Northern Light V : – Interesting Derelict

In 1945 she was built by Commercial Iron Works at Portland OR USA. 158’ x 33’ x 13’ Steel 634.35gt 384.73rt She was powered by 2–900bhp diesel–electric engines

She started life as a a USN Net Tender, then as the Samarkandh, then as the Northern Light (IX), and lastly as the Northern Light V in 1989.

Northern Light V (Photo from the John MacFarlane collection. )

In 1945 she was owned by the US Navy as a submarine net tender in boom defences. She was ‘cocooned’ in the mothball fleet until sold as surplus. She was purchased by Columbian owners as the Samarkandh a coastwise freighter. In 1989–2004 she was owned by Samuel M. Hancock, Comox BC.

Northern Light V (Photo from the John MacFarlane collection. )

As the Samarkandh she entered Canadian waters under a crew of Columbian nationals declaring force majeure to enable her stop and repair her engines. One propulsion motor was damaged – possibly sabotaged. She was arrested and seized by the RCMP and the Canadian Navy in a remote Vancouver Island inlet and her cargo (containing drugs) was unloaded. She was then moved to Esquimalt BC where later the RCMP moved her to the old Coast Guard Base on Harbour road in Victoria Harbour. Crown Assets and Disposal sold her to Frank Gale & Partner. He intended to use her as a supply vessel to the offshore dragger fleet (which obviously never happened). She was towed to Cowichan Bay where she lay for some time and later she was a prominent sight around Hornby and Denman Islands moving anchorage when she became too unpopular with local residents.

Jeff Stubbington (British Columbia Nautical History Facebook Group 28/05/2019) stated "She was towed to Ladysmith and broken up at Saltair Marine." She is said to have been scrapped there in 2003.

Northern Light V (Photo from the John MacFarlane collection. )