Shipwrecks on Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge

Source: Eric Nelson

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Over 180 known wrecks and groundings on or adjacent to the refuge are listed here, organized by island.  Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge’s M/V Tiglax engineer Eric Nelson researched the list.  It is an incomplete work in progress with an emphasis on wrecks that have left some physical evidence on the refuge.  Spills that did not involve wrecks will be incorporated at a later date.  (MMS) indicates Minerals Management Service was used as the data source.  All other sources are as noted. E-Mail the refuge if you have additional information or sources.  Oct 28, 2007.

Adak Is., 1754, Sept. 2^nd, Russian ship Sv. Iermiia wrecked at Adak Is. The survivors constructed a smaller vessel from the wreckage and driftwood, naming it Sv.Petr i Pavel and sailed it homeward in 1754. (Lydia T. Black, Dominique Desson, Early Russian Contact, AK Historical Commission, 1986) The Sv. Iermiia had been built on Mednoi Island either out of the wreckage of the vessel Sv. Simeon and Ioann or driftwood. (Lydia T. Black, Proceedings of the Alaskan Marine Archaeology Workshop, 1983) Driven onto onshore rocks when anchor cable parted. Minerals Management Service (MMS)

Adak Is., 1869, April, an abandoned Japanese junk was stranded on Adak. (Charles Wolcott Brooks, Report of Japanese vessels wrecked in the North Pacific Ocean, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 1875), (MMS)

Adak Is., 1943, Feb. 22^nd, Navy patrol boat YP-72, ex-seiner Cavalcade lost. (MMS)

Adak Is., 2000, April 20^th, American F/V Starigavan grounded at Sweeper Cove. Vessel was refloated by Magone Marine Services and taken to Dutch Harbor for further repairs. (ADEC Div. of Spill Prevention and Response)

Adak Is., 2007, Mar 18th, the American F/V Exodus Explorer struck a rock near Sweeper Cove and capsized. All of the crew were rescued. The vessel was refloated, all fuel and nets were removed, and it was towed to a point 14 miles N.W. of Great Sitkin Is., where it was scuttled. (USFWS)

Afognak Is., 1970, Oct. 17^th, the 49 ton Osprey sank in Blue Fox Bay. (MMS)

Afognak Is., 1971, Nov. 8^th, the 44’ Saratoga went on the rocks near the mouth of Little Tonki Bay after the anchor line parted. (MMS)

Afognak Is., 1979, Aug. 5^th, the 98’ Blua Pacific grounded and broke up in Izhut Bay. (MMS)

Afognak Is., 1994, Aug. 4^th, the 50’ Dylan’s Dream burned in Izhut Bay. (MMS)

Afognak Is., 2003, Genei Maru #7, the "ghost ship" grounded after drifting at sea, crewless, for five months.

Aiktalalik Is., 1895, April 14^th, two-masted schooner Kodiak stranded and broke up on SE point when anchors would not hold. All hands got ashore and found shelter. (MMS)

Aiktalalik Is., 1897, April 25^th, schooner Alexandra dragged anchor and stranded on the NW side. (MMS)

Akun Is., 1914, May 14^th, 1,582 ton three-masted wooden cannery bark Paramita dragged both anchors in heavy wind and was holed by rocks off Ugamak Island. Water gained on pumps and ignited lime in the holds. Captain Wagner sailed the burning vessel to Lost Harbor, Akun Is., where it was grounded. Captain sailed a small boat to Unalaska to summon Revenue cutters Tahoma and Unalga because his ship had no wireless. Captain Wagner took 15 hours to sail to Unalaska only to discover that both cutters were anchored in a cove only a few miles from the wreck site. The cutters rescued the crew; heavy seas broke the wreck in two and it was abandoned. Some cargo was salvaged. (MMS)

Akun Is., 1919, Aug. 18^th, gas screw Warrick lost at Lost Harbor. (MMS)

Akun Is., 1928, May 22-23, the 2,163 ton American bark Star of Falkland wrecked at Akun Head, Unimak Pass. All but one of the crew was saved; ship became a total loss.

Akun Is., 1952, Aug. 1^st, oil screw Sundown stranded. (MMS)

Akun Is., 1964, Feb. 10^th, oil screw Cape Spencer stranded on the S. shore of Akun Bay. (MMS)

Akun Is., 1988, Dec. 10^th, 288’Japanese reefer freighter Aoyagi Maru lost power in a storm and grounded on a reef at Lost Harbor while involved with a frozen fish transfer with Bering Trader; 19 rescued by CG and the tug Lori Ann. 52,000 gallons of bunker C fuel leaked from the wreck, and the remaining 32,000 gallons on board were burned by the CG. (MMS)

Akun Is., 1990, Aug. 17^th, 32’ F/V White Night took on water and was towed ashore by F/V Neunik; 3 saved. (MMS)

Akutan Is., 1918, Nov. 12^th, three-masted gas screw schooner Halcyon broke anchor chains in SW storm and foundered in Akutan Bay; 12 crewmen escaped in small boats. (MMS)

Akutan Is., 1936, Sept. 14^th, whaling steamer Westport struck a reef in a gale at Reef Bight and sank; crew was rescued by USCG cutter Daphne. (MMS)

Akutan Is., 1936, Dec. 13^th, gas screw Frederick A. dragged anchors in strong gale and stranded just outside Akutan Bay. Hull was a total loss but engine and equipment salvaged. (MMS)

Akutan Is., 1939, July 23^rd, vessel Aberdeen rammed by a whale. (MMS)

Amak Is., 1961, Oct. 13^th, oil screw Husky stranded.

Amaknak Is., 1980, Dec., 80’steel limit seiner Dauntless wrecked at Ulakta Head while on maiden voyage. At the time it was the largest limit seiner yet built. Phone conversation w/owner 12/10/00. 4 JPEGS taken on 8/29/01

Amaknak Is., 1989, Feb. 27^th, 307’ Japanese freighter Swallow grounded at Ulakta Head, later refloated.

Amaknak Is., 1999, Feb. 20^th, Liberian M/V Hekifu driven ashore at Rocky Point (near the APL dock) by 110 knot gust while at anchor. Vessel was pulled off by M/V Redeemer and taken to Magone Marine Services for temporary repairs repairs. (ADEC Department of Spill Prevention and Response)

Amaknak Is., 2000, Sept. 11^th, 99’, 173 GT American tractor tug Millenium Star grounded at Ulakta Head due to human error/fatigue. Vessel was refloated by Magone Marine Services and taken to their facility in Dutch Harbor for temporary repairs and fuel removal. It was towed to the lower 48 for permanent repairs. The tug was virtually new, having been placed in service on July 25, 2000. (ADEC Div. of Spill Prevention and Response)

Amatignak Is., 1932, Sept. 27^th, American freighter Nevada wrecked, three out of a crew of 37 survived.

Amchitka Is., 1917, July 13^th, Japanese steamship Kotohiro Maru wrecked on SE end, the crew survived, but the ship became a total loss.

Amchitka Is., 1942, June 20^th, U.S. Navy submarine S-27 (SS-132) grounded off Amchitka Island, crew escaped in rafts.

Amchitka Is., 1943, Jan.12^th, U.S. Navy destroyer USS Worden (DD-352) struck a rock at the entrance of Constantine Harbor and sank, 14 of the crew were lost, and the vessel became a total loss. (History of U.S. Naval Operations in WWII, vol.VII)

Amchitka Is., 1943, Oct. 28^th, Navy patrol boat YP-88 lost. (MMS)

Amchitka Is., 1946, Jan. 27th, the American motorship Crown Reefer wrecked on the N.W. side with no loss of life, but the ship became a total loss. The point where it lies took the name of the ship.

Amlia Is., 1785, Russian ship Sv. Evpl wrecked at Pankov Harbor, crew and cargo saved. (Lydia T. Black, Proceedings of the Alaskan Marine Archaeology Workshop, 1983)

Amlia Is., 1894, May 11^th, American whaling bark James Allen struck a rock at E. end of Amlia Is. and sank, 15 crew saved, 25 lost. (Also reported as 15 lives lost in Marine Disasters of the Alaska Route by C.L. Andrews, 1916)

Amukta Is., 1946, Nov. 3^rd, the 3577 ton vessel A.T.T.No.1 stranded on the N.E. shore. (MMS)

Atka Is., 1831, Russian ship Sivutch wrecked E. of Wall Bay, Atka Is., ship lost but crew and cargo saved. (Richard A. Pierce, Proceedings of the Alaskan Marine Archaeology Workshop, 1983). Vessel broken up for wood and iron. (MMS)

Atka Is., 1851, Japanese junk wrecked with three of the crew surviving. (Charles Wolcott Brooks, Report of Japanese vessels wrecked in the North Pacific Ocean, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 1875)

Atka Is., 1871, July 10^th, Japanese junk Jinko Maru, 180 kokus measurement, wrecked at Atka Is. after having drifted, disabled, for 2500 miles from the coast of Japan. The crew of three survived and were picked up on Sept. 19^th by the schooner H.M. Hutchinson and taken to Unalaska. (Charles Wolcott Brooks, report of Japanese vessels wrecked in the North Pacific Ocean, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 1875), (MMS)

Atka Is., 1942, Sept. 1^st, Japanese submarine RO-61 sunk by depth charges and shelling off Atka Is., five crewmen survived. (History of U.S. Naval Operations in WWII, vol. VII)

Atka Is., 1982, Nov. 12th, the 110' steel U.S. F/V American Beauty wrecked on the north side, and was salvaged in 1989 by Magone Marine. (Dan Magone)

Atka Is., 1988, Oct., the 92’ steel U.S. F/V City of Seattle wrecked just north of the western tip.

Attu Is., 1750, Russian ship Petr wrecked on a voyage from Kamchatka to Attu. The crew remained on the island till 1752, when they were taken aboard the Boris e Gleb. (Lydia T. Black, Dominique Desson, Early Russian Contact, AK Historical Commision, 1986)

Attu Is., 1862, Sept., a Japanese junk stranded near Attu Is. after having drifted, disabled, for 90 days. The survivors, three out of a crew of twelve, were taken to Nicolaefsky, Amoor River in 1863, and then returned to Hakodate by a Russian naval vessel. (Charles Wolcott Brooks, Report of Japanese vessels wrecked in the North Pacific Ocean, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 1875), (MMS)

Attu Is., 1871, July, an old chief at Attu Island, aged 70 years, reported that three Japanese junks had been lost upon the surrounding islands during his recollection, besides one stranded not far from the harbor of that island in 1862. (Charles Wolcott Brooks, Report of Japanese vessels wrecked in the North Pacific Ocean, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 1875), (MMS)

Attu Is., 1943, Jan 5^th, the 6101 ton Japanese ship Kotohiro Maru was bombed and sunk off Attu. (History of U.S. Naval Operations in WWII, vol. VII)

Attu Is., 1943, July 19^th, US Army cable ship Dellwood sank in Massacre Bay after striking a pinnacle rock. (MMS)

Attu Is., 1981, Mar. 5^th, 291’ 1500 ton Korean M/V Dae Rim wrecked ½ mile east of Cape Wrangell on the north side. The vessel had previously suffered a collision with a Soviet vessel, had caught fire, and been abandoned by its crew 90 miles west of Attu. Twenty-four of the crew of twenty-six died after abandoning ship. The Dae Rim, still afloat, was taken under tow by another Soviet vessel, the towline was subsequently lost or cut loose, and Dae Rim drifted ashore. A U.S. Navy EOD team, using the U.S.C.G. cutter Boutwell as a platform for operations, set high explosives on the wreck’s fuel tanks to vent them and burn off about 110,000 gallons of fuel oil. All but two tanks were ruptured and burned by the explosive charges, with the Boutwell firing its guns to vent the remaining two. (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service memorandum 6/2/81, Anchorage Daily News 3/26/84)

Big Koniuji Is., 1943, Nov. 25^th, the liberty ship John P. Gaines broke in two while transiting the area in a storm. The bow section quickly sank with the loss of 10 crewmen. The stern section drifted ashore with the surviving crewmembers aboard, and all of these people were rescued.

Bird Is., 1914, American schooner W.H. Dimond dragged anchor in a storm and stranded, vessel a total loss valued @ $35,000. (C.L. Andrews, Marine Disasters of the Alaska Route, 1916)

Buldir Is., 1914, Sept. 20^th, U.S. Revenue Marine cutter Tahoma wrecked on an uncharted reef 31 miles off Buldir Island. The vessel broke up the following day, and all crewmen survived by taking to the lifeboats. The reef took the name of the ship.

Buldir Is., 1956, Oct. 9th, the 123’ American coastal tanker Dulcinea stranded on the S. side, all of the crew were rescued. Salvage attempts were made but ultimately the vessel and its cargo of 285,000 gallons of aviation gasoline became a total loss.

Cape Lisburne, 1865, July 2^nd, whaling ship Gratitude stove by ice and sank.(MMS)

Cape Lisburne, 1950,Swept. 7^th, Basil lost.(MMS)

Carlisle Is., 1932, Jan. 1^st, diesel F/V Sunrise lost. (MMS)

Carlisle Is., 1932 Aug 4th, diesel screw schooner Eunice stranded due to fog and faulty compass. (MMS)

Caton Is., 1924, April 27^th, the 14.7 ton vessel Martha broke its anchor during a storm, stranded on a reef E.S.E. of the entrance to Caton Harbor, and broke up. (MMS)

Chamisso Is., 1899, July 2^nd, the 40 ton vessel Willard Ainsworth was driven ashore in a S.E. gale. (MMS)

Chernabura Is., 1882, Nov. 13, schooner Diomedes Herman while anchored in Chernabura Harbor was blown from its moorings by an easterly gale and wrecked against a steep bluff. (MMS)

Chirikof Is., 1898, April 25th, former sealing schooner Elsie while carrying prospectors wrecked on the N.E. shore due to wrong reckoning. Survivors lived on the island for 41 days before being rescued by the steam schooner Herman. (MMS)

Chirikof Is., 1921, Apr. 21st, three masted codfishing schooner Joseph Russ struck rocks on the NE shore due to strong currents, tides, and possible compass deviation and was totally demolished; 1 lost, 30 made it to shore. Second mate and 5 crew rowed to Chignik in 11 days and summoned the steamer Dora to the rescue. (MMS)

Chirikof Is., 1923, June 6^th, theUSS Cardinal wrecked on the E. side due to a strong N. set and thick weather. While engaged in rescue of the Cardinal's crew the survey ship Discoverer struck a reef about 1.5 miles offshore. (US Coast Pilot)

Chirikof Is., 1927, Nov. 19th, gas screw Universe blown ashore in a gale and wrecked on the E. side. Steamer Star picked up the crew. (MMS)

Chirikof Is., 1963, 120 ton wooden ex-subchaser Rande A driven ashore after parting anchor cable while engaged in loading cattle. (Now It Can Be Told, Stories of Alaskan Pioneer Ranches, Wanda Marie Fields)

Chirikof Is., 2002, the landing craft M/V Flying D grounded while attempting to load cattle as part of an effort to remove feral cattle from the island to restore its wildlife values. The refuge responded. No rats were aboard and it was refloated with some difficulty. (USFWS)

Chowiet Is., 1907, Oct. 6^th, American schooner St. Paul wrecked on W. side when anchor chains parted in NW gale. (MMS)

Chowiet Is., 1981, 108' steel crabber Pacific Angel wrecked on the N. side and became a total loss. (USFWS)

Chuginadak, 1989, Oct. 15^th, the122’ F/V Polar Command wrecked at the E. end of South Cove, the crew of 26 was rescued, and the vessel became a total loss. (MMS) Vessel was formerly named Baroid Rocket. (USCG Merch. Vessels of the US, 1981)

Forrester Is., 1916, May 17^th, gas screw Installer stranded on the E. shore when the propeller fouled in the anchor line. Everything saved except the hull. (MMS)

Great Sitkin Is., 1965 Oct. 26^th, the Greek steamship Ekaterini G. broke free from a towboat and grounded after losing its propeller at sea. All of the crew were rescued, but the ship became a total loss. (USFWS)

Herendeen Is., 1984, Aug. 30^th, the 48’ Curlew ran aground and sank, one rescued and three lost. (MMS)

Igitkin Is., 1980, American F/V Devil Sea, steel hull, 33 gross tons and 45’ length, wrecked. (USCG Merchant Vessels of the United States, 1981.)

Kagalaska Is., 1901, Feb. 20^th, American schooner Iliamna wrecked, crew saved.

Kanaga Is., 1745, Russian ship Eudokia wrecked. (Frederick A. Zeusler, Explorers Journal, 1960)

Kanaga Is., 1938, Feb. 19^th, U.S. Navy minesweeper USS Swallow (AM-4) stranded on rocks at the entrance to Kanaga Bay while conducting work with the Al