The luxury steam yacht, Dolaura, was owned by the prominent British Columbia industrialist, The Honourable James Dunsmuir from 1908 to 1920. Dunsmuir named his yacht in honour of Mrs. Dunsmuir whose Christian name was Laura, and whose youngest daughter's name was Dola, hence Dolaura!!
The yacht was built to replace His Honour's previous vessel, which was destroyed by fire while being used for a hunting trip up the coast of British Columbia.
Dunsmuir's yacht was designed in the United States, but built in Scotland at the Scottish shipyard of Fleming and Ferguson Limited, Paisley, Scotland. The estimated cost of the vessel was in the two hundred thousand dollar range. When finished she was a truly fine yacht! Built of steel, two hundred and eighteen feet long, with a thirty-two foot beam and capable of a speed of fourteen knots. Her coal capacity was over two hundred tons, which gave her a steaming range of over five thousand nautical miles; Victoria to San Francisco and then some!
The main deck was devoted to the accommodation of the Dunsmuirs, their guests and the servants. The oak panelled dining room which took up nearly the full width of the ship, could accommodate twenty four people easily, with one large table in the centre and small tables in the corners. The drawing room which measured eighteen by twenty four, was panelled in Spanish Mahogany, with easy chairs covered in pale blue tapestry and warmed by a massive fireplace. Aft of this room was the ship's library, which was panelled in Golden Oak. The ceilings were painted white, relieved with gold. The top ceiling panels were fitted with pale blue brocade tapestry and the lounge chairs and seats were upholstered in royal blue leather. To top this off, there was a large bookcase, an oak writing table and an oak library table all of which were exceedingly ornate.
The Dunsmuir's private suite of rooms consisted of two state-rooms, a dressing room and a bathroom. All the rooms were lavishly decorated and fitted with large brass bedsteads. The bathroom, finished in white tile, had a bathtub manufactured by Royal Doulton and hand basins of Venetian marble with silver fittings.
The crew's quarters consisted of six spacious staterooms for the ships officers, a chief engineer, a quartermaster, a butler and a steward. All had their own dining room and locker space well forward!
Of special interest to boaters, was the motive power of the Dolaura; a pair of coal fired (later oil fired) twin screw triple expansion engines with two large boilers, each eleven feet three inches in diameter by twelve feet inches long. The two eight foot three inch bronze propellers churned away at one hundred and fifty revolutions per turn, giving the yacht a speed of fourteen knots.
A modern innovation to the Dolaura's comforts was a generating plant, which powered the ships lighting system and a powerful search-light, which was used for docking procedures. Another on board convenience was refrigeration. The refrigerator that was installed had a three hundred cubic foot freezer compartment, which at the correct setting would produce two hundred pounds of ice in a twenty four hour period. This was very useful for storing provisions and providing all the ice that was required by those on board. When you think about it, these were very modern additions considering when the yacht was built.
After the launch ceremonies, the Dunsmuirs took the Dolaura on a shakedown cruise to various North Sea ports. After transiting the Kiel Canal which connects the North Sea with the Baltic, the Dolaura came upon the German Emperors's yacht. The Kaiser, noticing this regal craft, invited Dunsmuir to tour his vessel. Dunmuir came, and then reciprocated the invitation. The Kaiser was so impressed with Dunsmuir's yacht that he apparently ordered a new yacht for himself, obviously to be more lavish than the Dunsmuir's.
Dolaura proceeded to British Columbia via the Panama Canal, arriving here early in August of 1909. From then on the Dunsmuirs used the yacht for fishing and hunting trips, until she was sold in 1920. After that date, the yacht had a number of different owners, eventually returning to Scotland for a few years, only to be taken over by the British Admiralty for use during the Second World War. History does not relate what the Dolaura was used for; but no doubt she lived up to her splendid past. After the war, being of the age she was, her final destination was probably the ship breakers yard. One can only hope that somebody saved some of the interior fittings and the beautiful woodwork as a token to a by-gone era.
SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE T.S.S.Y. "DOLAURA"
1. Designer -- R.L. Newman, Philadelphia, U.S.A.
2. Builder -- Fleming & Ferguson Limited, Paisley, Scotland
3. Construction -- Steel
4. Hull # 373
5. Original rig -- Schooner
6. Date built -- 1908
7. Class built for Twin screw steam yacht
8. Dimensions:
HISTORY OF OWNERSHIP
1908-1920 -- Honourable James Dunsmuir, Victoria, B.C.
1920-1921 -- Arthur Meeker, Chicago, U.S.A.
1921-1926 -- James Shewan, New York, New York, U.S.A.
1926-1937 -- George W.C. Drexel, Philadelphia, U.S.A.
1937-1939 -- John C. Sword, Ayr, Scotland
1939-1947 -- The British Admiralty