The Vancouver Voyages of the Barque Pamir

Barry M. Gough is a history professor at Wilfrid Laurier University and
author of The Northwest Coast: British Navigation, Trade, and
Discoveries to 1812.

As a young lad, in 1945, I stood at the Ogden Point pier in Victoria
watching one of the tugs of Island Tug and Barge taking in tow the great
squarerigger that is the subject of this excellent ship history. These
great sailing ships were at one time a regular sight as they entered and
exited the Strait of Juan de Fuca, carrying all sorts of cargo (mainly
timber). The Barque, launched in Hamburg in 1905, represented perfection
in vessels built for the Chilean nitrate trade. Measuring 316 feet in
length and nearly 3000 gross tons, she had a total sail area of 37,000
square feet. She sailed under the German, Finnish, and New Zealand
flags, and was lost in 1957 after a celebrated and useful career.
Equally fascinating about this book is its account of the several tugs
that brought her safely in and out of harbor, and that on occasion
rescued her on that western graveyard of ships, Vancouver Island. With
its superb illustrations, solid text, and useful data, this book is a
must for aficionados of British Columbia coast history.