The Wreck of the Valencia
“The graveyard of the Pacific” is synonymous with ships wrecked and lives lost. The unforgiving coastline of the Pacific Northwest including Vancouver Island has earned this designation, claiming all manner of vessels, the sea making no distinction nor showing any mercy.
From Cape Scott on the northern tip of Vancouver Island to Cape Flattery on the end of the American Olympic peninsula, lies a particularly dangerous stretch of waters. Some eighty ships have wrecked there since the late 1700s. Fog, currents, and year-round storms form a deadly alliance with the jagged coastline, creating a lethal trap. The original lighthouse buildings on the Scott Islands had to be lashed down with steel cables to prevent them from being swept away by the violent pacific storms.
Of all the wrecks, the most tragic story belongs to that of the Valencia, a 77 metre passenger steamer carrying 61 crew and 110 passengers, destined for Seattle from San Francisco. On January 22nd, 1906, bad weather and poor visibility combined with navigational error pushed the Valencia off course. Just before midnight, she hit a reef near Pachina Point on Vancouver Island. Only 50 metres separated the ship from shore, but it may as well have been 500 as the sea boiled with heavy surf: a terrifying example of, “so close, but yet so far.”
Lifeboats were launched but sank in the heavy seas. Miraculously, some men did swim to shore, but instead of securing a rescue line that had been fired from ship to shore, and would have most certainly saved lives, they opted to seek help by following a telegraph trail blazed through dense west coast rainforest.
The remaining crew and passengers languished for two days aboard the doomed Valencia. When rescue ships arrived, their crews could only watch helplessly as heavy seas prevented assistance. Survivors (many were women and children) clung desperately to the rigging. As the women sang “Nearer, My God, to Thee” a wave took the ship off the rock and slid it into the ocean, taking with it all those on board. Every single woman and child perished, while thirty-five men survived. Incredibly, the Valencia’s #5 lifeboat was found intact, floating in Barkley Sound some 27 years after the tragedy, feeding local legend about the ghost ship Valencia. The lifeboat is now on display at the BC Maritime Museum.
American President Theodore Roosevelt himself ordered an investigation into the tragedy, testimony to the attention this story received. For years, mariners had demanded a lighthouse at treacherous Pachina Point, and in direct response to the Valencia’s 136 lives lost, the Canadian Government finally acquiesced and funded construction. Another direct result was to upgrade an existing telegraph line into an escape route for survivors, complete with intermittently spaced cabins. New technology, however, soon rendered the trail obsolete.
This trail, what was the telegraph line escape route, is known today as “The West Coast Trail”, a renowned hiking destination. Every year, thousands of trekkers come from all over the world to test their resolve against the daunting 75 kilometers (47 miles) of rugged wilderness and its formidable elements. This is an extremely demanding hike and not intended for novices. Rusting relics from several shipwrecks can be observed along the trail. The Valencia site can be seen from atop of the aptly named Valencia Bluffs, where the wreck rests under about seven meters of water.
A moderately challenging ten kilometers (one way) hike along what is considered to be the easier end of the trail starts at hauntingly beautiful Pachina Bay (camp sites are available) and will lead you to the meticulously maintained Pachina Point Lighthouse grounds. You will likely encounter weary (or elated) hikers just finishing (or starting) the West Coast Trail.
Before you set out, it is imperative that you check the Parks Canada link for essential information on how to get to the trail head located near the town of Bamfield, and how to enjoy this adventure safely. It’s well worth the effort and the hike to retrace the path of the Valencia.
This article was written by Steve Crabb of Island Times Magazine.
There is much more to the story of The Valencia that cannot be told here; for a fascinating, complete account visit: HistoryLink.org. For information on the shipwrecks of Vancouver Island please visit the BC Maritime Museum located in Victoria, BC: Click Here. BC Maritime Museum: www.mmbc.bc.ca, Parks Canada: Click Here
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