Barkley Sound · Canada · Wreck
MV Vanlene
A 1950 Japanese-built freighter broken in two on the Austin Island reef
The MV Vanlene is a freighter that ran aground on a reef off Austin Island in Barkley Sound in 1972. Its steel hull now lies broken in two sections across the reef, giving the Sound a shipwreck dive that spans a wide depth range, and the site is protected as a heritage wreck.
Also known as Vanlene.
Where it is and how deep
48.8590° N, 125.3120° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck lies in two sections on the reef off Austin Island, its broken steel spread over depths from 9 m at the shallow end down to 40 m at the deepest. The storm-flattened hull plates and fittings of the bow lie in the shallower water, while the more intact stern, with its 2 cranes, rests at 21 to 40 m.
The wreck
- Vessel
- MV Vanlene (ex Africa Maru)
- Type
- Steel motor vessel (freighter)
- Length
- 144 m (472 ft)
- Built
- 1950
- Sunk
- 1972
- Cause
- Ran aground on a reef off Austin Island with no working radar or depth sounder
- Lies
- Broken in two sections on the reef off Austin Island, at 9 to 40 m
The 8,354-ton steel motor vessel was built in Kobe, Japan, in 1950 as the freighter Africa Maru. As the Vanlene, 144 m (473 ft) long, it was carrying 300 Dodge Colts in its hold when it ran aground off Austin Island in Barkley Sound on March 14, 1972, with no working radar or depth sounder aboard. It stayed stranded on the reef for several years until winter storms broke it up and it settled beneath the waves. The wreck is now a protected heritage wreck.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Barkley Sound: Dived year-round; autumn is the prime window, winter brings the clearest water and June a plankton bloom near the surface.
Know before you go
- Removing, damaging or altering any object from the heritage wreck is illegal without a permit from the Archaeology Branch.
Dive videos
The Vanlene Shipwreck - Vancouver Island · C Tamis Photography on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can divers take souvenirs from the Vanlene?+
No. It is a heritage wreck, and damaging, altering or removing any object from it is illegal except under a permit from the Archaeology Branch.
Sources
- MV Vanlene — Parks Canada, Canadian Register of Historic Places
- MV Vanlene — Heritage Guide
- Vanlene (1972) — Underwater Archaeological Society of British Columbia
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Wall
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Reef
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