View source for SS Valencia

{{Short description|19th and 20th-century steamship}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{| {{Infobox ship begin}} <!-- commercial vessels -->
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 {{Infobox ship image
 |Ship image=SS Valencia Side.jpg
 |Ship caption=SS ''Valencia'' in 1904
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 {{Infobox ship career
 |Hide header=
 |Ship flag={{USN flag|1906}}
 |Ship country=[[United States]]
 |Ship name=''Valencia''
 |Ship namesake=[[Valencia, Venezuela]]
 |Ship owner=* [[File:Red D Line House Flag.svg|20px|Red D Line]] Red D Line<ref name="Colton">{{cite web|url=http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/cramp.htm |title=Cramp Shipbuilding, Philadelphia |publisher=Shipbuilding History: Construction records of U.S. and Canadian shipbuilders and boatbuilders |date=27 May 2010 |access-date=8 September 2013 |author=Colton, Tim |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005014906/http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/cramp.htm |archive-date=5 October 2013  }}</ref>
* 1882–1898
* [[Pacific Steam Whaling Company]]<ref name="SpanAmWar" /><ref name="Grismore">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQdxHQAACAAJ |title=John G. Grismore, Et Al, Libelant, Vs. Steamship "Valencia", Respondent, Pacific Steam Whaling Company Claimant |year=1901 |access-date=9 September 2013|last1=(Steamship) |first1=Valencia }}</ref><ref name="SFCall1897">{{cite news |url=http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC18971225.2.102&e=01-11-1860-31-12-1860--en-Logical-20--1----lincoln-all----# |title=Gold-Carriers in Demand |work=San Francisco Call |volume=83 |issue=25 |publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection |date=25 December 1897 |access-date=9 September 2013 |pages=9}}</ref><ref name="Belyk">Belyk, Robert C. ''Great Shipwrecks of the Pacific Coast''. New York: Wiley, 2001. {{ISBN|0-471-38420-8}}</ref>
* 1898–1901
* [[File:Pacific Coast Steamship Company Flag.svg|20px|Pacific Coast Steamship Company]] [[Pacific Coast Steamship Company]]<ref name="Belyk" />
* 1901–1906
 |Ship operator=*[[File:Red D Line House Flag.svg|20px|Red D Line]] Red D Line
* 1882–1897; 1897–1898
* [[File:House Flag of New York and Cuba Mail Steamship Company.svg|20px|Ward Line]] [[Ward Line]]
* 1897
* Pacific Steam Whaling Company
* 1898; 1898–1901
* [[File:US flag 45 stars.svg|20px|United States]] [[United States Army]]
* 1898
* [[File:Pacific Coast Steamship Company Flag.svg|20px|Pacific Coast Steamship Company]] Pacific Coast Steamship Company
* 1901–1906
 |Ship registry=[[File:US flag 45 stars.svg|20px|United States]] [[San Francisco, California]], [[United States of America|United States]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HhHkN2OAwhc/UMRUpg90WuI/AAAAAAAADE8/S4ZnSvLLvaY/s1600/The+SS+Valencia2.jpg |title=Photo# NH 82635 Troops on a transport |access-date=29 August 2013}}</ref>
 |Ship route=*[[New York City]] to [[Caracas]] via [[La Guaira|Laguayra]] and [[Puerto Cabello]] (in 1882)<ref name="Preble" />
* [[San Francisco, California]] to [[Alaska]] (Normal route)<ref name="Belyk" />
* San Francisco, California to [[Seattle, Washington]] via [[Victoria, British Columbia]]<ref name="Belyk" />(At the time of sinking)
 |Ship ordered=
 |Ship builder=[[William Cramp & Sons]], [[Philadelphia]]
 |Ship original cost=
 |Ship yard number=228<ref name="SBH">{{cite web |url=http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/cramp.htm |title=William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilders |publisher=Shipbuilding History |access-date=8 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220082203/http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/history/shipyards/2large/inactive/cramp.htm |archive-date=20 December 2014  }}</ref>
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 |Ship launched=11 March 1882
 |Ship completed=
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 |Ship acquired=
 |Ship maiden voyage=May 1882<ref name="Preble">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/achronologicalh00prebgoog|title=A Chronological History of the Origin and Development of Steam Navigation |publisher=L.R. Hamersly & Company |year=1895 |author=Preble, George H. |pages=[https://archive.org/details/achronologicalh00prebgoog/page/n406 398]}}</ref>
 |Ship in service=1882–1906
 |Ship out of service=22 January 1906
 |Ship identification=
 |Ship fate=Wrecked on 22 January 1906
 |Ship notes=Ran aground near [[Pachena Point]] on [[Vancouver Island]]
 }}
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 |Ship class=
 |Ship type=[[Ocean liner]]/coastal passenger liner
 |Ship tonnage=1,598 Tons (originally 1,200 Tons)<ref name="Preble" />
 |Ship displacement=
 |Ship length={{convert|252|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="Belyk" />
 |Ship beam={{convert|34|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="Belyk" />
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 |Ship notes=Carried six [[lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboats]], one [[workboat]], four life rafts and one dual purpose workboat. Also equipped with a [[lyle gun]]. A {{convert|100|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} long bow gave the ''Valencia'' the false appearance of a fast vessel. It also reduced visibility during fog, as the ship was originally designed for [[U.S. East Coast|east coast]] service.<ref name="Belyk" /> She was the sister ship to the ''[[SS Caracas (1881)|Caracas]]''.<ref name="SFCall1897" />
}}
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'''SS ''Valencia''''' was an iron-hulled passenger [[steamboat|steamer]] built for the Red D Line for service between [[Venezuela]] and [[New York City]]. She was built in 1882 by [[William Cramp and Sons]], one year after the construction of her sister ship [[SS Caracas (1881)|''Caracas'']].<ref name="Preble" /> She was a 1,598-ton vessel (originally 1,200 tons),<ref name="Preble" /> 252 feet (77&nbsp;m) in length.<ref name="Belyk" /> In 1897, ''Valencia'' was deliberately attacked by the [[Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes|Spanish cruiser ''Reina Mercedes'']] off [[Guantanamo Bay, Cuba]]. The next year, she became a coastal passenger liner on the [[U.S. West Coast]]<ref name="Belyk" /> and served periodically in the [[Spanish–American War]] as a troopship to the [[Philippines]].<ref name="SpanAmWar" /> ''Valencia'' was wrecked off [[Cape Beale]], which is near [[Clo-oose]], on the west coast of [[Vancouver Island]], [[British Columbia]], on 22 January 1906.<ref>[http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH19060124.2.20&srpos=1&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-clo%252Doose------# "Many lives lost... ...Severe Gale Still in Progress"], ''Los Angeles Herald'', Volume 33, Number 115, 24 January 1906 (Associated Press), accessed 22 January 2023</ref> As her sinking killed 100 people (including all of the women and children aboard), some classify the wreck of ''Valencia'' as the worst maritime disaster in the "[[Graveyard of the Pacific]]", a famously treacherous area off the southwest coast of Vancouver Island.<ref name="Paterson">{{cite book|last=Paterson |first=T. W. |title=British Columbia Shipwrecks |url=http://collections.ic.gc.ca/folklore/ocean/wreck/valencia.htm |access-date=26 August 2006 |year=1967 |publisher=Stagecoach Publishing |location=Langley, BC |pages=72–76 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060112141307/http://collections.ic.gc.ca/folklore/ocean/wreck/valencia.htm |archive-date=12 January 2006 }}</ref>

== History ==
===East coast===
The [[Red D Line]] had been operating a well-established sailing ship service to [[Venezuela]] since 1839.<ref name="Congress" /> This service continued uninterrupted for almost 40 years.<ref name="Preble" /> By the summer of 1879 however, the company decided to modernize its service with steamships. Three German vessels were leased to begin this service, but it soon became clear that a permanent fleet would need to be provided.<ref name="Congress" /> Resulting from this decision, two steamships were ordered from [[William Cramp & Sons]] in [[Philadelphia]]. Both ships were to carry a combination of passengers, cargo and mail, sail under American Registration and be manned by American crews. In 1881, the first of this duo, the 1,200-ton ''[[SS Caracas (1881)|Caracas]]'', was completed and began service in July 1881 between [[New York City]] and [[Caracas]] via [[La Guaira|Laguayra]] and [[Puerto Cabello]].<ref name="Colton" /><ref name="Preble" />

[[File:SS Valencia Photograph 1900.jpg|thumb|left|SS ''Valencia'' around 1900, showing much of her original Red D Line profile]]
In 1882, the sister ship of ''Caracas'' was completed. The new steamer, ''Valencia'', was shorter in length than her older sister by {{convert|5|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="Belyk" /><ref name="MagellanCaracas">{{cite book|url=http://www.cimorelli.com/cgi-bin/magellanscripts/ship_bio1.asp?ShipName=Yaquina |title=Yaquina Bay (steamer) |publisher=Magellan – Ship Biographies |year=1961 |orig-year=1895 |access-date=14 September 2013 |author=Wright, E.W.}}</ref> and began her maiden voyage in May 1882.<ref name="Colton" /><ref name="Preble" /> An extension service for ''Valencia'' and ''Caracas'' was provided by the small wooden steamship ''Maracaibo'' to the [[Maracaibo|port of the wooden steamer's namesake]]. Unlike ''Valencia'' and ''Caracas'', ''Maracaibo'' was registered under the British flag, as she did not operate into the United States.<ref name="Preble" /> Voyages on ''Valencia'' and ''Caracas'' were scheduled twice a month, once for each ship, and lasted around 26 days.<ref name="Preble" /> In 1888, ''Caracas'' was sold to [[Thomas Egenton Hogg]] of the [[Oregon Pacific Railroad (1880–94)|Oregon Pacific Railroad Company]] and renamed ''Yaquina Bay''.<ref name="MagellanCaracas" /><ref name="CDNC1">{{cite web |url=http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DAC18880916.2.14# |title=Afloat and Ashore – Daily Alta California, Volume 42, Number 14256 |publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection |date=16 September 1888 |access-date=14 September 2013 |pages=1}}</ref> ''Valencia'' however, continued operations with the Red D Line. In later years, ''Valencia'' operated from New York City to Laguayra, via Puerto Cabello and the island of [[Curaçao]].<ref name="Congress">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-09HAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA228 |title=Congressional Edition, Volume 2685 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |year=1890 |access-date=8 September 2013 |author=United States Congress |pages=228}}</ref>

In 1897, the liner ''Niagara'' of the [[Ward Line]] was laid up to undergo repairs. The ''Valencia'' was subsequently chartered from the Red D Line to temporarily take ''Niagara''{{'}}s place. Despite the charter, ''Valencia'' was still manned by her Red D Line crew.<ref name="Sherman" /> On 29 May 1897, the ''Valencia'' was purposely attacked by the Spanish cruiser [[Spanish cruiser Reina Mercedes|''Reina Mercedes'']]. The cruiser fired two shots at the ''Valencia'' off [[Guantánamo Bay]]. One of the shots missed ''Valencia''{{'}}s stern by {{convert|240|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} Immediately, the American flag was raised on ''Valencia''{{'}}s stern, preventing ''Reina Mercedes'' from firing any further shots.<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1897/06/13/102094152.pdf |title=Valencia Arrives Safely in Port |work=New York Times |date=13 June 1897 |access-date=8 September 2013 |author=Unknown}}</ref> It was later revealed that the shots were fired by ''Reina Mercedes'' in order to intimidate ''Valencia'' into raising her colors. The crew of ''Reina Mercedes'' was otherwise well aware of ''Valencia''{{'}}s identity. Despite not being able to see the cruiser's flag, ''Valencia''{{'}}s captain was able to identify ''Reina Mercedes'', as both ships were together in [[Santiago de Cuba]] only days before. A Spanish official claimed ''Reina Mercedes'' had every right to fire upon ''Valencia'' for not displaying her American flag, which violated maritime courtesy. In response an American official stated ''Reina Mercedes'' did not display her colors while attacking ''Valencia'', making the attack unjustified.<ref name="Sherman">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UVEzAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA505 |title=Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |author1=Sherman, John |author2=E. Dupuy de Lome |year=1898 |location=The University of California |pages=502 to 507}}</ref>

===West coast===

[[File:SS Valencia Spanish American War.jpg|thumb|left|''Valencia'', carrying members of the [[1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry]] of the [[United States Army]] during the [[Spanish–American War]]]]
In 1898, ''Valencia'' was sold to the [[Pacific Steam Whaling Company]], which brought her around [[Cape Horn]] to the [[United States West Coast]]. From here, she served between [[San Francisco, California]] and the [[Territory of Alaska]].<ref name="SpanAmWar" /><ref name="Grismore" /><ref name="SFCall1897" /><ref name="Belyk" /> On 19 June of that year, ''Valencia'' was chartered by the [[United States Army]] for use as a troopship in the [[Spanish–American War]]. In this configuration, ''Valencia'' could carry 606 troops and 29 officers. She was used to transport the [[1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry]], [[1st Washington Volunteer Infantry]] (Companies F, G, I and L), and the [[California Heavy Artillery]] (Batteries A and D) between San Francisco and the [[Philippines]]. The Army paid ''Valencia''{{'}}s owners $650 ({{Inflation|US|650|1898|r=-2|fmt=eq}}) a day for her lease.<ref name="SpanAmWar">{{cite web |url=http://www.spanamwar.com/transports.htm |title=The Transport Service |publisher=Spanish–American War Centennial Website |access-date=8 September 2013 |author=McSherry, Patrick}}</ref>

====Performance==== 
After returning to civil service, ''Valencia'' did not adapt well to her new surroundings, and was not a well-liked ship among Pacific Coast passengers.<ref name="Belyk" /> She was regarded as being too small and too open to the elements, causing her to be classified as a second class vessel. Furthermore, her average speed was only 11 knots.

Her design made her difficult to handle during winter months. ''Valencia''{{'}}s lengthy {{convert|100|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} bow reduced visibility from her bridge. The very audible noise of the waves crashing along her bow often interfered with communication between her crew members.

The ''Valencia'' was not equipped with a double bottom and, like other early iron steamers, her hull compartmentalization was primitive.<ref>Newell, Gordon R., ''H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest'', at page 124, Superior Publishing, Seattle, WA 1966</ref>

====Incidents====
In 1901, ''Valencia''{{'}}s purser was arrested for overpricing tickets and embezzling the additional money. The purser claimed the rest of ''Valencia''{{'}}s crew was involved in this scam. In the same event, the ''Valencia'' was discovered to have been carrying more passengers than her permits allowed, causing her owners to be fined $9,000 ({{Inflation|US|9000|1901|r=-3|fmt=eq}}).<ref name="Belyk" />

Following these scandals, ''Valencia'' was sold to the [[Pacific Coast Steamship Company]].

While returning from [[Valdez, Alaska]] in 1902, ''Valencia'' collided with the steamer ''Georgia'' in [[Elliott Bay]] off [[Seattle, Washington]]. One of ''Valencia''{{'}}s hull plates was punctured above the water line. It was later discovered that had ''Valencia'' been damaged underwater by the collision, she would have foundered.<ref name="Belyk" />

Carrying a crew of 62, three passengers, and 500 tons of general cargo on a voyage from [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]] in the Territory of Alaska, ''Valencia'' ran aground without loss of life while entering the harbor at [[Saint Michael, Alaska|Saint Michael]], Alaska, on 16 October 1905. After ''Valencia'' jettisoned an estimated 75 tons of cargo, the [[Tugboat|tug]] ''Meteor'' helped her free herself, and she resumed her voyage southward.<ref>[http://alaskashipwreck.com/shipwrecks-a-z/alaska-shipwrecks-v/ alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (V) Retrieved 12 September 2018]</ref>

During the winter season, ''Valencia'' spent most of her time sitting at her dock in San Francisco, only seeing use as a backup vessel.<ref name="Belyk" />

== Final voyage ==
[[File:SS Valencia.jpg|thumbnail|left|''Valencia'', circa 1905]]
In January 1906, the ''Valencia'' was temporarily diverted to the [[San Francisco|San&nbsp;Francisco]]–[[Seattle]] route to take over from the SS ''City of Puebla'', which was undergoing repairs in San Francisco. The weather in San Francisco was clear, and ''Valencia'' set off on 20 January at 11:20&nbsp;a.m. with nine officers, 56 crew members and at least 108 passengers aboard.<ref name="HistoryLink">{{cite web |last=McClary |first=Daryl C. |title=Wreck of the SS Valencia |date=29 July 2005|url=http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&File_Id=7382 |access-date=26 August 2006}}</ref> As she passed by [[Cape Mendocino]] in the early morning hours of 21 January, the weather took a turn for the worse. Visibility was low and a strong wind started to blow from the southeast.

Unable to make [[celestial navigation|celestial observations]], the ship's crew was forced to rely on [[dead reckoning]] to determine their position. Out of sight of land, and with strong winds and currents, ''Valencia'' missed the entrance to the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]]. Shortly before midnight on 22 January, she struck a [[reef]] {{convert|11|mi}} off [[Cape Beale]] on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island.<ref name="HistoryLink" />

=== After the collision ===
Immediately after the collision, a large wave lifted her off the reef, and crew members reported a large gash in the hull into which water was pouring rapidly. To prevent her from sinking, the captain ordered her run aground, and she was driven into the rocks again. She was left stranded in sight of the shore, separated from it by less than {{convert|100|yd}}.<ref name="HistoryLink" />

In the ensuing confusion, all but one of the ship's seven [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboats]] were lowered into the water against the captain's orders, all of them improperly manned. Three flipped while being lowered, spilling their occupants into the ocean; of the three that were successfully launched, two capsized and one disappeared. The scene at the wreck was horrific, as one of the few survivors, Chief Freight Clerk Frank Lehn recounted:

<!-- Do NOT change the spelling of the image file! -->[[File:SS Valencia Wreck.jpg|thumbnail|300px|The wreck of ''Valencia'', seen from one of the rescuing ships.]]<!-- Do NOT change the spelling of the image file! -->
{{blockquote|Screams of women and children mingled in an awful chorus with the shrieking of the wind, the dash of rain, and the roar of the breakers. As the passengers rushed on deck they were carried away in bunches by the huge waves that seemed as high as the ship's mastheads. The ship began to break up almost at once and the women and children were lashed to the rigging above the reach of the sea. It was a pitiful sight to see frail women, wearing only night dresses, with bare feet on the freezing ratlines, trying to shield children in their arms from the icy wind and rain.<ref>McCurdy, at 124</ref>}}

Only 12 men made it to shore, and of those, three were washed away by the waves after landing. The remaining nine men scaled the cliffs and found a [[telegraph]] line strung between the trees. They followed the line through thick forest until they came upon a [[Lineman (technician)|lineman]]'s cabin, from which they were able to summon help.<ref name="HistoryLink" /> These nine men, who became known as the "Bunker" Party, after the survivor Frank Bunker, eventually received much criticism for not attempting to reach the top of the nearby cliff, where they might have received and made fast the cable fired from the [[Lyle gun]] on board ''Valencia''.<ref>Neitzel, Michael C., ''The Valencia Tragedy'', Heritage house, Surrey, 1995.</ref>

Meanwhile, the ship's [[boatswain]] and a crew of volunteers had been lowered in the last remaining lifeboat with instructions to find a safe landing place and return to the cliffs to receive a lifeline from the ship. Upon landing, they discovered a trail and a sign reading "Three miles to [[Cape Beale]]". Abandoning the original plan, they decided to head toward the [[lighthouse]] on the cape, where they arrived after {{frac|2|1|2}} hours of hiking. The lighthouse keeper phoned [[Bamfield, British Columbia|Bamfield]] to report the wreck, but the news had already arrived and been passed on to [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]].<ref name="HistoryLink" /> This last group of survivors was "well-nigh crazed" by their last sight of the remaining passengers stranded on the ship:
{{blockquote|the brave faces looking at them over the broken rail of a wreck and of the echo of that great hymn sung by the women who, looking death smilingly in the face, were able in the fog and mist and flying spray to remember: ''[[Nearer, My God, to Thee]]''.<ref>Clarence H Baily, "The Wreck of the Valencia", in ''[[The Pacific Monthly]]'', March 1906, p. 281, quoted by Richard Howells ''The Myth of the Titanic'', {{ISBN|0-333-72597-2}}.</ref>}}

=== Rescue efforts ===
[[File:SS Valencia Survivors.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|Survivors on a life raft being rescued by [[SS City of Topeka|City of Topeka]]]]
Once word of the disaster reached Victoria, three ships were dispatched to rescue the survivors. The largest was the passenger liner SS ''Queen'': accompanying her were the [[marine salvage|salvage]] steamer ''Salvor'' and the [[tugboat|tug]] ''Czar''. Another steamship, ''[[SS City of Topeka|City of Topeka]]'', was later sent from Seattle with a doctor, nurses, medical supplies, members of the press, and a group of experienced seamen. On the morning of 24 January, ''Queen'' arrived at the site of the [[Shipwreck|wreck]], but was unable to approach due to the severity of the weather and lack of [[nautical chart|depth charts]]. Seeing that it would not be possible to approach the wreck from the sea, ''Salvor'' and ''Czar'' set off to Bamfield to arrange for an overland rescue party.<ref name="HistoryLink" />

Upon seeing ''Queen'', ''Valencia'''s crew launched the ship's two remaining life rafts, but the majority of the passengers decided to remain on the ship, presumably believing that a rescue party would soon arrive. Approximately one hour later, ''City of Topeka'' arrived and, like ''Queen'', was unable to approach the wreck. ''Topeka'' cruised the waters off the coast for several hours searching for survivors, and eventually came upon one of the life rafts carrying 18 men. No other survivors were found and at dark the captain of ''City of Topeka'' called off the search. The second life raft eventually drifted ashore on an island in [[Barkley Sound]], where the four survivors were found by the island's [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] and taken to a village near [[Ucluelet]].<ref name="HistoryLink" />

When the overland party arrived at the cliffs above the site of the wreck, they could see dozens of passengers clinging to the rigging and the few unsubmerged parts of ''Valencia''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s hull. Not long afterwards, the ship's lone funnel collapsed. With the funnel being the last full means of protection to anyone on board, the waves were now able to completely wash over ''Valencia''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s deck, leaving all at the mercy of the waves.<ref name="Belyk" /> Without any remaining lifelines, however, they could do nothing to help the survivors, and within hours a large wave washed the wreckage off the rocks and into the ocean. The remaining passengers drowned, were beaten to death against the rocks, or clung to wreckage as they were swept to sea, dying of [[hypothermia]].<ref name="HistoryLink" />

== Investigation and aftermath ==
[[File:Valencia marker 02.jpg|thumbnail|300px|right|A headstone marking the remains of the unknown dead of the ''Valencia'' disaster, located in the Mt Pleasant Cemetery on [[Queen Anne, Seattle|Queen Anne Hill]] in [[Seattle, Washington]]]]

Within days of the disaster, the US Marine Inspection Service launched an investigation into the incident. A second investigation was launched by President [[Theodore Roosevelt]]. Its purpose was twofold: one, to determine the causes of the disaster, and two, to recommend how to avoid such loss of life in the future.

The investigation ran from 14 February to 1 March 1906, and the final report was published on 14 April 1906. The reports agreed on the causes of the disaster&nbsp;— navigational mistakes and poor weather. Safety equipment was, for the most part, in working order, but lifeboat drills had not been carried out. According to the report, the crew of the rescuing vessels did as much to help ''Valencia'' as could be expected under the circumstances.<ref name="HistoryLink" />

The loss of life was attributed to a series of unfortunate coincidences, aggravated by a lack of lifesaving infrastructure along Vancouver Island's coast. The federal report called for the construction of a lighthouse between [[Cape Beale]] and [[Carmanah Point]], and the creation of a coastal lifesaving trail with regularly spaced shelters for [[shipwreck]]ed sailors. It also recommended that [[surfboat]]s be stationed at [[Tofino]] and [[Ucluelet]] and that a well-equipped steamboat be stationed at Bamfield. The [[Government of Canada]] immediately set to work building a lighthouse and trail; in 1908, the [[Pachena Point Lighthouse]] was lit, and in 1911 work on the trail&nbsp;– later known as the [[West Coast Trail]]&nbsp;– was completed.<ref name="Sykes">{{cite news |last=Sykes |first=Karen |title=A walk on the wild side |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=17 July 1997|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/getaways/071797/west17.html |access-date=26 August 2006}}{{dead link|date=July 2012}}</ref>

Estimates of how many people died in the sinking vary; some sources list that 117 people were killed, while others claim that the number of fatalities was as high as 181.<ref name="Paterson" /><ref name="OSU">{{cite press release|publisher=Oregon State University |date=24 July 2002 |url=http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2002/Jul02/maritime.htm |title=New OSU Press Book Looks at Northwest Maritime Disasters |access-date=26 August 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060908052045/http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2002/Jul02/maritime.htm |archive-date=8 September 2006 }}</ref> According to the federal report, the official death toll was 136 persons. Only 37 men survived, and every woman and child on ''Valencia'' died in the disaster.

In 1933, 27 years after the disaster, ''Valencia'''s lifeboat No. 5 was found floating in Barkley Sound. Remarkably, it was in good condition, with much of the original paint remaining.<ref name="Paterson" /><ref name="Times">{{cite news |last=Brodeur |first=Nicole|title=Maritime safety owes debt to Valencia victims |work=Seattle Times |date=10 January 2006|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nicolebrodeur/2002730479_brodeur10m.html |access-date=26 August 2006}}</ref> The boat's nameplate is now on display in the [[Maritime Museum of British Columbia]].<ref name="HistoryLink" />

Coincidentally, ''Valencia'''s sister ship ''Caracas'', was also wrecked. On 9 December 1888, shortly after arriving on the west coast as ''Yaquina Bay'', she broke free from her tugboat, ran aground at [[Yaquina Bay|the bay of her namesake]] and was declared a total loss.<ref name="SFCall1897" /><ref name="MagellanCaracas" />

=== Myths and legends surrounding  ''Valencia'' ===
''Valencia''{{'}}s dramatic end has made her the subject of several local rumors and ghost stories. Six months after the sinking, a local [[Nuu-chah-nulth]] fisherman, Clanewah Tom, and his wife reported seeing a lifeboat with eight skeletons in a nearby sea [[cave]] at the shoreline of [[Pachena Bay]].<ref name="sfcall">[http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1906-08-23/ed-1/seq-5/ ''San Francisco Call'' August 23, 1906, Page 5]. chroniclingamerica.loc.gov</ref> The mouth of the cave was obstructed by a large boulder and the cave was reported to be around {{convert|200|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} deep. There was no definite explanation for the lifeboat's presence in the cave, but it was believed that high tide had lifted the boat into the cave's mouth. Lightkeeper Philip Daykin, who managed to get a good look inside the cave, speculated the survivors were alive when the lifeboat entered the cave, but starved to death before it could be found.<ref name="sfcall" /> Due to the dangerous seas outside the cave's mouth, the lifeboat along with its human remains could not be recovered.<ref name="13Days" /> Local resident Clay Evans, a member of the local Search and Rescue who has studied the ''Valencia'' sinking, believes the story to be apocryphal: however, if it is true, the lifeboat in question was likely No. 5, explaining its eventual rediscovery in 1933.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Banel |first1=Feliks |title=From the KIRO Newsradio archives: The wreck of the Valencia |url=https://mynorthwest.com/3326151/the-wreck-of-the-valencia/ |website=93.3FM Kiro NewsRadio |date=26 January 2022 |access-date=7 May 2023}}</ref> Local fisherman similarly reported lifeboats being rowed by skeletons of ''Valencia''{{'}}s victims.<ref name="13Days" />

When transporting the survivors of ''Valencia'' to Seattle, ''City of Topeka'' stopped in the water to relay the news of ''Valencia''{{'}}s foundering to a passing vessel. Some observers onboard claimed they could make out the shape of ''Valencia'' within the black exhaust emanating from ''City of Topeka''{{'}}s funnel. In fact, while steaming to port with survivors, a ship approached her and passed close by. To the horror of all on board, it appeared to be the ''Valencia'', and the crew on board skeletons. The phantom steamer was on the same course, heading straight for the rocks. The ''Valencia'' signaled the ''City of Topeka'', which added to the terror of the people on board the ''Topeka''. After the chilling experience,  the ''Topeka'' continued on with no other incidents.<ref name="13Days">{{cite web |url=http://oceanleadership.org/13-days-of-halloween-the-ghost-ship-valencia/ |title=13 Days of Halloween: The Ghost Ship Valencia |publisher=Consortium for Ocean Leadership |date=23 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004225831/http://oceanleadership.org/13-days-of-halloween-the-ghost-ship-valencia/ |access-date=3 October 2013|archive-date=4 October 2013 }}</ref> In 1910, the ''[[Seattle Times]]'' reported that sailors claimed to have seen a phantom ship resembling ''Valencia'' near Pachena Point.<ref name="Paterson" /> The sailors observed waves washing over the phantom steamer as human figures held on to the ship's rigging for dear life. Similar apparitions were reported for years following the disaster.<ref name="13Days" />

== See also ==
* {{SS|Caracas|1881}} – sister ship of ''Valencia''
* [[Clallam (steamboat)|''Clallam'' (steamboat)]]
* {{SS|Columbia|1880}}
* [[Princess Sophia (steamer)|''Princess Sophia'' (steamer)]]
* [[Pacific Rim National Park Reserve]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|33em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Valencia (ship, 1906)}}
* [http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/redd.shtml Atlantic and Caribbean Steam Navigation Co. / Red "D" Line&nbsp;– TheShipsList]&nbsp;– Web page explaining the fleet details of the Red D Line, as well as some of its background history.
* [http://www.histarmar.com.ar/LineasdePaxNAaSCA/RedDLine.htm Atlantic and Caribbean Steam Navigation Co. / Red "D" Line&nbsp;– Historia y Arqueología Marítima] (In Spanish)&nbsp;– Webp age explaining a detailed history about the Red D Line and the SS ''Caracas''.
* [http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7382 Valencia, SS, the Wreck of (1906)&nbsp;– HistoryLink.org]&nbsp;– A historical essay about the ''Valencia'' disaster and the tragedy surrounding her wreck.
* [http://www.museevirtuel-virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/histoires_de_chez_nous-community_memories/pm_v2.php?id=record_detail&fl=0&lg=English&ex=00000658&hs=0&rd=152991 Sinking of the ''Valencia'': Tragedy and Beyond&nbsp;– VirtualMuseum.ca]&nbsp;– A Web page explaining and displaying several pieces of ''Valencia'''s tragic demise. Her 1882 blueprints are included.

=== Archives ===
* [https://catalog.archives.gov/id/298321  The National Archives] Casualty files for the Valencia compiled by The Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation.

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[[Category:Steamships of the United States]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Spanish–American War auxiliary ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built by William Cramp & Sons]]
[[Category:1882 ships]]
[[Category:Legendary ghost ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1898]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1902]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1905]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1906]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the British Columbia coast]]