Victor II
Motor Launch · United States · Lost 1916 · Puget Sound & Discovery Bay
A small gasoline launch of the Mosquito Fleet capsized off Point Defiance in a sudden squall, drowning two children whose bodies were never found.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Victor II was a small gasoline-powered passenger launch serving south Puget Sound routes as part of the Mosquito Fleet. On January 15, 1916, while approaching the Tacoma Narrows near Point Defiance, she was struck broadside by heavy waves in a sudden squall and capsized. The steamship Atalanta witnessed the accident and rescued ten survivors, but two child passengers drowned and their bodies were never recovered.
Vessel
- 1914
- Not established
- Maplewood Beach, near Gig Harbor, Washington
- Wood
- 60 ft
- 14 ft
- 55
- Gasoline engine, 35 horsepower
- Not established
Loss
- January 15, 1916
- Storm
- Off Point Defiance, Tacoma
- Puget Sound
- Tacoma → Allyn, North Bay, Mason County
- Not established
- 12
- 2
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 47.31° N 122.51° W
- Approximate position
- Point Defiance, Tacoma, Washington
Approximate location off Point Defiance based on the documented capsize site.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
HistoryLink.org, 'Launch Victor II capsizes off Point Defiance...'
Full loss narrative, dimensions, casualties, and legal aftermath.
