Pass of Melfort
Sailing Bark (or Barque) · United Kingdom · Lost 1905 · The British Columbia Coast
A four-masted steel bark wrecked with all hands off Amphitrite Point on Christmas Day 1905, one of the deadliest losses on Vancouver Island's outer coast.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
Pass of Melfort was a steel-hulled, four-masted sailing bark built at Fairfield's Govan yard in 1891. In late 1905 she sailed from Panama toward Seattle to load timber, her retired captain Harry Scougall having agreed to take the voyage as a favor to her owners. On Christmas Day 1905, in a severe gale, she was driven onto a reef near Amphitrite Point on the west coast of Vancouver Island. All 21 aboard are believed to have perished; wreckage and several bodies washed ashore near Ucluelet.
Vessel
- 1891
- Fairfield Shipbuilding
- Govan, Scotland
- Steel
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Sail, four-masted bark rig
- Not established
Loss
- December 25, 1905
- Storm
- Off Amphitrite Point, Ucluelet, Vancouver Island
- Pacific Ocean, west coast of Vancouver Island
- Panama → Seattle, Washington
- Not established
- 21
- 21
- Harry Scougall
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Broke apart on the reef; wreckage washed into a nearby bay.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 48.92° N 125.54° W
- Approximate position
- Amphitrite Point, Ucluelet, Vancouver Island
Position given as near Amphitrite Point off Ucluelet.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)
The precise wreck position and full crew roster are not established beyond contemporary newspaper accounts.
Lighthousefriends.com, Amphitrite Point Lighthouse history
Narrative of the voyage, captain, storm, and total loss of life.
Heritage BC, Shipwreck Sites in British Columbia
Confirmation of vessel identity and wreck location.
