a storm and in darkness, she ran aground on the Ness of Duncansby. Longhope and Wick lifeboats stoodby and the crew were taken off by the Wick lifeboat and transferred to HM tug Buccaneer.
Despite efforts by the Buccaneer to free her from the rocks, all was in vain, tow ropes parting in several attempts. The surf became so heavy that the salvage crew were taken off by Stroma fishermen in a dangerous operation. All salvage gear etc. was later saved by Stroma fishermen and transferred to another vessel and landed at Lyness.
She was eventually broken up for scrap, which after being transported to Wick was then conveyed south by rail.
All that remains of the Salvage King are the boilers of the ship lying on the rocks at the Ness of Duncansby.