SS Valencia was an iron-hulled passenger ship built for the Red D Line to travel between Venezuela and New York City. It was constructed in 1882 by William Cramp and Sons, one year after its sister ship, Caracas. The ship weighed 1,598 tons (originally 1,200 tons) and was 252 feet (77 meters) long. In 1897, Valencia was attacked by the Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes near Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The next year, it became a coastal passenger ship on the U.S. West Coast and served as a troopship to the Philippines during the Spanish–American War. On January 22, 1906, Valencia sank near Cape Beale, close to Clo-oose on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The wreck killed 100 people, including all women and children on board. Because of this, some consider the wreck of Valencia the worst maritime disaster in the "Graveyard of the Pacific," a dangerous area off the southwest coast of Vancouver Island.
History
The Red D Line operated a long-standing sailing ship service to Venezuela since 1839. This service continued without interruption for nearly 40 years. However, by the summer of 1879, the company decided to update its service by using steamships. Three German ships were rented to begin this new service, but it soon became clear that a permanent fleet was needed. As a result, two steamships were ordered from William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia. Both ships were designed to carry passengers, cargo, and mail, sail under American registration, and be crewed by American workers. In 1881, the first ship, the 1,200-ton Caracas, was completed and began service in July 1881 between New York City and Caracas, traveling via Laguayra and Puerto Cabello.
In 1882, the Caracas’s sister ship, the Valencia, was completed. The Valencia was 5 feet (2 meters) shorter than the Caracas and began its first voyage in May 1882. An extension service for the Valencia and Caracas was provided by a small wooden steamship called Maracaibo, which traveled to the port of Maracaibo. Unlike the Valencia and Caracas, the Maracaibo was registered under the British flag because it did not operate in the United States. Voyages on the Valencia and Caracas were scheduled twice a month, once for each ship, and took about 26 days. In 1888, the Caracas was sold to Thomas Egenton Hogg of the Oregon Pacific Railroad Company and renamed Yaquina Bay. The Valencia, however, continued to operate with the Red D Line. In later years, the Valencia traveled from New York City to Laguayra, via Puerto Cabello and the island of Curaçao.
In 1897, the liner Niagara of the Ward Line was taken out of service for repairs. The Valencia was then rented from the Red D Line to temporarily replace the Niagara. Despite the rental, the Valencia was still crewed by its Red D Line crew. On May 29, 1897, the Valencia was intentionally attacked by the Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes. The cruiser fired two shots at the Valencia near Guantánamo Bay. One shot missed the Valencia’s stern by 240 feet (73 meters). Immediately, the American flag was raised on the Valencia’s stern, stopping Reina Mercedes from firing further shots. It was later revealed that the shots were fired to intimidate the Valencia into raising its flag. The crew of Reina Mercedes knew the Valencia’s identity. Valencia’s captain recognized Reina Mercedes because both ships had been together in Santiago de Cuba only days before. A Spanish official claimed Reina Mercedes had the right to fire at the Valencia for not displaying its American flag, which violated maritime rules. In response, an American official stated that Reina Mercedes did not show its own flag during the attack, making the attack unjustified.
In 1898, the Valencia was sold to the Pacific Steam Whaling Company, which brought it around Cape Horn to the United States West Coast. From there, it served between San Francisco, California, and the Territory of Alaska. On June 19 of that year, the Valencia was rented by the United States Army to use as a troopship during the Spanish–American War. In this role, the Valencia could carry 606 troops and 29 officers. It transported the 1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry, 1st Washington Volunteer Infantry (Companies F, G, I, and L), and the California Heavy Artillery (Batteries A and D) between San Francisco and the Philippines. The Army paid the Valencia’s owners $650 per day for its use (equivalent to $25,200 in 2025).
After returning to civilian service, the Valencia did not adapt well to its new environment and was not well-liked by passengers on the Pacific Coast. It was considered too small and too open to the weather, leading to its classification as a second-class vessel. Its average speed was only 11 knots.
The Valencia’s design made it difficult to handle during winter months. Its long 100-foot (30-meter) bow reduced visibility from the bridge. The loud noise of waves crashing against the bow often interfered with communication among the crew.
The Valencia was not equipped with a double bottom, and like other early iron steamers, its hull compartmentalization was basic.
In 1901, the Valencia’s purser was arrested for overcharging passengers and stealing the extra money. The purser claimed the rest of the crew was involved in the scam. During the same event, it was discovered that the Valencia was carrying more passengers than allowed by its permits, leading to a $9,000 fine for its owners (equivalent to $348,000 in 2025).
After these incidents, the Valencia was sold to the Pacific Coast Steamship Company.
In 1902, while returning from Valdez, Alaska, the Valencia collided with the steamer Georgia in Elliott Bay near Seattle, Washington. One of the Valencia’s hull plates was punctured above the waterline. Later, it was found that if the collision had damaged the Valencia underwater, it would have sunk.
In 1905, the Valencia carried a crew of 62, three passengers, and 500 tons of general cargo on a voyage from Nome, Alaska. It ran aground without any loss of life while entering the harbor at Saint Michael, Alaska, on October 16. After the Valencia jettisoned about 75 tons of cargo, the tug Meteor helped it free itself, and it continued its journey southward.
During the winter, the Valencia spent most of its time docked in San Francisco, only being used as a backup ship when needed.
Final voyage
In January 1906, the ship Valencia was temporarily rerouted to the San Francisco–Seattle route to replace the SS City of Puebla, which was being repaired in San Francisco. The weather in San Francisco was clear, and Valencia departed on January 20 at 11:20 a.m. with nine officers, 56 crew members, and at least 108 passengers on board. As the ship passed Cape Mendocino in the early morning of January 21, the weather worsened. Visibility became poor, and a strong wind began blowing from the southeast.
Unable to use the stars to navigate, the crew had to estimate their position using dead reckoning. Without sight of land and facing strong winds and currents, Valencia missed the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Shortly before midnight on January 22, the ship struck a reef 11 miles (18 km) off Cape Beale on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island.
Immediately after the collision, a large wave lifted the ship off the reef. Crew members reported a large tear in the hull, through which water was rapidly entering. To prevent the ship from sinking, the captain ordered it to run aground, and it was driven into the rocks again. The ship was left stranded in sight of the shore, less than 100 yards (100 m) away.
In the chaos that followed, six of the seven lifeboats were lowered into the water without the captain’s permission, all improperly manned. Three lifeboats flipped during lowering, throwing their occupants into the ocean. Of the three lifeboats successfully launched, two capsized, and one disappeared. The scene at the wreck was described by survivor Frank Lehn, the chief freight clerk:
Screams of women and children mixed with the wind, rain, and crashing waves. Passengers rushed onto the deck but were swept away by huge waves that reached the ship’s mastheads. The ship began to break apart, and women and children were tied to the rigging above the reach of the sea. It was heartbreaking to see women wearing only nightgowns, standing on icy ropes, trying to protect children from the cold wind and rain.
Only twelve men reached the shore, but three were washed away by waves after landing. The remaining nine men climbed cliffs and found a telegraph line between trees. They followed the line through the forest until they reached a lineman’s cabin, from which they called for help. These nine men, later known as the “Bunker” Party after survivor Frank Bunker, faced criticism for not climbing to the nearby cliff, where they might have received a cable fired from the Lyle gun on board Valencia.
Meanwhile, the ship’s boatswain and volunteers were lowered in the last remaining lifeboat with instructions to find a safe landing and return to the cliffs to receive a lifeline from the ship. Upon landing, they found a trail and a sign reading “Three miles to Cape Beale.” They changed plans and hiked toward the lighthouse on the cape, arriving after 2½ hours. The lighthouse keeper called Bamfield to report the wreck, but the news had already been shared with Victoria. This group described the survivors on the ship as “well-nigh crazed” by their last sight of the passengers:
Brave faces looking over the broken rail of the wreck, with the echo of a hymn sung by women who, facing death calmly, remembered: “Nearer, My God, to Thee.”
After the disaster was reported in Victoria, three ships were sent to rescue survivors. The largest was the passenger liner SS Queen, accompanied by the salvage steamer Salvor and the tug Czar. Another ship, the City of Topeka, later left Seattle with a doctor, nurses, medical supplies, reporters, and experienced seamen. On January 24, Queen arrived at the wreck site but could not approach due to harsh weather and lack of depth charts. Salvor and Czar then traveled to Bamfield to organize an overland rescue.
Upon seeing Queen, Valencia’s crew launched the ship’s two remaining life rafts, but most passengers stayed on the ship, likely expecting a rescue. About an hour later, City of Topeka arrived but, like Queen, could not reach the wreck. The ship searched the area for hours, finding one life raft with 18 men. No other survivors were found, and the captain of City of Topeka ended the search at night. The second life raft eventually drifted ashore on an island in Barkley Sound, where four survivors were found by the island’s First Nations and taken to a village near Ucluelet.
When the overland rescue party reached the cliffs above the wreck site, they saw dozens of passengers clinging to the rigging and parts of Valencia’s hull. Soon after, the ship’s lone funnel collapsed, leaving passengers exposed to the waves. Without lifelines, the survivors could not be helped. Within hours, a large wave swept the wreckage off the rocks and into the ocean. Remaining passengers drowned, were crushed against the rocks, or clung to wreckage as they were swept to sea, dying from cold.
Investigation and aftermath
After the disaster, the US Marine Inspection Service began an investigation. President Theodore Roosevelt started a second investigation with two goals: to find out what caused the disaster and to suggest ways to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The investigation lasted from 14 February to 1 March 1906. The final report was published on 14 April 1906. Both reports agreed that the disaster was caused by navigation errors and bad weather. Safety equipment was mostly working, but lifeboat drills had not been practiced. The report stated that the crew of the rescue ships did everything possible to help the ship Valencia under the difficult conditions.
The loss of life was due to a series of bad events and a lack of safety structures along Vancouver Island’s coast. The federal report recommended building a lighthouse between Cape Beale and Carmanah Point, creating a coastal lifesaving trail with shelters, and placing surfboats at Tofino and Ucluelet. It also suggested stationing a well-equipped steamboat at Bamfield. The Canadian government quickly began construction. In 1908, the Pachena Point Lighthouse was completed, and in 1911, the West Coast Trail was finished.
Estimates of the number of deaths vary. Some sources say 117 people died, while others say as many as 181. The official report stated 136 people died. Only 37 men survived, and all women and children on the Valencia died.
In 1933, 27 years after the disaster, Valencia’s lifeboat No. 5 was found floating in Barkley Sound. It was in good condition, with much of its original paint still intact. The boat’s nameplate is now displayed at the Maritime Museum of British Columbia.
Interestingly, Valencia’s sister ship, Caracas, also sank. In 1888, shortly after arriving on the west coast as Yaquina Bay, it broke free from its tugboat, ran aground, and was declared a total loss.
The dramatic end of the Valencia has led to local rumors and ghost stories. Six months after the sinking, a local Nuu-chah-nulth fisherman, Clanewah Tom, and his wife reported seeing a lifeboat with eight skeletons in a sea cave near Pachena Bay. The cave’s entrance was blocked by a large rock, and the cave was about 200 feet deep. It was believed that high tide had moved the boat into the cave. Lightkeeper Philip Daykin thought the survivors might have been alive when the boat entered the cave but later died of starvation. Due to dangerous seas, the boat and remains could not be recovered. Clay Evans, a local Search and Rescue member, believes the story is likely false. However, if true, the lifeboat was likely No. 5, explaining its discovery in 1933. Similar stories claimed lifeboats were rowed by skeletons.
When transporting survivors of the Valencia to Seattle, the ship City of Topeka stopped to inform a passing vessel about the disaster. Some on board claimed they saw the shape of the Valencia in the smoke from the ship’s funnel. Later, a ship approached City of Topeka and appeared to be the Valencia, with skeletons on board. The phantom ship seemed to be heading toward rocks. The Valencia signaled the City of Topeka, adding to the fear on board. After this experience, the Topeka continued without further incidents. In 1910, the Seattle Times reported that sailors claimed to see a ghost ship like the Valencia near Pachena Point. Similar sightings were reported for years after the disaster.