SNOHOMISH drops PAMIR’s towline in Juan de Fuca Strait.
Jan. 6, 1946.

Watercolor 19" x 29"


When PAMIR dropped her tow off Cape Flattery at 10:40 am, on August 5th, 1946, it was the last time she would be seen in these waters, and the end of true commercial sail to British Columbia. Sailing ships still visit, but they are almost all training ships or replicas of another era, and all have auxiliary engines for propulsion. In the true age of sail, ships arriving off Juan de Fuca either had to take their chances on entering on their own, or wait for a tow.

PAMIR’s second Vancouver voyage in 1945 was memorable because of the conditions she encountered at the entrance to Juan de Fuca Strait. PAMIR took on 3600 tons of wheat as she lay at North Vancouver over that Christmas. On January 5th, 1946, at eight in the morning, she took a line from the tug SNOHOMISH for the tow out to Cape Flattery. They entered Juan de Fuca Strait in fine weather with a rising barometer, but shortly after midnight the glass began to fall, and by daylight it was blowing a strong gale from the east. In the rough conditions, the towing wire began to chaff. With great difficulty it was re-secured, but to be safe it was decided to set some sail to prevent being blown onto a lee shore. With sail on her, PAMIR began overtaking the tug, and with the wire still attached, there was a real danger of pulling SNOHOMISH under. The big ship was well up to the tug’s quarter by the time they let the line go. PAMIR charged up, healed over in huge seas, gradually adding sail as she swept by. SNOHOMISH tried to signal, but in the extreme conditions, the flag hoist, which should have been “WAY” for Bon Voyage, instead went up as “AWY”. She was rolling heavily in the big seas, taking water over the wheel house. On board PAMIR they described the last view of her “...steaming away for Juan de Fuca - a fuss of white at his whistle and the international code signal streaming in the gale.”