Quadra

Canada has a long and glorious maritime tradition which is well represented by the Beaver, the Neptune, the Quadra and the William D. Lawrence. These sea-going ships contributed to our safety, prosperity and independence. They are typical of an era in which the square rigged sailing ship had reached its zenith and steamships were achieving a record of reliable and efficient service. Fleming & Ferguson shipyards of Paisley, Scotland, built the Quadra in 1891 to Canadian government specifications. She was named after Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, a Spanish explorer. The scholarly Captain John T. Walbran took command of the beautiful new ship. Quadra reached British Columbia in 1892 ready to serve the Department of Marine and Fisheries. At the time, she was the only government vessel on the coast available for non-military purposes. The ship plunged into the work of servicing aids to navigation, of supporting government administration, of surveying, of transporting officials and dignitaries and of policing the sealing and fishing industries. In 1917, the vessel collided with another ship and was beached to prevent her from sinking. Refloated, she became an ore carrier. However, in 1924, the Americans seized her for rum-running and later auctioned her off for scrap. Tom Bjarnason of Toronto designed the ship stamps.