Hikers from around the world travel to the famous West Coast Trail on Canada’s coast, enjoying rugged coastal wilderness and beautiful beaches. But when hikers walk the sandy beaches and gaze out to sea, they should know they’re walking through a ‘Graveyard of the Pacific’. In fact, if hikers know what to look for, they can see signs of shipwrecks from years ago.
The West Coast Trail saw many shipwrecks during the 19th century. Most of these wrecks were the result of fierce coastal storms and poor navigational aids. One such wreck was the Valencia passenger steamer tragedy of 1906. The Valencia wreck resulted in the loss of 164 lives and resulted in the original West Coast telegraph line being modernized with trail improvements to become the “Life Saver Trail”, now called the West Coast Trail.
As more sophisticated charts and navigational equipment evolved, the likelihood of a major shipwreck diminished, until the Russian freighter Uzbekistan struck a reef on April 1, 1943.
Uzbekistan was assigned to transport supplies for the war effort, between the west coast and Vladivostok, Russia. Why the Russian captain, P. Ovchinnikoff, steered his boat directly ashore near Darling Creek on what is now the West Coast Trail, and far off its intended course, remains a mystery.
It is speculated that the surfacing of a Japanese submarine near the lighthouse at Estevan Point (north of the Way) and the subsequent shelling of the nearby beach on June 20, 1942 played a role. After the attack, lighthouses on the west coast were ordered to maintain blackout conditions to protect shoreline installations. Without a reference to the lighthouse, it is quite possible that the captain became disoriented and washed ashore.
With the vessel sitting high on the coastal shelf, the captain and crew had no choice but to abandon the vessel and wade through the shallow tidal waters to shore. The crew walked the rugged coastal path. [part of today’s West Coast Trail] to Bamfield, about 18 km (9 miles) away. They were picked up by a Canadian naval ship and returned to Victoria. No investigation followed as the captain, his crew and the logbook were quickly returned to Russia. The Canadian Army was tasked with protecting the ship. Bored sentinels used the craft as target practice to avoid boredom.
It wasn’t long before water filled the Uzbekistan’s hull and fierce coastal storms from the West Coast Trail rolled her on her side, eliminating any chance of saving her. It didn’t take long for the looters to take advantage of the ship’s situation. A looter describes his good fortune:
“Those waters were bad news for the skipper of that ship, but good news for me! As soon as it started to break up, I knew there was no hope of saving it all, but there were plenty of smaller parts to pick up. “You can still see its boilers and some engine parts wedged on the beach at low tide. Nothing you can transport to sell, but it’s a nice reminder of that night she ran aground.”
If hikers don’t know the history of the West Coast Trail, they may be wondering about the sheet metal fragments they see in Darling Creek, about 9 miles from Pachena Bay (where hikers can end or start the trail). ). These sheet metal pieces are actually from the wreck of the Uzbekistan.
