Ghostly presence detected aboard Metro Vancouver steamship

When Amanda Quill called out to a ghost to reveal itself aboard New Westminster’s Samson V, the paranormal investigator swore she felt someone take her by the hand and pull. Then, whatever it was suddenly let go.

“This boat is really active,” said Quill, looking around the steam-powered sternwheeler in astonishment. “I really feel like I’m in a whirlwind right here. I don’t know if it’s just right here, or the whole boat, but I feel it all around me,”

The Samson V  launched in 1937 and served as a snag-boat on the Fraser River. It was turned into museum after being decommissioned on Halloween in 1980. 

On rare occasions, staff members report hearing and spotting what they’re sure is a ghost.

One such instance happened when an employee was woken by the ship’s alarm.

“He came down the stairs and saw what he thought was someone leaning over to check on the boiler,” said Nelson Ellis, a museum employee. “He said as quick as he saw it, it was gone.”

Research reveals that a chief engineer died of a heart attack aboard the vessel in the 1940s. He would have worked in the engine room by the boiler.

Quill called out again, asking the spirit “are you taking care of the boat?”.

She sensed the reply “no, the boat is taking care of me.”

The Samson V is located on Quayside Dr., in New Westminster and is closed until the weather improves in the spring or summer.