BC Maritime History

Recently, UASBC divers went out with dive boat Ocean Quest and @thermoclinediving to search for the Mary Hare which sunk in February 1896. We didn’t find it (this time), but that is part of searching for long lost shipwrecks.

We did however have a fabulous dive on the wreck of the Del Norte. Conditions were near perfect and we had a great crew of divers (equal numbers men and women!).

Sidewheel Steamer Del Norte was a 200ft vessel which ran between San Francisco up to Alaska. It was the first steamship to be build in San Francisco and it had two massive boilers which produced 40 lbs pressure to power the double 21ft paddle wheels. It ran aground in Porlier Pass in 1868 headed south from Sitka to San Francisco due to dense fog. All crew and passengers were evacuated safely.

Doug Hartley, Bob Zielinski, Eric Marles and Jim Goddard located Del Norte in 1971. UASBC divers conducted a survey in 1976 and lobbied for it to be protected. In 1976 the UASBC installed an educational plaque on the wreck to discourage divers from pilfering artifacts.

Today it sits on the bottom, the massive paddle wheel spokes still evident and the double boilers still mostly intact. It is surrounded by a field of coal which was used to power the vessel and a few artifacts can still be seen amongst the wreckage.

The UASBC and other organizations like it are incredibly important to our coastal communities. Check out their publication Historic Shipwrecks of the Southern Gulf Islands of BC by Warren Oliver Bush and Jacques Marc to learn more about the Del Norte, the Mary Hare and other wrecks on our coast.

Consider joining or supporting the UASBC! They have an Underwater Archeology for Divers course coming up at the end of this month. Visit UASBC.com for more info.