The doughty, red-funnelled ships of the Union Steamship Company were more than mere ships to the inhabitants of British Columbia's widely dispersed coastal communities; they were a lifeline. They were also beautiful ships, built with care and attention to detail that only added to the nostalgic memories they fostered in almost everyone who knew them. From the company's beginning on 11 July 1889 to its sad demise 70 years later, more than 50 ships proudly carried the company's colours, and even now the names Camosun, Cardena, Lady Alexandra, Lady Rose and Lady Cynthia evoke a long-gone past of isolated timber camps, company picnics, and leisurely travel from Vancouver to Victoria.
This illustrated history of the company portrays the men and ships who maintained links between isolated communities along 4,000 miles of rugged coast. It also captures something of what life was like in those communities, where people came to know the Union Steamship Company as their only reliable tie with the outside world. More than 200 photographs have been meticulously researched by Gerald Rushton, with the help of Leonard McCann, curator of the Vancouver Maritime Museum. Rushton has provided an introductory text and informative captions, creating a sequel to his earlier book, Whistle up the Inlet, which was a best seller when first published and about which Norman Hacking of the Vancouver Province wrote, "the story is suffused with that warm glow that seems to typify recollections of ships and the sea... a job well done by a man with love in his heart for the old ships and the old ways."
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