AH-WR-1183

Del Norte

Side-Wheel Steamer · United States · Lost 1868 · The British Columbia Coast

San Francisco's first significant ocean steamship, the side-wheeler Del Norte ran aground in dense fog in Porlier Pass in 1868 and now lies with her paddle wheels and boilers largely intact.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Del Norte, launched in 1865 and said to be the first ocean steamship of significance built in San Francisco, ran the Pacific coastal trade between San Francisco and Alaska. On a return voyage from Sitka in September 1868, she ran aground in dense fog in Porlier Pass, between Galiano and Valdes Islands, British Columbia. All aboard were evacuated safely. The wreck was rediscovered by divers in 1971 and surveyed by the Underwater Archaeological Society of British Columbia in 1976, which installed a plaque to protect the site; her paddle wheel spokes and twin boilers remain visible today amid a field of coal.

Vessel

Built: 1865
Builder: Not established
Yard: San Francisco, California
Material: Wood
Length: 190 ft
Beam: 45 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, side paddle wheels
Owners: North Pacific Transportation Company

Loss

Date: September 25, 1868
Cause: Grounding
Location: Porlier Pass, between Galiano and Valdes Islands, British Columbia
Water: Strait of Georgia
Voyage: Sitka, Alaska → San Francisco, California
Cargo: Coal and general cargo
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Paddle wheel spokes and double boilers remain largely intact, surrounded by a coal debris field
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 1971
Protection: Protected under British Columbia's heritage wreck legislation.