Princess Sophia (steamer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On October 25, 1918, the SS Princess Sophia sank on Vanderbilt Reef near Juneau, Alaska, all 343 passengers died in the worst maritime disaster in history of the Pacific Northwest.

Contents

[edit] Size and construction

Princess Sophia was a steel screw ship of 2,320 tons gross and 1,466 tons net register and was built in Paisley, Scotland in 1912. While not as luxurious as her fleet-mates serving the Pacific Northwest, she was comfortable throughout, particularly in first class. There was an observation lounge forward panelled in maple, and a dining room that could seat 112 people, who enjoyed large windows for observing the coastal scenery. There was also a social hall with a piano for first class passengers. At the time of her sinking, Captain Leonard Locke, 66, commanded her.

[edit] Last Voyage

After the wreck of the Princess Sophia, a navigational beacon was placed and maintained on Vanderbilt Reef.
After the wreck of the Princess Sophia, a navigational beacon was placed and maintained on Vanderbilt Reef.

Princess Sophia departed Skagway, Alaska at 10:10 p.m., more than three hours behind schedule, on October 23, 1918. She was due to stop at Juneau, Alaska and Wrangell, Alaska on the 24th, Ketchikan, Alaska and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, on the 25th, Alert Bay, British Columbia, on the 26th, and finally Vancouver, British Columbia on the 27th.

After leaving Skagway, the ship steamed down Lynn Canal towards Juneau. Shortly after 2:00 a.m. on October 24, the Princess Sophia ran up onto Vanderbilt Reef in the middle of the canal, and got firmly lodged.

The area is an extremely dangerous one for boats. It has deep waters with strong currents, rocky cliff faces, and narrow fjords. Tides regularly bring ships dangerously close to the shore. In bad weather, winds in the Lynn Canal quickly become gales.[1]

The crew and passengers were unable to be rescued due to poor weather conditions, resulting in the rescue to be aborted for the day. The rescue vessels departed early in the afternoon of the 25th. By then, the ship and all aboard had been stranded at Vanderbilt Reef for a day and a half. Around 5:00 that afternoon, the ship started to sink. No one knows exactly what happened. Although the last SOS from the sinking ship was heard at 5:20, there is evidence that the ship stayed afloat until well after that, because many watches worn by the victims weren't stopped until almost 6:00. When the rescuers returned the next day, all that was left was the mast in the water, having sunk overnight. The loss of life of everyone onboard was the result of suffocation from the bunker oil (fuel) on the water. The only survivor was a small dog, believed to belong to a wealthy couple aboard, that was able to swim to a nearby island and recovered a few days later.

The sinking of Princess Sophia was overshadowed by the end of World War I and the Spanish flu.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Tales of Tragedy and Triumph: Canadian Shipwrecks, a virtual museum exhibition at Library and Archives Canada

[edit] References

[edit] See also

King & Winge (fishing schooner)

[edit] External links