(This new feature from Northern Maritime Research, details wrecks from the
Northern Shipwrecks Database containing more than 61,000 records of North
American wrecks, will be maintained as time permits. Suggestions for
future features appreciated). 

Vessel: PRINCESS SOPHIA  (346 of 346 persons lost, depending on source)
	(more info. appreciated)

Date:	Oct. 26-28th, 1918.

The 2,302-ton steel Canadian Pacific steam-liner PRINCESS SOPHIA departed
Skagway, Alaska on October 25th for Vancouver (or Victoria) with 346 (?)
people on board. (possibly 328 to 398 on board - most accounts quote 343
of 343 lost). Her Captain was F. L. Locke. 

She met with bad weather (snow) shortly after departing and on October
26th struck Vanderbilt Reef, in Lynn Canal. After being stranded for a day
and a half, and thought not to be in a very serious position, a gale
caused her to fall off the reef and sink into deep water with all on
board. The vessel resulted in a lost value of $500,000 (no including
lives). 

The PRINCESS SOPHIA had a rough career. She had previously stranded in
Lynn Canal on April. 13, 1913. She stranded again in the Johnstone Strait
(Vancouver Island north) on January 25th, 1914; then was damaged in the
Fraser River (near Vancouver?) on May 28th, 1914; then collided with the
SELKIRK in Vancouver Harbour on November 17th, 1916; then stranded again,
this time in Wrangell Narrows, Alaska (north of Prince Rupert, B.C.) on
May 11th, 1917. 


PRINCESS SOPHIA 
Tonnage:	GTon - 2,320; NTon - 1,465.
Official #:	130620
Place Built: 	Paisley, Scotland
Year Built:	1912
Builder:	Bow, McLachlan & Co.
Dimensions:	245.2 x 44.2 x 24.0
Port of Reg:	Victoria, B.C.
Site:		58 30' North./ 135' West.
Loss of Life:	346 of 346 (Hocking), or all of 328 to 398. 

References:
1. Dictionary of Disasters at Sea, by Charles Hocking.
2. Shipwrecks of the Alaskan Shelf and Shore, by U.S. Dept. of the
   Interior, Minerals Management Service, Alaska OCS Region (1992).
3. Canadian (Govt.) Sessional Papers 1920 - Annual report of Dept. of 
   Marine and Fisheries.
4. Canadian Coastal and Inland Steam Vessels, 1809 - 1930, by John M. 
   Mills, published by Steamship Historical Society of America. (1979).
5. Underwater Archaeological Society of British Columbia - Newsletter 
   FOGHORN.
6. (and many more).

For information on Northern Maritime Research's NORTHERN SHIPWRECK
DATABASE, see my www site listed in the signature block below. 

Yours,
Dave Barron

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| David N. Barron                             44 41' N./63 40' W.   |
| Northern Maritime Research  (research project name)               |
| Northern Shipwrecks Database    (61,000+ records)                 |
| Box 48047, Bedford, N.S.                                          |
| Canada.  B4A 3Z2                                                  |
| e-mail  <ad514@ch*.ns*.ca*>                                    |
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