Floating Households

Dredgers and harbour maintence vessels

The safe and efficient operation of Victoria Harbour depended not only on ships and crews, but on the continual reshaping of the harbour itself. To remove hazards to navigation and improve access to docks and wharves, the federal government provided funding to local authorities for dredging and seabed maintenance.

In 1911, the Corporation of the City of Victoria operated two dredgers: Mudlark and Ajax. A third vessel called the Government Driller was also utilized to maintain the seabed in the Port of Victoria.

Government dredger in Victoria harbour, c. 1911
Image courtesy of City of Victoria Archives, M00797

Mudlark (1888) - Capt. Thomas Brown + 10 crew
Ajax (1907) - Capt. J. M. Newcombe + 12 crew
Government Driller (n.d.) - Conductor Robert Hampton + 6 crew

The Mudlark, built in Victoria at the shipyard of William Turpel & Sons, was originally commissioned by the firm of R. P. Rithet & Company for the construction of its wharf near present-day Ogden Point. Acquired by the Dominion government in 1893, it became a permanent fixture in the Inner Harbour. The Ajax, built in North Vancouver, was engaged in dredging operations in the Upper Harbour at the time of the census.

As in other sectors of Victoria’s maritime workforce, men from the Atlantic provinces were prominent in dredging crews. The captain and chief engineer of the Mudlark were from Nova Scotia, while the master of the Ajax hailed from Newfoundland. The Government Driller, whose officer in charge was recorded by the census enumerator as a “Conductor” rather than a captain, was overseen by a mariner from the Isle of Man, an indication of the varied occupational traditions within this specialized field.

These vessels were not glamorous, yet their work was essential. By deepening channels, maintaining approaches, and reshaping the seabed, they enabled the movement of all other vessels in the harbour.