Radio Controlled Riverboat Hall
W. H. B A N C R O F T
1 / 24 Scale
INTERNATIONAL MARINE ENGINEERING
November, 1912.
Situated at the mouth of the Copper River, Alaska, is what is known as the Orca Station of the Northwestern Fisheries Company, of Seattle , Washing-ton. The cannery located at this station secures its principal supply of fish from the flats and shallow waters around the mouth of the river, and in order to transport the fish from the traps and seine boats where caught to the cannery it was necessary to provide a light draft vessel of considerable capacity for this work. Accordingly, plans for such a vessel were made under the directions of Mr. Frank Walker, marine surveyor and engineer, Seattle, Washington, and the contract for the construction of the boat was placed with Hall Bros. Marine Railway and Shipbuilding Company, Eagle Harbor, Winslow, Washington. The boat is a stern-wheel steamer named the W.H. Bancroft, and has the following principal dimensions:
Length of hull, exclusive of wheel housings - 111 feet.
Beam, molded - 26 feet.
Depth, molded - 5 feet, 6 inches.
The draft of this vessel at launching with the machinery on board was 18 inches. The load draft, with a maximum cargo of 125 tons of fish and with the bunkers full of coal, is 4 feet. The average speed when light is 10 miles per hour, and when loaded, 6 miles per hour.
The above article is the only known historical data on this vessel. It is not known how long she engaged in her fish hauling trade, nor what other jobs she may have been used for. No other information, written or photographic, seems to exist of this vessel.
Model built by Ralph Lossing from plans by J.L Fryant and is electric powered and radio controlled.
email Ralph Lossing
