Albion Iron Works (VMD)

This was an historic metal and shipyard in Victoria, Canada. With the Fraser and Cariboo Gold Rush BC was dependentupon Californian supplies and ships. To prevent US domination of the British Colony, Governor James Douglas passed lawsrestricting US shipping. To encourage BC shipping a yard and ironworks was established--the Albion Iron Works.

The name of course comes from the Latin Alba for white, and white cliffs of Dover. BC was known as New Albion for a time and hence the name.The yard itself sat on the south bank of the Inner Harbour on Bay Street, just before the Bay Street bridge at Point Ellice.The yard turned out boilers, engines and pipes for early steamers. The hulls were made of wood on slips in the yard.Later the yard turned out ships, like the sternwheeler SS Mount Royal (sternwheeler). Albion Iron Works went through several business changesand became Victoria Machinery Depot. It did essential war work in both world wars.

Later, on the yard turned out several BC Ferries. In business until the 1980s the yard turned to pressure vessels and submarines, but thehistoric yard went under in the business contractions of the 1990s.