Use BOBOATS to get 55% off your first month at Scentbird sbird.co/3Rbl5WQ Yes. This is how her name was pronounced. She was named after Princess Sophia Matilda of the United Kingdom, who pronounced her name Sof-eye-a. The ship's name was pronounced the same way. Thank you for watching! :) What ocean travel stories do you want to see next?
I am biased because my grandmother was aboard on her final voyage, but I think the sinking (and rescue of all the passengers and crew) of MS Prinsendam in 1980 is a fascinating story.
I can imagine that it was incredibly frustrating for the rescue vessels in this situation too - being so close, yet repeatedly unable to help. It's a really tricky situation too because even if the Captain had made the call to use that brief calm to try and evacuate, as mentioned, it would have been a very tricky operation. Certainly shows how grateful we should all be for the weather forecasting and communication systems that we have today.
I agree with you Aaron, even with a 12 mile radar and GPS plotter to make it easy, myself with the wife and kids were going around the elbow of Cape Cod from Hyannis to Chatham harbor in rough weather was scary voyage with rocks appearing from beneath the chop had me second guessing the GPS etc. I tip my hat to Captains doing the same trip before the rise of modern electronics
@@kenney5454 GPS is only as good as the software that converts the data to a live map. Big lakes and the sea can turn any "normal" journey into a perilous one. We're better prepared and informed, but... ultimately still at the mercy of the water even today. Very glad you made it through your rough trip okay.
I once read a book on dead reckoning that defined “estimated position” as “the one place you know you aren’t”. It’s amazing how difficult it can be even in good conditions on known waters.
Dead Reckoning or DR is not precision navigation; it is mostly time, heading, speed charted. And maybe an estimate on currents and wind. Heading is not True Course, and speed is not Ground Speed (or Water speed), necessary to accurately chart the position. Blinding snow, crazy winds, and slap ass nav is no way to go through life son. He was crazy. First, wait until dawn to depart. You simply must be able to chart specific fixes of position often while using DR between.
I remember reading that one of the many disasters to befall the Spanish Armada, after they escaped the main battle and sailed around Scotland, was they sailed into the Gulf Stream, thought they were going much faster than they were, and turned south, slap bang into Ireland.
@@mbspoobahDead reckoning can be better understood if it is understood that "dead" is actually "ded", short for deduced, your best intelligent estimate.
Refusing to abandon ship during the calm was pretty silly. Even though the ship wasn't sinking, she wasn't going anywhere, so everyone should've been evacuated.
@@Argumemnon In the similar sunk in 1904 of the Clallam in Strait of Juan de Fuca, attempt of lowering 3 lifeboats at night end with all woman and children inside drowning. Most of those who remain in the ship where saved by rescue ships next day when Clallam goes down.
I scuba dove the wreck of the Sophia. I remember it wasn't a deep wreck where we dove, max depth between 50-75 fsw. All I saw was pancaked sheet steel on a slope and not far at all from the reef, less then 50 yards to the southeast. We had a brief weather window and calm seas so we decided to go for it. I was very aware of the history of the ship and her fate. I remember feeling reverent, and quite spooked. We dove at slack before ebb and the current window and visibility closed quickly while we were there underwater. We swam towards and up the south slope of the reef and surfaced in the lee of the rocks shielded from the ebb current. The reef was just barely wash rocks at that tide. We drifted on the surface in building 2-3ft seas south away from the reef and back to our boat. It was only about a 1/2 hour dive. Only the first of 2 pairs of divers dove the wreck. I was honored to be one of them.
I'd heard from divers that it's extremely difficult. Lynn Canal is pretty exposed and prone to harsh weather, fueled by glaciers to the north and east, a long fetch to the west and south, plus the tidal currents rip through and the wreck is inclined so that it becomes technically difficult to work your way down it. I would imagine orientation would be a serious challenge inside too. I believe they recovered the fuel from it about 20-30y ago and I saw a presentation by some of the folks that were involved, but I might be confusing it with another wreck. But, wow, my hats off to you. When I fly over that area or see it from the ferry, it looks like a wild place to be swimming around, even on a good day. I can only imagine how frightening it was for those people on the ship when they were stuck there in the dark.
@@hal_aetus All of the Princess ships are fascinating! You may be thinking of the Elizabeth. It wrecked in Lynn Canal too. She ran bow aground perpendicular to the hillside. Everyone got off. The tide went out and the ship's stern went down. She swamped when the tide came up. The bow was only submerged in about 20 fsw when I dove her but her stern was much deeper. Some of the siding of the ship had fallen away. You could easily see in the state rooms or through a porthole and see things like the wire of the box springs and the pedestal sinks and mirrors on the wall. The wallpaper was all sloughed down off the walls. Every state room was like that all the way down. It was easy to penetrate the Elizabeth. We swam up her main deck in the corridor and even looked at the safe in the purser's office. There was nothing to penetrate in the Sophia. It was flattened and hanging out over the depth on the hillside. Some of the sheet steel was flapping in the current. it was eerie.
@@kevincasey2947 fascinating and it sounds a remarkable experience. Having knowledge of the history must help one with the experience. Thank you for sharing this.
The terrible responsibility of being the captain. No matter what you do, if it goes wrong you are the one blamed. Sad that he missed that short window of potential salvation for the passengers. Heart wrenching story well told
I really love that you always add in a little info about the individuals who were on board, both the crew and passengers, it really adds to the weight of these tragedies and is a reminder of how these are just as much stories of the boats as it is the story of each and every person who was on board.
That's pretty cringe. It's a new age mentality of pretending like the "victims" of a tragedy were somehow interesting or worthwhile in any way when that is almost never the case.
I agree that knowing about the passengers and crew is important. These people lived and died and maybe this is all we'll ever know about them but it's all we can do now. Maybe it'll help us be nicer to each other. Tomorrow we might see a face on the news we recognize from a friendly hello that belongs to some real tragedy. Kindness costs nothing but it's priceless.
@@neo-filthyfrank1347 They were living _people_ . What in the world is "cringe" about talking about them? They had stories and lives, families and dreams. There is nothing worthless about any of that. Even if they wouldn't have gone on to create new things or do great deeds, they had value in simply being a person living their lives and it is tragic that they died in such a way.
What a horrific tale. It's just shocking to think of a ship going down and losing everyone after rescue boats had already made it to the scene. Someone really should make a movie about this.
Canadian Pacific Railway steamships used in the coastal trade carried "Princess" names. When in the late 1960s businessman Stanley B. Macdonald had the idea of starting cruises from the West Coast of Canada and the U.S. down to Mexico, he chartered the old CPR "Princess Patricia" and its success led to the founding of Princess Cruises.
To be fair to the companies that try to keep the schedule, look how pissy the public gets when their airline flight is delayed or their Amazon package is late. Everyone demands things stay on schedule... Right up until it all ends in tears.
@@ressljs no, people jus want an HONEST expectation of service, is really what reasonable people would like. Now, the others...we already kno we exist on this planet wit a bunch rogues 🙏🏽
@@ressljs Here is a thing though, it is up to companies to make a reasonable schedule. Reasonable schedule is such that you can keep 95% of the time with the kind of weather interferences and such as you normally are getting in the area you operate at.
@@michalsoukup1021 It is up to COMPANIES?🧐 Sir...with due respect to your confidence in companies...that boat of social responsibility sailed over a century ago ... (Btw: do not rely on healthcare staff, either....)
Fantastic video! The presentation gets better and better. The reasons for Locke's decisions have been an endless debate that I don't think will ever get settled. The Sophia's foremast stuck out of the water until the summer of 1919, when it was cut down. It was an unpleasant reminder for CPR and also kept luring out morbid tourists to the site to climb on it and such. Vanderbilt Reef still has the scars from the Sophia's initial grounding and twisting on the reef, and bits of her hull are still embedded in the rocks today. An electric light was added shortly after the disaster, which shipping companies had begged to be added for quite some time, but officials were slow to act. The navigation light might have prevented the disaster had it actually been built in time.
@@sjb3460 For the same reason you cannot just get up and decide to paint different road markings, switch colors for stoplights or add new ones to your local town intersection. This stuff has to be ratified by the local legislative body for sea commerce
It's so strange the captain placed his bets on the weather holding, rather than using the brief moment of clear weather to offload as many survivors as possible. His precarious position on the reef was incredible, and then to count on it lasting ANOTHER night begs so many questions. Was there are reason he didn't want rescue attempts made that have nothing to do the passengers? Was he smuggling, or doing something clandestine? Was there more here than just a poor weather decision?
I think he may of feared the lifeboats capsizing and all lives on the lifeboats being lost. He mentioned in the beginning of the video a sister boat of the Sophia doing this and all women and children perished. The captain was warned to be careful.
The combo of the old timey clips and the music you have chosen is so beautiful. Really sets a mood and makes me nostalgic of a time I wasn't even alive for.
This story was as sad as the Titanic in its own way, but sadly, attracted less attention since it happened on the tail end of WW1, when it got lost among other tragic stories like the war in Europe and the Spanish Influenza pandemic, both of which were still raging at that time. The captain was in between a rock and a hard spot -- literally -- and no matter what he chose to do, people probably would have died either way, given the dangerous weather conditions. There's a chance that an evacuation during the calm spell might have enabled the passengers to be safely rescued, but given that the boat was in a rather treacherous place, a rescue operation would have been pretty risky even then. It's so sad to think of all those passengers who were looking forward to life in a new place, or at least to get away from the harsh Alaskan winter, and how terrifying their last day on earth would have been for them. RIP to the passengers of the Princess Sophia.
I’m from Haines, Alaska - Haines is just up the Lynn Canal (not channel) from where this happened. If you guys could see the shoreline in the Lynn Canal, you might appreciate some of that captains apprehension about abandoning ship right there. It’s pretty much cliffs going straight up at the water’s edge. No place to land any kind of lifeboat. I always think of the Princess Sophia every time we round that corner on the ferry nowadays. ⛴
This guy tells these stories so well! I'm like a kid waiting for his next video to come out! It's truly amazing how this generation traveled the rough seas practically on nothing but experience. I couldn't imagine being on a ship in those waters using dead wreaking. Truly the pioneers of the seas. So many great souls lost!! Keep up the great work of Big old Boats God knows we need to know our roots of tough ppl. Thx for the entertainment. Keep coming. 👍🌍🌊👌😃
I'm from Edmonds, Washington and grew up boating in this region. I absolutely love the pacific northwest and hope to move back there in the near future. I absolutely love the story of the princess sophia. As an artist, I wish I could go back and take so many photos of these beautoful ships and the time period.
A lot of people also think Valencia was paramount on Captain Locke's mind. Considering the grounding and destruction of most of her lifeboats. Princess Sophia was also aground in dangerous winter seas on the Pacific coastline. It makes sense if Valencia was considered during the situation alongside Clallam.
Thank you for the video. I’ve always been interested in ship wrecks. Although they are tragic, they are interesting. To think that one decision could have changed the tragedy to a miracle.
The ocean always scared me even though I grew up on the coast. I like these boat videos though and I recently started playing the Subnautica game series which includes some very deep waters 😉
Thank you for telling me this heartbreaking story.ive always never been obsessed with these type of ships but this tragedy was intense.thank you for sharing this story
Such a terrible tragedy. I really enjoy your videos. Everything is on point-research, script and narration, music/sound effects and finding stock footage that fits the narrative and era fairly well. When pictures and video clearly don't match what's being talked about in any way it tends to take you out of the story for a bit. Happy to have discovered your channel, thanks for all the work you put into these!
The captain was put in an impossible position not having the 20/20 hindsight that we have today. How the English Setter survived is beyond me but dogs are hardy creatures ( thinking of the people who have died trying to rescue their pets from falling through the ice, only to have them manage to save themselves whilst their owners often succumb). Very good video. Thank you fro England. X
See the sad death of crew on the fv Saint Patrick in 1981 off Kodiak. The Captain panicked and sent the crew into the water without survival suits. The boat never sank. Very sad.
I love these stories. It always seems that ships come to grief in the dark compounding a terrifying ordeal. I wish we still lived in an age where steamship travel was the means of travel from one shore to another. Ships of this era were to me so much more appealing than the chaotic monstrosities of today. I look forward to seeing new episodes.
My Great grandfather, arrived for the rescue in the mail boat Estebeth, at first light, massive oil sheen, no survivors, I think that haunted him for many years
My paternal grandmother's name was Sophia, So-fi-uh, this video's pronunciation. She was a 1st generation daughter of German immigrants who'd settled in NY. I never heard the Sophia Loren pronounciation until I was about 12. That pronunciation still sounds odd to me. I have a sister named after Grandma Sophie. She uses Sophia.
The people in the sea did not die of hypothermia as noted, but of asphyxiation from the engine oil that had leaked out and created a layer floating atop the water. The shore was close enough that strong swimmers could have made it out alive before they succumbed to hypothermia. They suffocated.
Such a sad case. Good video, well presented. Remember, GPS has made navigation of the seas so much easier. But, full speed in the bad conditions is not forgivable, and in a tight channel, with dangerous rocks. Could using a lead line for depth readings helped the navigation? Peace be unto you.
The decision to launch or not launch lifeboats was crucial for early 20th century ships in danger. I can't harshly judge either the Sophia's captain or the Clallam's captain for their respective decisions when it comes to the lifeboats. Clallam's captain was sure that his ship is sinking fast and that the lifeboats offer a better chance then staying on the deck. Sophia's captain thought his ship is not in a danger of sinking anytime soon and though that weathering the storm is safer than putting people in the lifeboats in such conditions. Sadly, both were proven wrong. But hindsight is 20/20 and they couldn't have known for sure what would happen. They were just men trying to make the best decision based on incomplete information.
one of the times when being overly cautious caused a greater tragedy. the captain clearly knows the danger of lowering lifeboats during heavy seas. thought understandable, he lacked the courage to take risk and accept rescue because he believe doing something risky in such a harsh weather might cause greater tragedy.
I fully respect the decision of the Captain that day. The loss of the Princess Sophia was an inspiration to me through out much of my 35 years as a mariner. No matter what the situation or the dangers presented, I always assumed that it can get worse and if there is an opportunity to act, action must be taken without delay. I consider the Titanic in the same way. There can be no haste in a transit, always believe in the worst thing happening and be prepared to abandon your vessel at the first opportunity.
Here I thought that the North Atlantic shipping routes were the dangerous of all the seven seas but the Pacific Northwest routes are in my opinion number one.
Dang that is a sad story! Being a Floridian I love Maritime history. This is just incredibly sad everyone perished. You know what they say hindsight is 20/20. They had at least one chance but failed to act. Anyway great job on the video sir. I did enjoy it and find it very informative. Thank you for taking us on the adventure.
If the ship was aground and a tide started to float her she would have come unstable. ( This taken into account when drydocking ships). It's likely that she capsized quickly and sank giving no opportunity for evacuation. Should have got everyone off ASAP at the outset.
Fascinating! I'm from this part of the world, too. I notice your pronunciation of "Juan de Fuca" and "Sophia", and wonder where you're from... (hehe). Pronunciation is trivial, this was an excellent documentary! The inside passage is some of the most treacherous navigation in the world. Some of the fastest tidal currents in the world, semi-submerged rocks, topography that funnels wind and currents, harsh weather. What a ride!
Just putting this out there: There are languages out there where words ending with "ia" are pronounced with a hard "I", instead of the hard "E" sound it usually makes in English. So congratulations, everyone is right.
After watching a few of these videos. I have gotten really tired of these Captains thinking they are God and killing people. The one whose Captain had only gotten a year from being a capt. is unforgivable.
If I was in the Captain's shoes, I also probably would have not put the life boats in the water fearing what would happen. I hate that he had no way of knowing it was his best option but I can't find fault with his decision.
Reminds me of that old tv show Barney Miller. One of the detectives was Polish and and when people couldn’t pronounce his name, he’d say you just pronounce every single letter, it’s not hard. Sophia is said in that manner
Sophīa is how you say it. Also Marīa and Regīna. That was the customary pronunciation of feminine names that ended with -ia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among Canadians and Americans of British descent in northern North America.
One consideration of no small import was the effect of shifting the weight of more than 300 bodies as the ship was stuck on the rock. Even in calm winds and waves, it could have ended in disaster and tragedy. We'll never know, of course. It may be that the ship and the souls aboard were doomed no matter what the captain decided. May they rest in peace.
What a nightmare. I'd never heard anything about this. Even if the Cedar was in attendance, I doubt there was much they could have done. I wonder if they ever considered pulling her off the rocks?
Watching these stories always involves one in the tragedy of each individual soul on board. To imagine what the passengers and crew must have gone through, hour after hour, constantly hoping for salvation, yet losing their lives in the end! It really makes my heart ache. I hope they are all at peace now. Who knows how their lives would have played out, had they been saved? Praise all those brave ships who risked their own safety by rushing to help, and the exhausted man who stayed at the telegraph station. Such dedication to duty! Bless them all. Thank you for your compassionate narration, even trying to understand what went through the captain's mind. Had he only taken advantage of the lull in the storm the next morning! But hindsight is so easy! Are today's lifeboats still so difficult to handle? When a ship lists, aren't they too far out of reach? I hope we can come up with better ways of dealing with such awful tragedies in future. I'd be interested in finding out more about the Sultana, a Civil War steamboat, please.
i honestly think the captain in the first boat knew what he was doing when he sent those people out on those little boats and had done that to reduce the amount of weight on the boat so the crew would survive...
Even into the 1980s you could ride the princess marguerite from Seattle to Victoria British Columbia. In a grand old ship like that, it was a Fun adventure... I'm not sure the no nostalgia is worth the trade for the Victoria clipper
It's possible there's a piece of granite from Denali somewhere in that wreckage. It'll be part of a tie pin. Anyone know how to get divers to look for it? It's one of four unique pieces, and we only know the whereabouts of one of those four. They're from the Stuck-Karstens expedition. The one that most likely went aboard the Princess Sophia belonged to Walter Harper, the first of the expedition to reach the summit. He would wear his tie pin anytime he wore his tie. If his body wasn't found with his tie, that would mean the tie pin never left the ship.
Thanks for sharing, it reminded me a little bit of the Valencia story that you covered, in that help was so close but just not able to do anything. Thanks again I look forward to your next video.
Use BOBOATS to get 55% off your first month at Scentbird sbird.co/3Rbl5WQ
Yes. This is how her name was pronounced. She was named after Princess Sophia Matilda of the United Kingdom, who pronounced her name Sof-eye-a. The ship's name was pronounced the same way.
Thank you for watching! :) What ocean travel stories do you want to see next?
I am biased because my grandmother was aboard on her final voyage, but I think the sinking (and rescue of all the passengers and crew) of MS Prinsendam in 1980 is a fascinating story.
Hmm...I'd say a Queen Mary or Aquitania video
The Hamburg Amerika Liners Resolute and Reliance would be nice ships to cover. Not too sure about the amount of footage with those ships, though.
Do the RMS Windsor Castle 2 please.
And do the 1st please
I can imagine that it was incredibly frustrating for the rescue vessels in this situation too - being so close, yet repeatedly unable to help. It's a really tricky situation too because even if the Captain had made the call to use that brief calm to try and evacuate, as mentioned, it would have been a very tricky operation. Certainly shows how grateful we should all be for the weather forecasting and communication systems that we have today.
I agree with you Aaron, even with a 12 mile radar and GPS plotter to make it easy, myself with the wife and kids were going around the elbow of Cape Cod from Hyannis to Chatham harbor in rough weather was scary voyage with rocks appearing from beneath the chop had me second guessing the GPS etc. I tip my hat to Captains doing the same trip before the rise of modern electronics
@@kenney5454 GPS is only as good as the software that converts the data to a live map. Big lakes and the sea can turn any "normal" journey into a perilous one. We're better prepared and informed, but... ultimately still at the mercy of the water even today. Very glad you made it through your rough trip okay.
Reminds me of the 1900 Galveston hurricane. They had no idea what was approaching until it was too late to evacuate
oh well not a big deal....
Get over it and get over yourself......
I once read a book on dead reckoning that defined “estimated position” as “the one place you know you aren’t”. It’s amazing how difficult it can be even in good conditions on known waters.
Dead Reckoning or DR is not precision navigation; it is mostly time, heading, speed charted. And maybe an estimate on currents and wind. Heading is not True Course, and speed is not Ground Speed (or Water speed), necessary to accurately chart the position. Blinding snow, crazy winds, and slap ass nav is no way to go through life son. He was crazy. First, wait until dawn to depart. You simply must be able to chart specific fixes of position often while using DR between.
I remember reading that one of the many disasters to befall the Spanish Armada, after they escaped the main battle and sailed around Scotland, was they sailed into the Gulf Stream, thought they were going much faster than they were, and turned south, slap bang into Ireland.
Ha ha, that’s so right and moreover, elegantly put.
@@mbspoobahDead reckoning can be better understood if it is understood that "dead" is actually "ded", short for deduced, your best intelligent estimate.
In principle, it's easy stuff. In practice, it's almost impossible!
The decision not to abandon the ship can be forgiven but sailing at speed through a storm knowing there are submerged rocks in the area is insane.
Refusing to abandon ship during the calm was pretty silly. Even though the ship wasn't sinking, she wasn't going anywhere, so everyone should've been evacuated.
@@Argumemnon In the similar sunk in 1904 of the Clallam in Strait of Juan de Fuca, attempt of lowering 3 lifeboats at night end with all woman and children inside drowning.
Most of those who remain in the ship where saved by rescue ships next day when Clallam goes down.
@@Sokol10 but wasn't the water in that accident really rough?
@@Sokol10 not the same weather conditions
We've all been there.
I scuba dove the wreck of the Sophia. I remember it wasn't a deep wreck where we dove, max depth between 50-75 fsw. All I saw was pancaked sheet steel on a slope and not far at all from the reef, less then 50 yards to the southeast. We had a brief weather window and calm seas so we decided to go for it. I was very aware of the history of the ship and her fate. I remember feeling reverent, and quite spooked. We dove at slack before ebb and the current window and visibility closed quickly while we were there underwater. We swam towards and up the south slope of the reef and surfaced in the lee of the rocks shielded from the ebb current. The reef was just barely wash rocks at that tide. We drifted on the surface in building 2-3ft seas south away from the reef and back to our boat. It was only about a 1/2 hour dive. Only the first of 2 pairs of divers dove the wreck. I was honored to be one of them.
Nice. Super nice. I'm jealous. Well written. Thank you
Hats off to you brave who dive in those dangerous, cold and spooky waters!
I'd heard from divers that it's extremely difficult. Lynn Canal is pretty exposed and prone to harsh weather, fueled by glaciers to the north and east, a long fetch to the west and south, plus the tidal currents rip through and the wreck is inclined so that it becomes technically difficult to work your way down it. I would imagine orientation would be a serious challenge inside too. I believe they recovered the fuel from it about 20-30y ago and I saw a presentation by some of the folks that were involved, but I might be confusing it with another wreck. But, wow, my hats off to you. When I fly over that area or see it from the ferry, it looks like a wild place to be swimming around, even on a good day. I can only imagine how frightening it was for those people on the ship when they were stuck there in the dark.
@@hal_aetus All of the Princess ships are fascinating! You may be thinking of the Elizabeth. It wrecked in Lynn Canal too. She ran bow aground perpendicular to the hillside. Everyone got off. The tide went out and the ship's stern went down. She swamped when the tide came up. The bow was only submerged in about 20 fsw when I dove her but her stern was much deeper. Some of the siding of the ship had fallen away. You could easily see in the state rooms or through a porthole and see things like the wire of the box springs and the pedestal sinks and mirrors on the wall. The wallpaper was all sloughed down off the walls. Every state room was like that all the way down. It was easy to penetrate the Elizabeth. We swam up her main deck in the corridor and even looked at the safe in the purser's office.
There was nothing to penetrate in the Sophia. It was flattened and hanging out over the depth on the hillside. Some of the sheet steel was flapping in the current. it was eerie.
@@kevincasey2947 fascinating and it sounds a remarkable experience. Having knowledge of the history must help one with the experience. Thank you for sharing this.
The terrible responsibility of being the captain. No matter what you do, if it goes wrong you are the one blamed. Sad that he missed that short window of potential salvation for the passengers. Heart wrenching story well told
This story is the very definition of "damned if you do, damned if you don't."
I really love that you always add in a little info about the individuals who were on board, both the crew and passengers, it really adds to the weight of these tragedies and is a reminder of how these are just as much stories of the boats as it is the story of each and every person who was on board.
That's pretty cringe. It's a new age mentality of pretending like the "victims" of a tragedy were somehow interesting or worthwhile in any way when that is almost never the case.
I agree that knowing about the passengers and crew is important. These people lived and died and maybe this is all we'll ever know about them but it's all we can do now. Maybe it'll help us be nicer to each other. Tomorrow we might see a face on the news we recognize from a friendly hello that belongs to some real tragedy. Kindness costs nothing but it's priceless.
@@neo-filthyfrank1347 They were living _people_ . What in the world is "cringe" about talking about them? They had stories and lives, families and dreams. There is nothing worthless about any of that. Even if they wouldn't have gone on to create new things or do great deeds, they had value in simply being a person living their lives and it is tragic that they died in such a way.
What a horrific tale. It's just shocking to think of a ship going down and losing everyone after rescue boats had already made it to the scene. Someone really should make a movie about this.
Canadian Pacific Railway steamships used in the coastal trade carried "Princess" names. When in the late 1960s businessman Stanley B. Macdonald had the idea of starting cruises from the West Coast of Canada and the U.S. down to Mexico, he chartered the old CPR "Princess Patricia" and its success led to the founding of Princess Cruises.
Baraxor, interesting, thanks for sharing info.
Funny how to this very day Capts are still put in the stressful schedule keeping game, despite its dark history of tragedies
To be fair to the companies that try to keep the schedule, look how pissy the public gets when their airline flight is delayed or their Amazon package is late. Everyone demands things stay on schedule... Right up until it all ends in tears.
@@ressljs no, people jus want an HONEST expectation of service, is really what reasonable people would like. Now, the others...we already kno we exist on this planet wit a bunch rogues
🙏🏽
@@ressljs Here is a thing though, it is up to companies to make a reasonable schedule. Reasonable schedule is such that you can keep 95% of the time with the kind of weather interferences and such as you normally are getting in the area you operate at.
@@michalsoukup1021
It is up to COMPANIES?🧐
Sir...with due respect to your confidence in companies...that boat of social responsibility sailed over a century ago ...
(Btw: do not rely on healthcare staff, either....)
@@rmp7400 I trust companies to realise that minor baclash for being late is a lot more bearable than major backlash for losing ships.
Fantastic video! The presentation gets better and better.
The reasons for Locke's decisions have been an endless debate that I don't think will ever get settled.
The Sophia's foremast stuck out of the water until the summer of 1919, when it was cut down. It was an unpleasant reminder for CPR and also kept luring out morbid tourists to the site to climb on it and such.
Vanderbilt Reef still has the scars from the Sophia's initial grounding and twisting on the reef, and bits of her hull are still embedded in the rocks today. An electric light was added shortly after the disaster, which shipping companies had begged to be added for quite some time, but officials were slow to act. The navigation light might have prevented the disaster had it actually been built in time.
@@sjb3460 For the same reason you cannot just get up and decide to paint different road markings, switch colors for stoplights or add new ones to your local town intersection.
This stuff has to be ratified by the local legislative body for sea commerce
It's so strange the captain placed his bets on the weather holding, rather than using the brief moment of clear weather to offload as many survivors as possible. His precarious position on the reef was incredible, and then to count on it lasting ANOTHER night begs so many questions. Was there are reason he didn't want rescue attempts made that have nothing to do the passengers? Was he smuggling, or doing something clandestine? Was there more here than just a poor weather decision?
I think he may of feared the lifeboats capsizing and all lives on the lifeboats being lost. He mentioned in the beginning of the video a sister boat of the Sophia doing this and all women and children perished. The captain was warned to be careful.
The combo of the old timey clips and the music you have chosen is so beautiful. Really sets a mood and makes me nostalgic of a time I wasn't even alive for.
This story was as sad as the Titanic in its own way, but sadly, attracted less attention since it happened on the tail end of WW1, when it got lost among other tragic stories like the war in Europe and the Spanish Influenza pandemic, both of which were still raging at that time. The captain was in between a rock and a hard spot -- literally -- and no matter what he chose to do, people probably would have died either way, given the dangerous weather conditions. There's a chance that an evacuation during the calm spell might have enabled the passengers to be safely rescued, but given that the boat was in a rather treacherous place, a rescue operation would have been pretty risky even then. It's so sad to think of all those passengers who were looking forward to life in a new place, or at least to get away from the harsh Alaskan winter, and how terrifying their last day on earth would have been for them. RIP to the passengers of the Princess Sophia.
So sad for all involved, being trapped, and in view but no one could help. That is the worst.
I’m from Haines, Alaska - Haines is just up the Lynn Canal (not channel) from where this happened. If you guys could see the shoreline in the Lynn Canal, you might appreciate some of that captains apprehension about abandoning ship right there. It’s pretty much cliffs going straight up at the water’s edge. No place to land any kind of lifeboat. I always think of the Princess Sophia every time we round that corner on the ferry nowadays. ⛴
Thank you. I'm unfamiliar with the West Coast, so the info you provided is helpful.
There’s such a thing as too much experience.
Some times we can become too confident in ourselves.
This guy tells these stories so well! I'm like a kid waiting for his next video to come out! It's truly amazing how this generation traveled the rough seas practically on nothing but experience. I couldn't imagine being on a ship in those waters using dead wreaking. Truly the pioneers of the seas. So many great souls lost!! Keep up the great work of Big old Boats God knows we need to know our roots of tough ppl. Thx for the entertainment. Keep coming. 👍🌍🌊👌😃
I’m honestly just glad the dog survived.
I'm from Edmonds, Washington and grew up boating in this region. I absolutely love the pacific northwest and hope to move back there in the near future. I absolutely love the story of the princess sophia. As an artist, I wish I could go back and take so many photos of these beautoful ships and the time period.
RIP to all those lost souls. Great vid Big Old Boats.
A lot of people also think Valencia was paramount on Captain Locke's mind. Considering the grounding and destruction of most of her lifeboats. Princess Sophia was also aground in dangerous winter seas on the Pacific coastline. It makes sense if Valencia was considered during the situation alongside Clallam.
Thank you for the video. I’ve always been interested in ship wrecks. Although they are tragic, they are interesting. To think that one decision could have changed the tragedy to a miracle.
Thank you for watching!
I have never been on a ship and have a huge fear of deep water so I'm not sure why I'm so fascinated by these tales but here I am. 😂⚓🚢❤
Same😁
All good until you go to a 3rd world country and wonder if the rust bucket will break in half.
The ocean always scared me even though I grew up on the coast. I like these boat videos though and I recently started playing the Subnautica game series which includes some very deep waters 😉
Same! I’m a land lubber, even though I grew up on Lake Ontario 😂
what facinates me is the mystery surrounding these mishaps at sea!
Thank you for telling me this heartbreaking story.ive always never been obsessed with these type of ships but this tragedy was intense.thank you for sharing this story
They say the ship is usually the best life raft. Hindsight is always 20-20.
Would love to see more stories on the Canadian Pacific Princess Line.
Were they the 'Empress' class of ocean liners operating in the Pacific, Asia, Australian regions?
Thanks for another awesome video, Bradley. Those last two radio messages from the Sophia always get me choked up. 😢
I grew up and live in Victoria BC. I've heard of the Princess Sophia, but never knew the history. This is incredible.
Your narration/vocal quality is getting better and better.
Keep it up.
What a tragic story. And one very well told. Nice work.
I love those sound effects you use, and your vivid descriptions of these historical events. This is history that should be remembered.
Such a terrible tragedy. I really enjoy your videos. Everything is on point-research, script and narration, music/sound effects and finding stock footage that fits the narrative and era fairly well. When pictures and video clearly don't match what's being talked about in any way it tends to take you out of the story for a bit. Happy to have discovered your channel, thanks for all the work you put into these!
Wow. What a story. That must have been absolutely terrifying for all those on board.
Thankyou for your awesome content.
That transition into the sponsorship was REALLY slick. I didn't see it coming. Bravo. Also, the rest of the video is pretty good too I guess.
So many stories. Your narration is top notch. Thank you for your time and hard work.....
Very well put together, I really like the way this fella tells a story. My heart goes out the crew and passengers
Your voice is so calm and soothing despite relating a disaster!
The sound design of these videos is impeccable, especially the bit with the sudden desperation over the wireless 👍
The captain was put in an impossible position not having the 20/20 hindsight that we have today. How the English Setter survived is beyond me but dogs are hardy creatures ( thinking of the people who have died trying to rescue their pets from falling through the ice, only to have them manage to save themselves whilst their owners often succumb).
Very good video. Thank you fro England. X
See the sad death of crew on the fv Saint Patrick in 1981 off Kodiak. The Captain panicked and sent the crew into the water without survival suits. The boat never sank. Very sad.
I love these stories. It always seems that ships come to grief in the dark compounding a terrifying ordeal. I wish we still lived in an age where steamship travel was the means of travel from one shore to another. Ships of this era were to me so much more appealing than the chaotic monstrosities of today. I look forward to seeing new episodes.
Did you know merchant ships have cabins for rent. Might check out the current situation on those (Covid).
Than you for this.i stumbled upon your site and found it extremely interesting. The terror of those days, knowing they would be your last!
My Great grandfather, arrived for the rescue in the mail boat Estebeth, at first light, massive oil sheen, no survivors, I think that haunted him for many years
That's a heritage to treasure with great reverence.
What a great video. Your presentation is just right. Thank you for posting this and I look forward to watching many more.
Thank you so much!
The ad transition on this video was smooth as silk.
My paternal grandmother's name was Sophia, So-fi-uh, this video's pronunciation. She was a 1st generation daughter of German immigrants who'd settled in NY. I never heard the Sophia Loren pronounciation until I was
about 12. That pronunciation still sounds odd to me. I have a sister named after Grandma Sophie. She uses Sophia.
It was a different world then, navigating without modern comms. It is hard to imagine.
The people in the sea did not die of hypothermia as noted, but of asphyxiation from the engine oil that had leaked out and created a layer floating atop the water. The shore was close enough that strong swimmers could have made it out alive before they succumbed to hypothermia. They suffocated.
Great video!!!
Your more than welcome to post this on our FB Group!
I like this channel a lot. Enjoying the calm delivery style, every episode. Excellent work. :)
Wonderful video with some fantastic footage and photos of this little known, sad story. Thank you for producing and sharing!
Such a sad case. Good video, well presented. Remember, GPS has made navigation of the seas so much easier. But, full speed in the bad conditions is not forgivable, and in a tight channel, with dangerous rocks. Could using a lead line for depth readings helped the navigation? Peace be unto you.
The decision to launch or not launch lifeboats was crucial for early 20th century ships in danger. I can't harshly judge either the Sophia's captain or the Clallam's captain for their respective decisions when it comes to the lifeboats.
Clallam's captain was sure that his ship is sinking fast and that the lifeboats offer a better chance then staying on the deck. Sophia's captain thought his ship is not in a danger of sinking anytime soon and though that weathering the storm is safer than putting people in the lifeboats in such conditions.
Sadly, both were proven wrong. But hindsight is 20/20 and they couldn't have known for sure what would happen. They were just men trying to make the best decision based on incomplete information.
Nicely presented, thank you.
one of the times when being overly cautious caused a greater tragedy. the captain clearly knows the danger of lowering lifeboats during heavy seas. thought understandable, he lacked the courage to take risk and accept rescue because he believe doing something risky in such a harsh weather might cause greater tragedy.
I fully respect the decision of the Captain that day. The loss of the Princess Sophia was an inspiration to me through out much of my 35 years as a mariner. No matter what the situation or the dangers presented, I always assumed that it can get worse and if there is an opportunity to act, action must be taken without delay. I consider the Titanic in the same way. There can be no haste in a transit, always believe in the worst thing happening and be prepared to abandon your vessel at the first opportunity.
Here I thought that the North Atlantic shipping routes were the dangerous of all the seven seas but the Pacific Northwest routes are in my opinion number one.
I grew up in Oregon and this history hits home.
Dang that is a sad story! Being a Floridian I love Maritime history. This is just incredibly sad everyone perished. You know what they say hindsight is 20/20. They had at least one chance but failed to act. Anyway great job on the video sir. I did enjoy it and find it very informative. Thank you for taking us on the adventure.
If the ship was aground and a tide started to float her she would have come unstable. ( This taken into account when drydocking ships). It's likely that she capsized quickly and sank giving no opportunity for evacuation. Should have got everyone off ASAP at the outset.
The wreck site is diveable, the metridium anemone which a diver said he counted around 300 is almost the same number of people that died on that ship.
Loved the creaking ropes effect in the beginning!
Fascinating! I'm from this part of the world, too. I notice your pronunciation of "Juan de Fuca" and "Sophia", and wonder where you're from... (hehe). Pronunciation is trivial, this was an excellent documentary! The inside passage is some of the most treacherous navigation in the world. Some of the fastest tidal currents in the world, semi-submerged rocks, topography that funnels wind and currents, harsh weather. What a ride!
Just putting this out there: There are languages out there where words ending with "ia" are pronounced with a hard "I", instead of the hard "E" sound it usually makes in English. So congratulations, everyone is right.
God please take care of those poor souls who came to you in such a violent and tragic way 🙏
Thank you for posting. God rest their souls. 🙏🙏🙏
I like the sound effects. Enjoyed the story
Heartbreaking
Excellent work, really nice use of archival footage.
Well, the ship did what it could and held up well considering the situation.
Bs ad chased me. Gold trails and ghost towns tells story well also. Nice clear English. Thank you
After watching a few of these videos. I have gotten really tired of these Captains thinking they are God and killing people. The one whose Captain had only gotten a year from being a capt. is unforgivable.
If I was in the Captain's shoes, I also probably would have not put the life boats in the water fearing what would happen. I hate that he had no way of knowing it was his best option but I can't find fault with his decision.
Especially with how storms can move in and how long evacuations take normally
Excellent narration and storytelling.
I knew by the photos but I will still watch because it’s such a sad story 🥲🥲.
I love Robert W Service! When I was little, I found an old book of his with a small ostrich feather inside while looking though a thrift shop in SA!❤❤
19:45 god I hope that poor dog had a good life after he was rescued.
Sad what happened
Reminds me of that old tv show Barney Miller. One of the detectives was Polish and and when people couldn’t pronounce his name, he’d say you just pronounce every single letter, it’s not hard. Sophia is said in that manner
Sophīa is how you say it. Also Marīa and Regīna. That was the customary pronunciation of feminine names that ended with -ia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries among Canadians and Americans of British descent in northern North America.
Well told story of this compound tragety
One consideration of no small import was the effect of shifting the weight of more than 300 bodies as the ship was stuck on the rock. Even in calm winds and waves, it could have ended in disaster and tragedy. We'll never know, of course. It may be that the ship and the souls aboard were doomed no matter what the captain decided. May they rest in peace.
Your back with a new video! Kudos to you and keep them coming! They're appreciated.
3:50, though she wouldn't survive the war? The ship came back from the war! Sounds like a survivor to me!!
He meant that she sunk before the end of the war (even if she was retired from wartime service before then)
Love scents and candles of the same smells🎉
What a nightmare. I'd never heard anything about this. Even if the Cedar was in attendance, I doubt there was much they could have done. I wonder if they ever considered pulling her off the rocks?
Well done man. Bless those poor souls .
I love your videos so much! So interesting and well put together, thank you for the new video :)
Thank you for another fine video, much appreciated and wonderful on a Sunday morning here in Japan.
Watching these stories always involves one in the tragedy of each individual soul on board. To imagine what the passengers and crew must have gone through, hour after hour, constantly hoping for salvation, yet losing their lives in the end! It really makes my heart ache. I hope they are all at peace now. Who knows how their lives would have played out, had they been saved? Praise all those brave ships who risked their own safety by rushing to help, and the exhausted man who stayed at the telegraph station.
Such dedication to duty! Bless them all. Thank you for your compassionate narration, even trying to understand what went through the captain's mind. Had he only taken advantage of the lull in the storm the next morning! But hindsight is so easy! Are today's lifeboats still so difficult to handle? When a ship lists, aren't they too far out of reach? I hope we can come up with better ways of dealing with such awful tragedies in future. I'd be interested in finding out more about the Sultana, a Civil War steamboat, please.
Such a thoughtful comment.
When you hear " conditions rapidly deteriorated" you know a captain kept it pushing to the max
i honestly think the captain in the first boat knew what he was doing when he sent those people out on those little boats and had done that to reduce the amount of weight on the boat so the crew would survive...
I love Robert W Service! One of the first poetry books I ever bought! ❤️ I never hear much about him.
A sad story, so gently related.
This is really well written. And read really well. Researched well, too. Nice work
Your extensive research taught me it's 'Princess So - FIRE'. Gives me a chuckle though 😆😅. Well done!
I believe this also happened to a Great Lakes Passenger Ship
Even into the 1980s you could ride the princess marguerite from Seattle to Victoria British Columbia.
In a grand old ship like that, it was a Fun adventure...
I'm not sure the no nostalgia is worth the trade for the Victoria clipper
It's possible there's a piece of granite from Denali somewhere in that wreckage. It'll be part of a tie pin. Anyone know how to get divers to look for it? It's one of four unique pieces, and we only know the whereabouts of one of those four. They're from the Stuck-Karstens expedition. The one that most likely went aboard the Princess Sophia belonged to Walter Harper, the first of the expedition to reach the summit. He would wear his tie pin anytime he wore his tie. If his body wasn't found with his tie, that would mean the tie pin never left the ship.
Thanks for sharing, it reminded me a little bit of the Valencia story that you covered, in that help was so close but just not able to do anything. Thanks again I look forward to your next video.