Regarding the pronunciation of Sophia, here is the museum's response in full when I asked them about it: "Yes, this one is always up for debate. I don’t think either is wrong, per se, but some people definitely have a preference. We decided to go with so-FYE-uh ourselves since that is what most of the experts use as well. I personally think it is the safer bet." In the end, I ultimately deferred to the subject matter experts here instead of the more common pronunciation. I knew it would irritate some people, and I certainly had to make a very conscious effort to unlearn how I've always said the name. If you disagree with the pronunciation, that is perfectly fine-but just know I did my due diligence in asking the experts what they thought. Thank you for watching! - Sam Chapters: Introduction: 0:00 History: 3:16 Day of departure: 5:10 Disaster: 8:29 Aftermath: 15:13
Great video! Well-researched and presented. Slight well-intentioned editorial feedback: given the gravity of the subject matter, and the importance of the transcribed messages between Locke and Leadbetter, I have to question paraphrasing them.
It’s unfortunate that this pronunciation was once conventional, and it takes a little getting used to, but you’ve definitely made the correct choice in this context. An altogether captivating effort.
A moving video. I found as I read Listverse. One of the most informative, engaging and terribly shocking the insincerity of the Captains who arrived. Who seemed put out and pride ultimately claimed the innocent. What was disgusting was the false hope given to passengers and then to families. Shows how little has changed. Big business is still protected. They didn't do their best. It was more than that ship's fault. * My beloved cousin's name is Sophia. Thank you for not traumatizing me.
A similar tragedy occurred in New Zealand in 1968. The T.E.V. Wahine got caught on a reef within shouting distance of the shore. The captain elected to abandon ship. 50 odd passengers died, including one poor girl child. Later it appeared that if the order to take to lifeboats hadn't been given, none would have perished. Hindsight is a wonderful thing as they say.
idk if you have seen it but there’s a pretty good doc on youtube about the sinking of the wahine. it has interviews with survivors intermixed with the story of the sinking. i had never heard of it before which is pretty crazy. i’ll never forget it now. i believe it was called “the sinking of the wahine” or something similar.
@@ripwednesdayadams i was gonna mention that same documentary. Its really good but that poor mother that lost her kids just killed me. And the old guy talkin about his wife
53 people died but 676 were rescued during a severe storm with 250 km/h winds. The ship sank in 11 meter water and rolled to the side. That's what killed people, too. I don't know why you blame everything on the lifeboats. One lifeboat sank, while three others reached the shore. The inquiry said more people would have died if the order to enter the lifeboats were given earlier or later. It had been a desperate decision to launch the lifeboats under the conditions, but it had been the right one.
Such a tragedy. Needless loss of life...and then to be barely thought of in the time of the end of war. 350 souls lost...incredibly sad. Thank you for telling their story. They are not forgotten. 🌹
15:17 That would be the creepiest thing in the world to me, standing on the dry mast of a ship that's submerged below you, knowing that if the water was clearer, you'd be able to see the dark shape of it below the surface.
This video is exceptionally well done! I found it very informative, and a very respectful tribute to those who perished on Princess Sophia. I also learned some new facts that haven't been covered in other documentaries I've watched or articles I've read. Nice job on the animated photos you created too. Great work, Sam!
Thank you, Matt. I am grateful for your assistance in pointing me in the direction of some of these great photos. I was actually just about to give you a shout out in the video description. I meant to do that when I published the video. I truly appreciate it! - Sam
@@StunningHistory Very well made, respectful video. Many years ago, my young son {then 5} asked out of nowhere ''Do ferries ever sink?'' ..{We used them to get to Mainland Europe from England }I replied instinctively ''Not now, no, they are quite safe''. Eerily within hours, the Herald of Free Enterprise sank within sight of the shore, the first ferry sinking that I knew of in my lifetime around European waters. For those of us who live near water, we used ferries a reasonable amount {Before the channel tunnel}, and they had always felt quite ''Safe''. However, You tube shows them not to be safe... another shocker in local waters {The North Channel/Irish Sea} was Princess Victoria Disaster ..again, ''Hindsight being a wonderful thing''.. She should never have put to Sea in the teeth of a ferocious gale that battered Northern Europe. Captain's arrogance ? Perhaps. That is also a deeply frustrating incidence that happened within 10 miles offshore.
Great video of a lesser known tragedy of the Pacific Northwest! This story is so vexing to me because the passengers had multiple chances to be allowed off the ship, and how the company wriggled out of paying the families of the deceased. Just horrific all around and I can't even begin to imagine what it felt like on board. Technical note: The timing of the subtitles is a fair bit off about halfway into the video, they were well behind the narration at a point so it was a bit disorienting -- 7:04 is where the subtitles start to diverge from the narration which then makes the timing disjointed for the rest of the video. I'm grateful for the subtitles either way and hope it's an easy enough fix to trim the extra lines! :) I like the animations you added to the old photos. It really brings the ship to life!
This story is told in the book by Laura Beatrice Berton titled, I Married the Klondike. The sinking devastated the already struggling town of Dawson City Yukon by killing many of its leading citizens. A massive hurt to the community still suffering after the losses of WW1. Laura Berton was the mother of famous Canadian author Pierre Berton who wrote 50 best selling books.
Great video.....I became aware of this tragedy as Mountainview Cemetery in Vancouver has many of the Princess Sophia victims buried there. On the 100th anniversary of the sinking in 2018 my friend and I left candles and flowers on the graves. So very sad.
@@StunningHistory HI Sam....yes..seeing the graves and reading the inscriptions is definitely somber...Jack Maskell and Auris McQueen are both not far from the graves of my family members...the young man who was the radio operator is interred a few sections north. Thanks again for a very informative and interesting video.
great job explaining all of this horrible tragedy. I live in AK and I love the documentaries I find especially ones like this. You are respectful and truthful without making things up to fill in the gaps, thank you. Yes I subscribed. I can’t believe you don’t have more subscribers. You will soon.
8:35 I really like how you include sound effects like this in your videos. It helps me imagine what it would have been like to be on that ship when it ran aground.
The Princess Sophia disaster is well known up here in the Pacific Northwest. I've seen the display at the BC Maritime Museum and in Skagway. We know it as " The Titanic of the Northwest "
Just imagine being on the rescue vessel King and Winge on that cold October morning and seeing Sophia's mast at 14:51 sticking out, of the water. I couldn't imagine that. My heart sank when I seen that. Such a sad ending to a sadly forgotten ship disaster. May all 350 people and animals aboard who perished rest for all eternity.
Well done. I'm hooked, found this video and now subscribed and starting at the beginning. Watched a couple already and gotta say, I usually don't subscribe to many as I'm picky, but yours have excellent perspectives, are well written, narrated and addictive. Thanks for putting in the time to make these. I think your channel will grow much in the next few months.
You definitely deserve more subscribers, this is very well done. You'll be happy to know you're popping up in "recommendeds" sections of people, ever since I've been watching Maritime Horrors, (in turn recommended due to Fascinating Horror / Wartime Stories.)
great story telling Ship Geek! your video is so very well put together. The sea is unforgiving, and suffers no fools. photos of the body viewing area was particularly disturbing in the tragic dignity shown the dead. the lack of morality shown by CP's afterwords was/is unsurprising as like most companies its PR/legal wing goes into damage control mode, deny, deny, deny...
Hindsight's 20/20, I don't believe the captain erred in not evacuating the passengers and crew, especially with what happened to the Clallam. Great video, thanks for posting...
Congratulations! This is so interesting! Such a tragedy though. It's like the opposite outcome to the White Star RMS Celtic which ran aground in 1928. Best wishes from Ireland.
Seventy-nine years ago today, the most catastrophic maritime disaster in human history occurred. On January 30, 1945, the Soviet submarine S-13, under the command of Captain Alexander Marinesko, torpedoed the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German military transport ship, which had been repurposed for evacuating more than 10,600 German war refugees from the eastern parts of the Reich across the Baltic Sea. This devastating attack led to the tragic loss of an estimated 9,600 lives, including more than 5,000 children.
@@DUSTYMESA it wasn't a war crime. It was acting in the service of the German Navy, flying the German naval ensign and was also been used for military proposes. It was a legal target. Any vessel that is being used for medical, humanitarian, POW transport, ect was/is required to be clearly marked as such. It was operating in a dual civilian/military role so was correctly flagged, but at the same time it was a legitimate military target.
If the Sofia had beached on a reef and took damage, I'm surprised the captain didn't drop anchor so as to prevent her drifting off and capsizing in deeper water (as happened).
For that you need to understand how an anchor works. The anchor itself is only a way too keep the chain on the bottom, the chain itself is what holds the ship in place due to its contact area. This is why its also a lot easier for a vessel to drag anchor on a rocky bottom than on a sandy bottom. Dropping the anchor on the reef would've achieved basically nothing.
@@fernandomarques5166 Is that so? I never knew that. I assumed that the massive length of anchor chain was to reach the sea bed, but I bow to your greater judgement of this. the anchor flukes I thought ''Dug in'' to the sea bed, but I can see that on rocks that an anchor might drag.
What an amazing presentation ! Thank you for this great and informative channel. I didn't know about this "Canadian Titanic of the West". My birth place is in the area of the Empress of Ireland disaster, that we could call then the Canadian Titanic of the East. Big loss of lives in both cases, I start to be curious to know how many CPR disasters happened... The Princess Sophia disaster raises a lot of questions indeed, though I don't doubt a minute about the good intents of the crew on the passengers safety... So many questions still !
Excellent video with none of the melodrama common to some. I took the inside passage route from Vancouver Island to Skagway on a grand old passenger ferry built in the 1960's (long since scrapped by now). It wasn't touristy back then, and quite an intimate and friendly atmosphere developed on board. Nowadays, I gather those hideous vessels like capsized blocks of condos frequent the route...
So tragic. I'm sure the Captain did the best that he could but it would have been far better had the passengers been transshipped with vessels nearby. RIP to passengers and crew of the Princess Sophia.
The image at 18:30 is of C Street dock in Bellingham, Washington. In the background on the hill is the easily recognizable and imposing City Hall building, today the Whatcom Museum.
The captain's decision not to abandon ship was the most classic example of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" I've yet heard of in a maritime story.
I worked on tugboats plying the inside passage for several years. This wreck is well known and still talked about 40 years ago when I was last up there. I was on more than a few tugs that grounded and had to wait for tide to refloat so I know what these people went through.
Fantastic video, and deeply distressing… suggestion for a potential future video; the sinking of the Danish steamer SS Norge in 1904. It was the worst maritime disaster in the North Atlantic before the sinking of the titanic
Wow that's incredibly sad i never even heard of this sea disaster very sad story that every one on board died so many lives cut short too soon the captain should have evaluated when they had a chance
I’m starting to see an unfortunate pattern here. Any line with a relatively high profile disaster in it’s history, usually has more than one. CPR also owned the SS Empress of Ireland, which became the worst maritime disaster in Canadian history. White Star with Titanic and Atlantic, obviously. The Collins Line had almost too many to count, etc. No line seems to just have one major disaster in it’s history.
How does a seasoned captain with 25 years experience in and around the Lynn canal, run into a reef that he knew was there, and had passed countless times?
What a tragedy shipwrecks are. I'm now reminded of the shipwreck on December 11, 1710, of the British merchant ship, Nottingham Galley, captained by John Deane which wrecked upon Boon Island off the coast of Maine. Catabolism was involved. So was winter season. Ten of the crewmen managed to stay alive despite winter conditions with no food and no fire for twenty-four days, within sight of the mainland until finally rescued. Flying high in the air doesn't frighten me as much as being on a ship sailing in the deep ocean.
@@BeeFunKnee Well if they only ate people who were already dead then that is alright then. But if they killed them for food that is when it becomes a real tragedy. Those air crash passengers in the 70s who were stuck in the Andes mountains had to eat the dead or none of them would have survived. So you can't really judge people who do that.
@@rl7012 I totally agree with you. Right now, I'm eating meatloaf and vegetables. Were I involved in a shipwreck far away from land who knows what I'd willingly be eating just to put anything into my stomach.
Excellent video, a story I was not familiar with. As a lifelong sailor done lots of offshore racing and cruising I can tell you that it's a really tough decision to leave the boat. Ship-to-ship transfers are notoriously dangerous even for a single person. I think the captain probably did the best thing under the circumstances. Of course hindsight is always clearest but In the Heat of the Moment you're forced to make tough decisions.
I believe all was done correctly. Attempts to lower boats or passengers in the squalish conditions likely would have been catastrophic. The ship was so inundated on the rocks that it didnt seem likely they would be going anywhere...making the possibility of sinking fairly remote. Unfortunately, the storm refused to let up or break until the Sophia had been pushed and torn off of the rocks, dooming all on board. Another case of mother nature showing no mercy to her children
A classic example of why being crammed into a metal construct with complete strangers then set upon the sea or pushed through the sky is inarguably both dangerous and potentially fatal groupthink
I live in anacortes, northwest wa and tons of our community for generations have done fishing and most have done several seasons in Alaska. Our oceans up in Washington aren’t much for sharks, but the temps in our waters are deadly year round (at night on a decent day in summer at least)
@@hungsolow7090 not in the northwest corner where I live (San Juan area). There are only dog sharks which are rly little and no threat to people. What we DO have are orcas and sea lions (those 2 depend on the time of year, and giant octopus and seals, things like that. So yeah no big or dangerous sharks here. I think it’s simply too cold in our waters for their liking. But if you go south to Oregon, I believe they have bigger sharks being nearer to California.
The Captain made the best decision his long career of ocean shipping could provide. One look at the ship perched high and dry with waves crashing all around and the height above the water being so incredibly high, that alone would have put passengers in grave danger. Would the lifeboats even be able to make it that far down before running out of line?! This is truly an astonishing report of one of the many shipwrecks to dot the ‘Graveyard if the Pacific’
Yes but that only makes sense if the ship is permanently lodged on the rocks and the captain does not know for certain that it was. Also there were opportunities when the weather made it possible for life boats to be lowered and help was nearby. The captain is only assuming that the ship won't budge. He should have realised the danger of the boat dislodging from where it was as that would prove fatal for all. The captain should have at least done a test of lowering some life boats and put volunteer men in it to see if worked. If it did then he had a duty to help the passengers leave because the captain does not know how secure the ship is on those rocks, he only thinks he does. Yes it might stay there, but he took a huge gamble to think that it would.
The window of opportunity was there and failed all, the company who hired the captain are liable and the captain also, imagine the screaming at the captain l would be waving the ships in. Well done historic event showing how the top fails.
The captain’s fears weren’t totally unwarranted. There are numerous deadly examples (aside from the one mentioned) that would make anyone pause before leaving a big ship that was still afloat for small lifeboats.
Easily one of the accidents that would have had much lesser or possibly no lives lost had the captain done things differently. Of course easy to say while not being in that situation. And I could be wrong but looking at that rock via google maps, looks like the damage is still visible.
Noted, thanks! I have a limited library of purchased stock footage and historic imagery, so I try to experiment with different ways of presenting it for visual interest. Otherwise, stock footage expenses can add up quickly! - Sam
Every time a story about sailing or flying in the world starts off with the operators of the plane or ship using dead reckoning you know it's not going to end well
It seems like any type of navigation that has the word "dead" in its name is probably not something that should be relied on to navigate a narrow canal in a blinding snowstorm...
The dog that made it to shore. Imagine if that dog could talk ..he would have probably led a campaign to let other dogs know how stupid humans can be sometimes
The loss of life was completely preventable, the Sophia's captain was given orders to wait for a CPR owned ship from Victoria. All because they did not want to surrender the passengers and cargo to another company.
Differently bad outcome as compared to the _Deutschland._ I can't second-guess the captain, facing those wintery seas with a green crew. About the only thing he could've done was flood tanks & coal bunkers, except the tanks were already full for the voyage, and he didn't savor the idea of offloading a load of wet coal - the delay for such a change out would've stranded the ship for the winter.
I disagree with the characterization of the decision making of the Captain and crew. Particularly in light of previous tragedies where everyone who entered a lifeboat died whilst those who stayed on board were rescued. We also don’t know if evacuating via lifeboat would have even worked.
Unless you've experienced the forces at work when energetic water comes into contact with rocks it's impossible to understand the dilemma the captain faced. I mean, it's practically impossible to stand in just a foot of fast moving, energetic water. Find yourself between it and a reef and they'll be fishing your body parts out for a week. Generally speaking it's usually best to stick with the ship rather than risk attempting to board a small boat which can be turned into matchsticks with the breaking of a single wave. Looking back it's the easiest thing in the world to claim the Captain was responsible. But the definition of hell is being faced with choices all of which are bad. He was in a terrible situation. One which no skipper would ever wish to find himself in. What I would suggest is - after reading about the awful Sewol ferry incident, in which passengers were also told to stay on board whilst the ferry was in the process of capsizing, when faced with a choice of accepting the orders of the captain and the crew in a life-threatening situation - trust your instincts. If your instincts are telling you it's time to evacuate then to hell with the crew. Get out. In the words of Gene Hackman from the movie "The Poseidon Adventure" - "God helps those who help themselves".
Same for the Grenfell towers tragedy. The fire brigade were telling people not to leave the building. For two hours at the beginning of the fire residents were continually told by the emergency fire call operators to stay where they were and that it was safer to stay in their flats. On one phone call to the emergency services a woman in the tower said she could see fire and smoke was coming under her door and she was still strongly advised to stay where she was. The only people who survived were those on the lower floors and those who disobeyed the constant telling of 'stay in your flats' One woman on the 15th floor left her flat to see what was going on early in the fire, only to met with emergency workers shouting at her that she should have stayed put. So she tries to go back in and luckily they are not allowed to let her back in the building. Then her family came down looking for her and they too got shouted at to stay in. But they too were not allowed back in. So that family were sooooo lucky to survive. Thank God the mum went down to see what was happening.
You've got some of your facts wrong: 11:11 You claim "most" of Sophias crew had been hired in Skagway. In reality, only 10 crewmen were hired there, out of which 6 were waiters. (Crew total was 65) 12:48 The wireless question regarding "if you think she will back off at next high water" is not from Locke to Leadbetter but is from Troup (head of CPR ships) to Locke.
Here is the way Sophia disaster should have been handled from a policy perspective. It was well known that this intercoastal passage way was treacherous with rocky shoals and narrow passages. Management of this Canadian Railway Company should put passenger safety first as its policy. Arrival times and schedules are only APPROXIMATE TIMES and DATES with the caveat of weather and sea conditions. The captain of the Sophia should have been trained in policy to SEEK safe harbor to anchor to wait out snow storms, squalls and rough sea conditions. If the ship had to anchor three days to wait out a storm or bad seas then it stays until sea and weather conditions moderate. Really treacherous points, such as narrow passages with treacherous rocky shoals should have ONLY BEEN CROSSED DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS period. The Sophia should have been thought of as a coastal ship that only traveled from designated safe harbor to safe harbor points during periods of fair or good weather. So what if it would have taken an extra day or two of travel. The idea here is to make safety of the passengers above all else including profits.
It took 10 hours. It eased into the water like an old man into a nice warm bath - no offence. I tell ya, I hear people really stuff themselves on those cruise ships. The buffet, that's the real ordeal. Well, all vacations have to end eventually.
Does anyone actually wonder where the term "dead reckoning" came from? It doesn't really work well in the least bit in zero visibility storms, and certainly back then with no charts and modern day electronics.. This is a toss up, IMO... Regarding the captains culpability.. I doubt they ever asked who can and cannot swim.. Especially for a new/er crew... He should have halted.. That being said, and I do know a bit of the rules of the sea.. IF anyone had really wanted to go over, they could have.. But, that temperature and a storm.. I think very few would have been around to tell their tale.. Glad that man wrote it down and stuffed it in his pocket.. Sad.. However, the Seas do NOT give a single fawk about humans.. Nobody should ever assume that she does.. Or he.... Or it... Same result... Good coverage! I had forgotten studying about this long ago! Thanks!
Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage To find the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea Tracing one warm line through a land so wild and savage And make a Northwest Passage to the sea
That is zero comfort to anyone. Better the captain abandon them as that way the passengers and crew would have left the stranded ship. Nobody would stay on there if the captain did a runner.
I did sub to the channel because of this video. So-fee-a was a good ship with a bad captain and crew. Non of them could Staind up to captain asshats,and save the passengers. What a shame.
this was as good as they come BETTER THAN MANY vids about ALL THINGS ! dam shame it happ though ,i cant blame the capt ,seemed of sound mind and not effen DRUNKED UP nm he went down with it ,as soon as i saw the 1st photo on here i predicted the reason about life boats lowered onto GROUND BUT metal ones must of been new {more or less} plus with all the help nearby AND knowing shoreline close also even if he was lulled by the by the safety looks of all those choices ,and knowing of last time it happened all were saved ,he was responsible for all that happened and i dont thinj he took it lightly! gosh knows what his thoughts were during the last minutes of his demise iow he did what he thought correct ,go ez on him
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Regarding the pronunciation of Sophia, here is the museum's response in full when I asked them about it:
"Yes, this one is always up for debate. I don’t think either is wrong, per se, but some people definitely have a preference. We decided to go with so-FYE-uh ourselves since that is what most of the experts use as well. I personally think it is the safer bet."
In the end, I ultimately deferred to the subject matter experts here instead of the more common pronunciation. I knew it would irritate some people, and I certainly had to make a very conscious effort to unlearn how I've always said the name. If you disagree with the pronunciation, that is perfectly fine-but just know I did my due diligence in asking the experts what they thought.
Thank you for watching!
- Sam
Chapters:
Introduction: 0:00
History: 3:16
Day of departure: 5:10
Disaster: 8:29
Aftermath: 15:13
This should probably be pinned. :)
Great video, thanks a lot!
Great video! Well-researched and presented. Slight well-intentioned editorial feedback: given the gravity of the subject matter, and the importance of the transcribed messages between Locke and Leadbetter, I have to question paraphrasing them.
It’s unfortunate that this pronunciation was once conventional, and it takes a little getting used to, but you’ve definitely made the correct choice in this context. An altogether captivating effort.
Yes, that was ia the best thing that should be for information and authentition knewnlegde.Thanks verymuch
A moving video. I found as I read Listverse. One of the most informative, engaging and terribly shocking the insincerity of the Captains who arrived. Who seemed put out and pride ultimately claimed the innocent. What was disgusting was the false hope given to passengers and then to families. Shows how little has changed. Big business is still protected. They didn't do their best. It was more than that ship's fault. * My beloved cousin's name is Sophia. Thank you for not traumatizing me.
A similar tragedy occurred in New Zealand in 1968. The T.E.V. Wahine got caught on a reef within shouting distance of the shore. The captain elected to abandon ship. 50 odd passengers died, including one poor girl child. Later it appeared that if the order to take to lifeboats hadn't been given, none would have perished. Hindsight is a wonderful thing as they say.
Yes that was tragic, I watched some old footage of the vessel in the bay, one of the saddest story’s I’ve ever heard, was a hard watch..🙏🏼
idk if you have seen it but there’s a pretty good doc on youtube about the sinking of the wahine. it has interviews with survivors intermixed with the story of the sinking. i had never heard of it before which is pretty crazy. i’ll never forget it now. i believe it was called “the sinking of the wahine” or something similar.
@@ripwednesdayadams i was gonna mention that same documentary. Its really good but that poor mother that lost her kids just killed me. And the old guy talkin about his wife
53 people died but 676 were rescued during a severe storm with 250 km/h winds. The ship sank in 11 meter water and rolled to the side. That's what killed people, too. I don't know why you blame everything on the lifeboats. One lifeboat sank, while three others reached the shore. The inquiry said more people would have died if the order to enter the lifeboats were given earlier or later. It had been a desperate decision to launch the lifeboats under the conditions, but it had been the right one.
Such a tragedy. Needless loss of life...and then to be barely thought of in the time of the end of war. 350 souls lost...incredibly sad. Thank you for telling their story. They are not forgotten. 🌹
15:17
That would be the creepiest thing in the world to me, standing on the dry mast of a ship that's submerged below you, knowing that if the water was clearer, you'd be able to see the dark shape of it below the surface.
This video is exceptionally well done! I found it very informative, and a very respectful tribute to those who perished on Princess Sophia. I also learned some new facts that haven't been covered in other documentaries I've watched or articles I've read. Nice job on the animated photos you created too. Great work, Sam!
Thank you, Matt. I am grateful for your assistance in pointing me in the direction of some of these great photos. I was actually just about to give you a shout out in the video description. I meant to do that when I published the video. I truly appreciate it! - Sam
Added my thanks to the video description!
@@StunningHistory Very well made, respectful video.
Many years ago, my young son {then 5} asked out of nowhere ''Do ferries ever sink?'' ..{We used them to get to Mainland Europe from England }I replied instinctively ''Not now, no, they are quite safe''.
Eerily within hours, the Herald of Free Enterprise sank within sight of the shore, the first ferry sinking that I knew of in my lifetime around European waters.
For those of us who live near water, we used ferries a reasonable amount {Before the channel tunnel}, and they had always felt quite ''Safe''.
However, You tube shows them not to be safe... another shocker in local waters {The North Channel/Irish Sea} was Princess Victoria Disaster ..again, ''Hindsight being a wonderful thing''.. She should never have put to Sea in the teeth of a ferocious gale that battered Northern Europe.
Captain's arrogance ? Perhaps. That is also a deeply frustrating incidence that happened within 10 miles offshore.
Great video of a lesser known tragedy of the Pacific Northwest! This story is so vexing to me because the passengers had multiple chances to be allowed off the ship, and how the company wriggled out of paying the families of the deceased. Just horrific all around and I can't even begin to imagine what it felt like on board.
Technical note: The timing of the subtitles is a fair bit off about halfway into the video, they were well behind the narration at a point so it was a bit disorienting -- 7:04 is where the subtitles start to diverge from the narration which then makes the timing disjointed for the rest of the video. I'm grateful for the subtitles either way and hope it's an easy enough fix to trim the extra lines! :)
I like the animations you added to the old photos. It really brings the ship to life!
Thank you! I think the captions should be fixed now.
This story is told in the book by Laura Beatrice Berton titled, I Married the Klondike. The sinking devastated the already struggling town of Dawson City Yukon by killing many of its leading citizens. A massive hurt to the community still suffering after the losses of WW1. Laura Berton was the mother of famous Canadian author Pierre Berton who wrote 50 best selling books.
Great video.....I became aware of this tragedy as Mountainview Cemetery in Vancouver has many of the Princess Sophia victims buried there. On the 100th anniversary of the sinking in 2018 my friend and I left candles and flowers on the graves. So very sad.
Thank you for sharing, Carol. That was an interesting but somber moment I'm sure. - Sam
@@StunningHistory HI Sam....yes..seeing the graves and reading the inscriptions is definitely somber...Jack Maskell and Auris McQueen are both not far from the graves of my family members...the young man who was the radio operator is interred a few sections north. Thanks again for a very informative and interesting video.
great job explaining all of this horrible tragedy. I live in AK and I love the documentaries I find especially ones like this. You are respectful and truthful without making things up to fill in the gaps, thank you. Yes I subscribed. I can’t believe you don’t have more subscribers. You will soon.
8:35 I really like how you include sound effects like this in your videos. It helps me imagine what it would have been like to be on that ship when it ran aground.
Thank you for the feedback!
The Princess Sophia disaster is well known up here in the Pacific Northwest. I've seen the display at the BC Maritime Museum and in Skagway.
We know it as " The Titanic of the Northwest "
But what is titanic about it?
Man that was terrifying. So sorry for those lost souls. Very nice video
Just imagine being on the rescue vessel King and Winge on that cold October morning and seeing Sophia's mast at 14:51 sticking out, of the water. I couldn't imagine that. My heart sank when I seen that. Such a sad ending to a sadly forgotten ship disaster. May all 350 people and animals aboard who perished rest for all eternity.
Excellent, well researched and respectful. You are very gifted and professional!
How tragic. I'd never heard about the Princess Sophia, so thank you for making this amazing video.
Well done. I'm hooked, found this video and now subscribed and starting at the beginning. Watched a couple already and gotta say, I usually don't subscribe to many as I'm picky, but yours have excellent perspectives, are well written, narrated and addictive. Thanks for putting in the time to make these. I think your channel will grow much in the next few months.
You definitely deserve more subscribers, this is very well done. You'll be happy to know you're popping up in "recommendeds" sections of people, ever since I've been watching Maritime Horrors, (in turn recommended due to Fascinating Horror / Wartime Stories.)
Cool, thank you! Sounds like I’m in good company.
great story telling Ship Geek! your video is so very well put together. The sea is unforgiving, and suffers no fools. photos of the body viewing area was particularly disturbing in the tragic dignity shown the dead. the lack of morality shown by CP's afterwords was/is unsurprising as like most companies its PR/legal wing goes into damage control mode, deny, deny, deny...
Hindsight's 20/20, I don't believe the captain erred in not evacuating the passengers and crew, especially with what happened to the Clallam. Great video, thanks for posting...
Well he did err. You can't do worse as a captain than losing a ship and all the passengers and crew while rescue was at hand.
Congratulations! This is so interesting! Such a tragedy though. It's like the opposite outcome to the White Star RMS Celtic which ran aground in 1928. Best wishes from Ireland.
Seventy-nine years ago today, the most catastrophic maritime disaster in human history occurred. On January 30, 1945, the Soviet submarine S-13, under the command of Captain Alexander Marinesko, torpedoed the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German military transport ship, which had been repurposed for evacuating more than 10,600 German war refugees from the eastern parts of the Reich across the Baltic Sea. This devastating attack led to the tragic loss of an estimated 9,600 lives, including more than 5,000 children.
To be fair,German subs deliberately Targeted passenger vessels and drowned thousands of allied civilians so it was fair game
@@zainmudassir2964 war crimes are war crimes, no matter the war.
And???
They bombed the Lancastria, 7,000 people were killed. Also targeted the Laconia, killed 4,000. Fair enough
@@DUSTYMESA it wasn't a war crime. It was acting in the service of the German Navy, flying the German naval ensign and was also been used for military proposes. It was a legal target.
Any vessel that is being used for medical, humanitarian, POW transport, ect was/is required to be clearly marked as such. It was operating in a dual civilian/military role so was correctly flagged, but at the same time it was a legitimate military target.
Very interesting, thanks for bringing us this forgotten story 👍🏻
Thanks for watching, Frank!
If the Sofia had beached on a reef and took damage, I'm surprised the captain didn't drop anchor so as to prevent her drifting off and capsizing in deeper water (as happened).
For that you need to understand how an anchor works.
The anchor itself is only a way too keep the chain on the bottom, the chain itself is what holds the ship in place due to its contact area. This is why its also a lot easier for a vessel to drag anchor on a rocky bottom than on a sandy bottom.
Dropping the anchor on the reef would've achieved basically nothing.
@@fernandomarques5166 Is that so? I never knew that.
I assumed that the massive length of anchor chain was to reach the sea bed, but I bow to your greater judgement of this.
the anchor flukes I thought ''Dug in'' to the sea bed, but I can see that on rocks that an anchor might drag.
@@norml.hugh-mann That sounds a huge amount of work, and quite dangerous?
Great content SG! I find your narration and presentation impeccable. Cheers!
Much appreciated! Welcome aboard!
What an amazing presentation ! Thank you for this great and informative channel.
I didn't know about this "Canadian Titanic of the West". My birth place is in the area of the Empress of Ireland disaster, that we could call then the Canadian Titanic of the East. Big loss of lives in both cases, I start to be curious to know how many CPR disasters happened... The Princess Sophia disaster raises a lot of questions indeed, though I don't doubt a minute about the good intents of the crew on the passengers safety... So many questions still !
Kudos for reaching out to the museum. Respect 🫡
Really nice production…thx….subscribed and kudos
the way even back then all these companies escaped liability is mind boggling, some things never change!
Very well produced video of a very sad event. 😢
An excellent episode of very tragic event, thank you Stunning History!!!🙏😢⛵❣️
Excellent video with none of the melodrama common to some. I took the inside passage route from Vancouver Island to Skagway on a grand old passenger ferry built in the 1960's (long since scrapped by now). It wasn't touristy back then, and quite an intimate and friendly atmosphere developed on board. Nowadays, I gather those hideous vessels like capsized blocks of condos frequent the route...
I've heard the Princess Sophia story a hundred times, but I'm still glad you did it because your style of presentation makes it worth hearing again.
My husbands relatives, the Barnes brothers, perished in this tragedy. RIP to all lost.
Another superb production! It's a great day when I can watch a Ship Geek video.
i remember hearing about this. i should update my video on her. good work!
So tragic. I'm sure the Captain did the best that he could but it would have been far better had the passengers been transshipped with vessels nearby. RIP to passengers and crew of the Princess Sophia.
This channel is a hidden gem! Bravo.
The image at 18:30 is of C Street dock in Bellingham, Washington. In the background on the hill is the easily recognizable and imposing City Hall building, today the Whatcom Museum.
(from france )...very talented report....with a golden voice...
The captain's decision not to abandon ship was the most classic example of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" I've yet heard of in a maritime story.
Yes but at least try. He wanted 100% risk free saving. That is an impossibility. I am surprised that nobody rebelled against the captain.
I worked on tugboats plying the inside passage for several years. This wreck is well known and still talked about 40 years ago when I was last up there. I was on more than a few tugs that grounded and had to wait for tide to refloat so I know what these people went through.
The PacNW refers to the lower 48s NW.
Fantastic video, and deeply distressing… suggestion for a potential future video; the sinking of the Danish steamer SS Norge in 1904. It was the worst maritime disaster in the North Atlantic before the sinking of the titanic
incredibly sad.Well made, respectful Memorial to the Lost souls .
Great video as always thanks
Wow that's incredibly sad i never even heard of this sea disaster very sad story that every one on board died so many lives cut short too soon the captain should have evaluated when they had a chance
I’m starting to see an unfortunate pattern here. Any line with a relatively high profile disaster in it’s history, usually has more than one. CPR also owned the SS Empress of Ireland, which became the worst maritime disaster in Canadian history. White Star with Titanic and Atlantic, obviously. The Collins Line had almost too many to count, etc. No line seems to just have one major disaster in it’s history.
Great video, thanks for making it. Many years ago, I remember seeing that picture on Wikipedia, where the ship is stuck on the reef, so haunting.
How does a seasoned captain with 25 years experience in and around the Lynn canal, run into a reef that he knew was there, and had passed countless times?
Fate
Seems like he was honestly incompetent and had been lucky to that point rather than genuinely making it on his own skill and accord.
What a tragedy shipwrecks are. I'm now reminded of the shipwreck on December 11, 1710, of the British merchant ship, Nottingham Galley, captained by John Deane which wrecked upon Boon Island off the coast of Maine. Catabolism was involved. So was winter season. Ten of the crewmen managed to stay alive despite winter conditions with no food and no fire for twenty-four days, within sight of the mainland until finally rescued. Flying high in the air doesn't frighten me as much as being on a ship sailing in the deep ocean.
Cannibalism??
Yes... sadly..
@@BeeFunKnee Well if they only ate people who were already dead then that is alright then. But if they killed them for food that is when it becomes a real tragedy. Those air crash passengers in the 70s who were stuck in the Andes mountains had to eat the dead or none of them would have survived. So you can't really judge people who do that.
@@rl7012 I totally agree with you. Right now, I'm eating meatloaf and vegetables. Were I involved in a shipwreck far away from land who knows what I'd willingly be eating just to put anything into my stomach.
Excellent video, a story I was not familiar with. As a lifelong sailor done lots of offshore racing and cruising I can tell you that it's a really tough decision to leave the boat. Ship-to-ship transfers are notoriously dangerous even for a single person. I think the captain probably did the best thing under the circumstances. Of course hindsight is always clearest but In the Heat of the Moment you're forced to make tough decisions.
I believe all was done correctly. Attempts to lower boats or passengers in the squalish conditions likely would have been catastrophic. The ship was so inundated on the rocks that it didnt seem likely they would be going anywhere...making the possibility of sinking fairly remote. Unfortunately, the storm refused to let up or break until the Sophia had been pushed and torn off of the rocks, dooming all on board. Another case of mother nature showing no mercy to her children
A classic example of why being crammed into a metal construct with complete strangers then set upon the sea or pushed through the sky is inarguably both dangerous and potentially fatal groupthink
This ladies and gentlemen is why my ass doesn’t go on boats
I live in anacortes, northwest wa and tons of our community for generations have done fishing and most have done several seasons in Alaska. Our oceans up in Washington aren’t much for sharks, but the temps in our waters are deadly year round (at night on a decent day in summer at least)
There isnt many sharks ?
@@hungsolow7090 not in the northwest corner where I live (San Juan area). There are only dog sharks which are rly little and no threat to people. What we DO have are orcas and sea lions (those 2 depend on the time of year, and giant octopus and seals, things like that. So yeah no big or dangerous sharks here. I think it’s simply too cold in our waters for their liking. But if you go south to Oregon, I believe they have bigger sharks being nearer to California.
The Captain made the best decision his long career of ocean shipping could provide.
One look at the ship perched high and dry with waves crashing all around and the height above the water being so incredibly high, that alone would have put passengers in grave danger. Would the lifeboats even be able to make it that far down before running out of line?!
This is truly an astonishing report of one of the many shipwrecks to dot the
‘Graveyard if the Pacific’
Yes but that only makes sense if the ship is permanently lodged on the rocks and the captain does not know for certain that it was. Also there were opportunities when the weather made it possible for life boats to be lowered and help was nearby. The captain is only assuming that the ship won't budge. He should have realised the danger of the boat dislodging from where it was as that would prove fatal for all. The captain should have at least done a test of lowering some life boats and put volunteer men in it to see if worked. If it did then he had a duty to help the passengers leave because the captain does not know how secure the ship is on those rocks, he only thinks he does. Yes it might stay there, but he took a huge gamble to think that it would.
The window of opportunity was there and failed all, the company who hired the captain are liable and the captain also, imagine the screaming at the captain l would be waving the ships in. Well done historic event showing how the top fails.
So did the ship have the odd pronunciation for the same reason as Regina in Saskatchewan?
?
I remember the first time I heard someone say Regina in Canada. Never knew what the reason was though
The captain’s fears weren’t totally unwarranted. There are numerous deadly examples (aside from the one mentioned) that would make anyone pause before leaving a big ship that was still afloat for small lifeboats.
Never climb down into a life raft...alwayd wait and step up into them from sink ing vessels as they are safer up until the plunge usually
Terrific video!
Easily one of the accidents that would have had much lesser or possibly no lives lost had the captain done things differently. Of course easy to say while not being in that situation. And I could be wrong but looking at that rock via google maps, looks like the damage is still visible.
Great video!
wow, some nice animation there, I remember when I saw a documentary of this on the history channel.
Good documentary, though the segment at 2:47 that runs backwards is rather odd.
Noted, thanks! I have a limited library of purchased stock footage and historic imagery, so I try to experiment with different ways of presenting it for visual interest. Otherwise, stock footage expenses can add up quickly! - Sam
@@StunningHistory No problem, sir Geek. It was weird but cool, and I spent about 90 minutes congratulating myself for noticing it.
very nice
I'm watching this exactly 106 years after it left port.😓
Another great video! Can’t wait for the next one
Every time a story about sailing or flying in the world starts off with the operators of the plane or ship using dead reckoning you know it's not going to end well
It seems like any type of navigation that has the word "dead" in its name is probably not something that should be relied on to navigate a narrow canal in a blinding snowstorm...
Speaking as a former SAR professional, a crew's best life jacket is always their ship
The dog that made it to shore. Imagine if that dog could talk ..he would have probably led a campaign to let other dogs know how stupid humans can be sometimes
Cool wave effect
On a tiny light note in this sad story, TikTok has officially ruined the acronym "CPR" for me and I could not stop laughing at the start...
You find Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation humorous, do you?
Great Captain
Not an engineer at all
Sea logistics 50:50, that's why it was a disaster
By the way how were the letters found? Or were the messages radiod?
In their pockets
This is even worse than the "what-ifs" with Titanic and Carpathia
The loss of life was completely preventable, the Sophia's captain was given orders to wait for a CPR owned ship from Victoria. All because they did not want to surrender the passengers and cargo to another company.
at least the titanic had survivors.
Differently bad outcome as compared to the _Deutschland._ I can't second-guess the captain, facing those wintery seas with a green crew.
About the only thing he could've done was flood tanks & coal bunkers, except the tanks were already full for the voyage, and he didn't savor the idea of offloading a load of wet coal - the delay for such a change out would've stranded the ship for the winter.
I disagree with the characterization of the decision making of the Captain and crew. Particularly in light of previous tragedies where everyone who entered a lifeboat died whilst those who stayed on board were rescued. We also don’t know if evacuating via lifeboat would have even worked.
Unless you've experienced the forces at work when energetic water comes into contact with rocks it's impossible to understand the dilemma the captain faced. I mean, it's practically impossible to stand in just a foot of fast moving, energetic water. Find yourself between it and a reef and they'll be fishing your body parts out for a week. Generally speaking it's usually best to stick with the ship rather than risk attempting to board a small boat which can be turned into matchsticks with the breaking of a single wave. Looking back it's the easiest thing in the world to claim the Captain was responsible. But the definition of hell is being faced with choices all of which are bad. He was in a terrible situation. One which no skipper would ever wish to find himself in. What I would suggest is - after reading about the awful Sewol ferry incident, in which passengers were also told to stay on board whilst the ferry was in the process of capsizing, when faced with a choice of accepting the orders of the captain and the crew in a life-threatening situation - trust your instincts. If your instincts are telling you it's time to evacuate then to hell with the crew. Get out. In the words of Gene Hackman from the movie "The Poseidon Adventure" - "God helps those who help themselves".
Same for the Grenfell towers tragedy. The fire brigade were telling people not to leave the building. For two hours at the beginning of the fire residents were continually told by the emergency fire call operators to stay where they were and that it was safer to stay in their flats. On one phone call to the emergency services a woman in the tower said she could see fire and smoke was coming under her door and she was still strongly advised to stay where she was. The only people who survived were those on the lower floors and those who disobeyed the constant telling of 'stay in your flats' One woman on the 15th floor left her flat to see what was going on early in the fire, only to met with emergency workers shouting at her that she should have stayed put. So she tries to go back in and luckily they are not allowed to let her back in the building. Then her family came down looking for her and they too got shouted at to stay in. But they too were not allowed back in. So that family were sooooo lucky to survive. Thank God the mum went down to see what was happening.
@@rl7012 I didn't know that, thanks. Awful incident. And I reckon we've still only been told a fraction of what really took place at Grenfell.
You've got some of your facts wrong:
11:11 You claim "most" of Sophias crew had been hired in Skagway. In reality, only 10 crewmen were hired there, out of which 6 were waiters. (Crew total was 65)
12:48 The wireless question regarding "if you think she will back off at next high water" is not from Locke to Leadbetter but is from Troup (head of CPR ships) to Locke.
Thanks for the information.
@@StunningHistory are u gonna correct your wrong facts or just say thanks
Excuse me Mr Stunning History... I want to complain! I miss your videos.... I want more content... When is the next video. I want more more more!
More to come. Sorry for taking so long! Thanks for your support. 🙏
Woah. They didn't try to escape until too late
The whole story of what happened was given up right at the beginning I like when it builds up cause after that everything else don't matter after
How sad 😔
Here is the way Sophia disaster should have been handled from a policy perspective. It was well known that this intercoastal passage way was treacherous with rocky shoals and narrow passages. Management of this Canadian Railway Company should put passenger safety first as its policy. Arrival times and schedules are only APPROXIMATE TIMES and DATES with the caveat of weather and sea conditions. The captain of the Sophia should have been trained in policy to SEEK safe harbor to anchor to wait out snow storms, squalls and rough sea conditions. If the ship had to anchor three days to wait out a storm or bad seas then it stays until sea and weather conditions moderate. Really treacherous points, such as narrow passages with treacherous rocky shoals should have ONLY BEEN CROSSED DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS period. The Sophia should have been thought of as a coastal ship that only traveled from designated safe harbor to safe harbor points during periods of fair or good weather. So what if it would have taken an extra day or two of travel. The idea here is to make safety of the passengers above all else including profits.
It took 10 hours. It eased into the water like an old man into a nice warm bath - no offence. I tell ya, I hear people really stuff themselves on those cruise ships. The buffet, that's the real ordeal. Well, all vacations have to end eventually.
Does anyone actually wonder where the term "dead reckoning" came from? It doesn't really work well in the least bit in zero visibility storms, and certainly back then with no charts and modern day electronics.. This is a toss up, IMO... Regarding the captains culpability.. I doubt they ever asked who can and cannot swim.. Especially for a new/er crew... He should have halted.. That being said, and I do know a bit of the rules of the sea.. IF anyone had really wanted to go over, they could have.. But, that temperature and a storm.. I think very few would have been around to tell their tale.. Glad that man wrote it down and stuffed it in his pocket.. Sad.. However, the Seas do NOT give a single fawk about humans.. Nobody should ever assume that she does.. Or he.... Or it... Same result... Good coverage! I had forgotten studying about this long ago! Thanks!
I heard this ship is considering as Alaska Titanic.
All lives lost. Utter tragedy.
I'm sure the captain did what he thought was best. The one positive of this tragedy is the light.
HE KILLED EVERYONE
Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage
To find the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea
Tracing one warm line through a land so wild and savage
And make a Northwest Passage to the sea
At least the captain stayed with them
That is zero comfort to anyone. Better the captain abandon them as that way the passengers and crew would have left the stranded ship. Nobody would stay on there if the captain did a runner.
Really?
The SS SULTANA Had An Estimate Of 4,000 - 6,000 Fatalities?....
It seems like captain lock was damned if he did or didn't he had inexperienced crew to man life boats but some would have survived
8:56
I did sub to the channel because of this video. So-fee-a was a good ship with a bad captain and crew. Non of them could Staind up to captain asshats,and save the passengers. What a shame.
In the beginning of the video he took the time to show how the name is pronounced. He did his research.
All these pronunciation correctors think he’s just never heard the name Sophia before? What a weird thing to focus on anyway.
this was as good as they come BETTER THAN MANY vids about ALL THINGS ! dam shame it happ though ,i cant blame the capt ,seemed of sound mind and not effen DRUNKED UP nm he went down with it ,as soon as i saw the 1st photo on here i predicted the reason about life boats lowered onto GROUND BUT metal ones must of been new {more or less} plus with all the help nearby AND knowing shoreline close also even if he was lulled by the by the safety looks of all those choices ,and knowing of last time it happened all were saved ,he was responsible for all that happened and i dont thinj he took it lightly! gosh knows what his thoughts were during the last minutes of his demise iow he did what he thought correct ,go ez on him