Credit: Maritime Museum of BC (Instagram post April 6, 2026)

HMS Flora was a British Royal Navy Astraea-class protected cruiser launched in 1893 at Pembroke Dockyard in Wales. Measuring about 320 feet (97.5 m) in length and powered by twin-screw triple-expansion engines, the vessel carried a crew of over 300 and was armed with a mix of six-inch guns, smaller quick-firing guns, and torpedo tubes.

While serving on the Pacific Station, Flora became the focus of international attention in December 1903, when she ran aground on a submerged reef near Denman Island, British Columbia. The accident reportedly occurred after navigators misidentified a buoy (partly obscured by a seagull) and the cruiser struck the rocks! Both of the officers in charge were found guilty of negligence. A complex salvage operation followed, involving Royal Navy vessels, pumps, anchors, and tugs. Coal, guns, and supplies were temporarily removed to lighten the ship, and after several attempts she was finally freed and sailed under her own power to Esquimalt for repairs. She was sold and salvaged for parts in 1922.

Today, the nearby reef known as Flora Islet serves as a quiet reminder of the dramatic grounding of HMS Flora off Vancouver Island’s coast. 



Condition: Heavy crease across top left corner area. Long crease that runs from the right edge to bottom edge. At some point the bottom right tip has broken away, someone has executed a crude repair using tape, possibly a paper type. Most of the paper backing has disintegrated and fallen away leaving the remainder of the tip still attached but extremely fragile. The image is covered by a layer of "glassine" type material which has many cracks, the layer remains firmly attached. The technique used did produce a nice sharp image.


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