Valencia (1906)

Valencia was built as an iron-hulled passenger vessel in 1882 and powered by a compound steam engine that that drove a single propeller.

Enroute from San Francisco to Victoria and Puget Sound the Valencia crashed ashore near Pachena Point on the west coast of Vancouver Island in stormy seas and during the dead of night January 22, 1906. With rescue vessels only one mile away, the vessel and 136 of its passengers and crew succumbed to monstrous seas 2 days after the grounding. The heavy loss of life made this BC’s most catastrophic shipwreck.

The most recognizable feature of the wreck is its bow section, which lies upside-down wedged between two rocks about 100 meters from shore. its anchors lie inshore of the bow and to one side. Amidst the kelp forest is its engine, a broken and tangled mass from early salvage efforts. Within the hollows on the bottom can be found scattered bullets and brass shell casings, remnants of its cargo. Less than 20 meters from shore is the propeller shaft.

Note: British Columbia’s Heritage Conservation Act automatically protects all heritage wrecks, including the remains of all wrecked vessels and aircraft once two or more years have passed since the date of loss. It is illegal to damage, alter or remove a heritage object from a heritage wreck except under a permit issued by the Archaeology Branch.