Royston Wrecks
A Virtual Geocache
Here's a question for you. What do the Melanope, the Lauren Whalen and the Dunver have in common? If you said they're all ships then you'd be right, but you might not know one other attribute they share.
Comox Logging and Railway Company was a major employer in the Comox Valley during the 1900s. They logged areas between Courtenay and Campbell River and used trains to transport the logs to be dumped, sorted and sent to Fraser Mills near New Westminster.
The company's first log dump was on the Tsolum River at Sandwick, just upstream from Lewis Park. Log jams were frequent because of the excessive size and number of trees being brought in. This area was found to be unproductive because it caused many delays. It was abandoned in 1912 after they extended the railway south and began sending logs to their new point of departure in Royston.
The Royston log dump was much more spacious, although its exposure to the storms and high winds from the southeast caused rough water and made working at the log boom dangerous. The solution was to create a breakwater.
Beginning in the late 1930s a total of fifteen old vessels were brought in and sunk just to the south of the booming grounds. These ships are known as the Royston Wrecks.
The Melanope, the Lauren Whalen and the Dunver are among the ships that formed this breakwater and they now lie together in the waters of Comox Harbour. They continue to fascinate people and they serve as a reminder of our past.
Today the breakwater is a dangerous place to visit due to the advanced stage of deterioration of these ships. It is also home to many forms of wildlife and has been designated off limits. A physical geocache cannot be placed here, but one can observe the site and learn more from just down the beach, where this sign stands.
Visit the posted coordinates, beside Marine Drive in the seaside community of Royston. Read more about these sunken vessels as you look north along the beach to see what remains of the Ghost Ships of Royston.
Here's what you have to do to get your smilie: look on the sign and find the names of these three ships.
1. The big rusty ship pictured in the middle of the sign
2. The ship that was named the Harvestehude under German ownership
3. The ship that made six trips with the Dunkirk rescue armada in 1940 |
In order to log this virtual geocache as found you must send me a message or an email with the three correct responses.
Congratulations Mike&Lily on your FTF
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.