Victoria Machinery Depot

From the late 1850s, with the Fraser Canyon and Cariboo Gold Rushes, British Columbia was dependent upon Californian supplies and ships.

[1] Albion Iron Works went through several business changes and merged with Victoria Machinery Depot (VMD), assuming the latter's name in 1888.

[6] Before submersion, the CA$10 million rig rose 50 metres (160 ft) above the waterline at the VMD docks.

After the 1967 launch and three years of exploration off the British Columbia coast, it was towed to oilfields in New Zealand, the North Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.

The company turned to pressure vessels and submarines, but the firm closed permanently in 1994, joining the business contractions of that decade.