Description

When most people interested in ships
and the sea think of Prince Edward Island
during the 19th century, the image
which usually springs to mind is that of a
"shipbuilding factory." There is some
truth to this, of course, since shipbuilders,
scattered around almost the entire
circumference of the Island, built and
launched thousands of sailing vessels
during the century.
But to focus solely upon shipbuilding
is to ignore an important facet of the
shipping industry. Throughout the century,
Islanders increasingly kept more
local ships for their own use. Many of
these vessels were later employed in
coasting trades from the Island, others
were used in the deep-sea trades as well.
Some of these craft were employed as
"liners," traversing fixed routes on relatively
constant schedules, but the vast
majority were "tramps," so called because
they went wherever available cargoes
were to be found.