The tragedy of the wreck of the Princess Sophia was the worst maritime disaster in Alaska and British Columbia. Imagine a cold winter day in the fall of 1918 with blowing snow and driving winds. The CPR steamship Princess Sophia was pressed into service to make one last additional overflow run from Skagway to Vancouver. The ship hit Vanderbilt Reef and ended up high and dry with 366 souls onboard. The Captain judged it too dangerous to launch lifeboats. When the winds increased to over 80 miles per hour, the rescue ships on station around the reef ran for shelter. When they returned to the site in a flat calm the next morning, the only thing left of the Sophia were 2 masts sticking out of the water, an oil slick and a mass of dead bodies. One dog survived. Everyone else perished. It is our privilege and sadness and respect to be able to dive this wreck on most of our Alaska trips on the Nautilus Swell. The following video tells the story of the tragedy of the Princess Sophia. Safe diving.
– Captain Mike
366 people die in the greatest maritime disaster in Alaska
