Lady Alexandra was a steamship built in 1924 in Montrose, Scotland which served in British Columbia from 1924 to 1952, mostly on Howe Sound. Design and construction Lady Alexandra was designed for the routes from Vancouver, British Columbia to Bowen Island and Howe Sound. Alexandra had a gross tonnage of 1,396 and net tonnage of 678. The ship was 225.4 feet long, with a beam of 40.7 feet and depth of hold of 9.7 feet. The power plant consisted of twin triple-expansion steam engines, developing 270 net and 2,200 indicated horsepower driving twin propellers. The ship had a speed of 14 knots. The ship was primarily a day steamer, having only 10 berths in six staterooms. The ship was licensed to carry 1,400 persons on daylight trips in Howe Sound and 900 persons across the Strait of Georgia to Victoria, British Columbia. In operation the ship often carried close to 2,000 passengers. The ship had three decks, a dining room that could seat 86 people as well as a large hardwood dance floor. The ship had a cargo capacity of 300 tons, but in operation the vessel rarely carried more than 100 tons. The official Canadian registry number was 151207. Alexandra was built by Coaster Construction Co., of Montrose, Scotland. Construction began in October 1923, and the ship was launched on February 21, 1924. After undergoing trials on the North Sea, the ship left Scotland on May 7 and arrived in Vancouver on June 21, 1924. Operation Alexandras primary use was a day vessel carrying organized excursions on Howe Sound, including in particular to the resort area owned by the Union Steamship Company on Bowen Island. Alexandra's first trip was on June 25, 1924, four days after arriving in Vancouver, was an excursion to view the battlecruiser , then on a visit to Vancouver. Although Alexandra had been designed primarily as a summer-time day excursion steamer, the company had intended to use the ship, which had a 300-ton cargo capacity, as a freighter in the off-season to transport canning supplies to, and pick up packed salmon from, the many canneries along the coast of British Columbia north of Vancouver Island. This was done just once, following the close of the 1924 summer season. Alexandra was sent north to the Skeena River with a load of cans. On the way south, laden with salmon, in open waters of Queen Charlotte Sound,