The Plaque Commemorating William Harley Blagborne

On the seawall of the Inner Harbour at Victoria BC there is a plaque commemorating William Harley Blagborne.

He served as an Able–Seaman in the five–masted schooner City of Alberni.

He started his career as a master of seiners. He sailed in the City of Alberni. He was qualified as a Master Mariner. He was the Master of the deep sea salvage tugs Island Sovereign, Sudbury and Sudbury II. He made many marine rescues and salvage operations from the Sudbury and Sudbury II. For example, in November 1956 the American Liberty ship Thunderbird (owned by Terrance Navigation Co. of New York) lost her propeller in mid–Pacific while en route Japan to Willapa. The Sudbury towed her for a week through gales successfully to her port. In 1958 he brought the Sudbury II from Australia to Vancouver.

He died at the age of 59 while supervising the retrieval of a runaway barge off the southern end of Vancouver Island.