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The Magellan Sinks and Is Salvaged.

by Captain Tony Toxopeus 2017

Magellan

The Magellan sunk at her berth. (Photo from the Toxopeus collection.)

The fishing vessel Magellan sank Monday December 12th, 2016 in the North Arm of the Fraser River, just east of the end of Kent Street. I thought she was a total loss and was surprised to see that some creative hard working salvors got her back on her own keel and floating again on the following Friday evening at low water with some ‘really’ big pumps.

Magellan

The Magellan (Photo from the S.C. Heal collection. )

In 1943 she was built in Victoria BC by Victoria Motor Boat & Repair Works Ltd. as the RCAF General MacKenzie; then renamed as the Mar Bermejo; then Majellan Streight; then Magellan Straits; then Magellan. 89.2’ x 24.5’ x 9.3’ (27.19m x 7.47m x 2.83m) wooden hull 176.62gt 65.26rt She was powered by a 400hp Imperial gasoline engine built by Atlas Gas Engine Co., San Francisco CA USA.

In 1943–1946 she was acquired by the RCAF for service with the Western Air Command Marine Squadron based at Vancouver BC. In 1946 she was sold by the War Assets Corp. (asking price $75,000). In 1946 she was owned by Mexican owners. In 1951–1965 she was owned by Straits Towing Ltd., Vancouver BC. In 1967 she was owned by Mirko Loncarich (MO), Vancouver BC. In 1970–1973 she was owned by Anglo British Columbia Packing Co. Ltd., Vancouver BC. In 1974–1980 she was owned by Leonard Smith (MO), Langley BC. In 1981-1989 she was owned by Smith's Ocean Survival Inc., Fort Fraser BC. In 1989 she was owned by British Columbia Packers Ltd., Richmond BC. In 1992 she was owned by David J. Turner, New Westminster BC. In 1994–1998 she was owned by Magellan Marine Ltd., New Westminster BC. In 1999–2007 she was owned by Lamina Pile Driving Ltd., Richmond BC. In 2011–2017 she was owned by David A. Crosson, Chilliwack BC.


To quote from this article please cite:

Toxopeus, Captain Tony (2017) The ; then Magellan Sinks and Is Salvaged. Nauticapedia.ca 2017. http://nauticapedia.ca/Gallery/Magellan.php

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Site News: December 21, 2024

The vessel database has been updated and is now holding 94,824 vessel histories (with 16,274 images and 13,929 records of ship wrecks and marine disasters).

Vessel records are currently being reviewed and updated with more than 45,000 processed so far this year (2024).

The mariner and naval biography database has also been updated and now contains 58,599 entries (with 3996 images).

Thanks to Ray Warren who is beginning a long process of filling gaps in the photo record of vessel histories in the database. Ray has been documenting the ships of Vancouver Harbour for more than 60 years.

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