Alaska's
Worst All Time Shipping Losses*

Date

Vessel Type

Name

Cause

Location

Number Lost

Oct 23, 1918

Canadian passenger steamer

Princess Sophia

Sank

Vanderbilt Reef, N of Juneau

343 lost, 1 dog survived

1799

Native bidarkas

sixty boats

Lost in storm

Hinchinbrook Entrance

200 lost

Sep 20, 1908

Bark

Star of Bengal

Went ashore

Coronation Island

112 lost, 25 saved

Feb 5, 1898

Steamer

Clara Nevada

Burned and sank

Off Eldred Rock

104 lost (all hands)

May 21, 1799

Russian frigate

Phoenix

Wrecked

Near Shuyak Island

88 lost (all hands)

Apr 26, 1890

Salmon packer

Oneida

Stranded

Hennig Rock, 8 mi SW of Sanak Island

77 lost, 78 rescued

Aug 18, 1943

Navy destroyer

Abner Read

Stern sank

NW beach of Kiska Island after vessel hit a Japanese mine

70 lost, ? rescued

Jan 5, 1978

Indian cargo ship

Chandragupta

Sank

1,500 mi SSW of Kodiak

70 lost

Apr 19, 1944

Liberty ship

John Straub

Exploded and sank

Off Sanak Island

55 lost, 15 rescued

Jan 9, 1813

Russian vessel

Neva

Sank

Off Cape Edgecombe, Kruzof Island, near Sitka

49 lost, 28 rescued

Aug 14, 1901

Canadian passenger steamer

Islander

Hit iceberg and sank

Stephens Passage, S of Juneau

42 lost, 130 saved

Jan 9, 1972

Liberian freighter

Dona Anita

Disappeared

North Pacific, 120 W of Vancouver Island

42 lost (all hands; some bodies found near Ketchikan)

Dec 19, 1973

Liberian freighter

Oriental Monarch

Sank

North Pacific, 550 mi NW of Victoria, BC

40 lost

Oct 9, 1967

Merchant ship

Panoceanic Faith

Sank

870 mi SW of Kodiak

37 lost, 5 rescued

Jan 18, 1916

Halibut boat

Onward Ho

Sank

Off Cape Fairweather

34 lost (all hands)

Sep 28, 1932

Steamer

Nevada

Wrecked

On Amatignak Island, Aleutians

34 lost, 3 rescued

Apr 14, 1895

Canadian sealing schooner

Walter A. Earle

Capsized

Off Cape St. Elias

32 lost (all hands)

Aug 17, 1913

Passenger steamer

State of California

Hit reef and sank

In Gambier Bay, Admiralty Island

32 lost, 118 saved

Dec 17, 1964

Liberian cargo steamer

San Patrick

Driven ashore

On Ulak Island, 120 mi W of Adak

32 lost (all hands)

Jan 5, 1982

Japanese trawler

Akebono Maru

Capsized

50 mi N of Adak

32 lost

Dec 24, 1972

Liberian freighter

Pacrover

Sank

760 mi S of Kodiak

30 lost (all hands)

Dec 25, 1979

Japanese oreship

Lee Wang Zin

Capsized

Dixon Entrance, SE Alaska

30 lost (all hands)

Nov 24, 1974

Hong Kong freighter

Geranium

Sank

70 mi S of Atka Island

28 lost

Mar 13, 1981

Japanese trawler

Daito Maru No. 55

Sank

380 mi NW of Adak

26 lost

Nov 1, 1903

Steamer

Discovery

Foundered

Off Lituya Bay, Gulf of Alaska

26+ (all hands)

Oct 3, 1888

Whaling bark

Ohio

Driven ashore

Near Point Hope, Chukchi Sea

25 lost, 7 rescued

May 11, 1894

Whaling bark

James Allen

Struck rock and sank

On E end of Amlia Island, Aleutians

25 lost, 33 rescued

Feb 28, 1981

Korean cargo ship

Dae Rim

Caught fire

90 mi W of Attu

24 lost

Feb 10, 1830

Russian baidara

Unknown

Wrecked

In Crane Bay, Kodiak Island

20 lost

Nov 1886

Schooner

Flying Scud

Lost

Near Karluk

18 lost

Jun 28, 1898

Small steamer

Jessie

Swamped

At mouth of Kuskokwim River

18 lost

Nov 11, 1976

Japanese lumber carrier

Carnelian-I

Sank

700 mi S of Adak

18 lost, 14 saved

Sep 5, 1758

Russian ship

Sv. Kapiton

Driven onto reef

Near Kiska Island

17 lost

Apr 21, 1970

Japanese fishing vessel

Nitto Maru No. 67

Capsized

20 mi off Unimak Island

17 lost (all hands)

May 20, 1858

French whaling ship

Napoleon III

Stove by ice

St. Paul Island

16 lost

Aug 12, 1897

Steam whaler

Navarch

Caught in ice and abandoned

Off Blossom Shoals; drifted in ice to Barrow

16 lost, 16 rescued

Feb 17, 1946

Russian tanker

Donbass

Went aground

40 mi S of Adak

16 lost, 48 rescued

Feb 14, 1984

Japanese trawler

Kyowa Maru No. 11

Collided with the Anyo Maru No. 15 and sank

120 mi N of Atka

16 lost, 8 rescued

Sep 15, 1967

Korean fishing trawler

Sam Su No. 7

Sank

200 mi SW of Adak

15 lost

Sep 15, 1967

Korean fishing trawler

Sam Su No. 8

Sank

200 mi SW of Adak

15 lost

Jan 12, 1943

Navy destroyer

Worden

Hit rock and sank

At mouth of Constantine Harbor, Amchitka Island

14 lost, some rescued

Apr 1954

Canadian tug

Chelan

Foundered

200 mi N of Prince Rupert

14 lost

Jan 1965

Russian fishing trawler

Boksetegorsk

Lost

In the Bering Sea

14 lost (all hands)

Jan 22, 1965

Russian fishing trawler

Nahichevan

Lost

In the Bering Sea

14 lost (all hands)

Jan 22, 1965

Russian fishing trawler

Sebezh

Lost

In the Bering Sea

14 lost (all hands)

Jan 22, 1965

Russian fishing trawler

Sevsk

Lost

In the Bering Sea

14 lost (all hands)

Mar 30, 1887

Small steamer

Seal

Lost

Lynn Canal, N of Berners Bay

12 lost

Nov 1905

Schooner

Nellie Coleman

Lost

Off Cape Yakutaga, Gulf of Alaska

12 (all hands)

1939

Salmon boat

Oduno

Sank

off Noyes Island

12 lost

Dec 9, 1999

Japanese trawler

Anyo Maru No. 1

Sank

In the Bering Sea, 120 mi S of Cape Navarin, Russia

12 lost, 24 rescued

Jul 11, 1786

Yawl from the Astrolabe

n/a

Capsized

At the mouth of Lituya Bay. Boats from the LaPerouse Expedition.

11 lost

Apr 13, 1895

Canadian sealing schooner

C.G. White

Driven aground on a reef

NW of Cape Alitak, SW end of Kodiak Island

11 lost, 17 rescued

Jan 24, 1933

Diesel srew

Umnak Native

Stranded

In Inanudak Bay, Umnak Island

11 lost, 4 rescued

Nov 25, 1943

Liberty ship

John P. Gaines

Broke in two

40 mi S of Chirikof Island

11 lost, 89 rescued

Feb 4, 1946

Alaska Steamship

passenger steamer

Yukon

Struck rocks

Off Johnstone Bay, 40 mi SE of Seward

11 lost, 484 rescued

Jul 11, 1786

Yawl from the Boussole

n/a

Capsized

At the mouth of Lituya Bay. Boats from the LaPerouse Expedition.

10 lost

Jan 8, 1908

Schooner

John F. Miller

Wrecked

East Anchor Cove, Unimak Island

10 lost, 27 rescued

Mar 8, 1971

Japanese fishing vessel

Nissei Maru

Capsized and sank

N of Unalaska

10 lost, 8 rescued

Dec 5, 1979

Canadian fishing vessel

Salinta

Went aground and broke in half

Tree Point, 46 mi NW of Prince Rupert, BC

10 lost (all hands)

Sep 1862

Japanese junk

Unknown

Wrecked

At Attu

9 lost, 3 rescued

May 26, 1893

Whaling bark

Sea Ranger

Stranded on an unmarked rock

2 mi W of Kayak Island

9 lost, 31 rescued

Sep 1898

Sloop

Unknown

Caught in tidal bore and swamped

Near Sunrise City, Turnagain Arm, Upper Cook Inlet

9 lost

Nov 11, 1929

F/V

Kanatak

Lost

30 mi NE of Cape St. Elias

9 lost (all hands)

Dec 2, 1981

F/V

St. Patrick

Abandoned

5 mi W of Marmot Island, near Kodiak

9 lost

Mar 22, 1990

F/V

Aleutian Enterprise

Sank

In the Bering Sea, 60 mi S of St. Paul Island

9 lost, 22 saved


*Many ships suffered the loss of many or all hands with loss numbers not known. They are: St. Alexander (1799), Sv. Arkhistrati Mikhail (1801), Chilkat (1837), Monongahela (1853), Urania (1876), Royal Charlie (1866), Growler (1868), Felix (1885), Otter (1888), Annie (1889), Bessie Reuter (1892), Helen Blum (1893), Mary H. Thomas (1894), Sea Lion (1895), Lincoln (1896), Matinee (1898), Pioneer (1898), Unknown (Steam barge 1898), Unknown Schooner 1898), Minerva (1898), Midas (1898), Nicolas Thayer (1906), Japan (1907), Nora (1913), Nissan Maru (Japanese oiler 1942), Arare (Japanese destroyer 1942), Nenohi (Japanese destroyer 1942), Unknown (Japanese submarine 1942), SC-25 (Japanese subchaser 1942), SC-27(Japanese subchaser 1942), Grunion (U.S. submarine 1942), Kano Maru (Japanese cargo vessel 1942), Nichiryo (Japanese cargo vessel 1942), RO-61 (Japanese submarine 1942), Nozima Maru (Japanese cargo ship 1942), Borneo Maru (Japanese cargo ship 1942), Oboro (Japanese supply destroyer 1942), RO-65 (Japanese submarine 1942), Edward Schenk (1942), Cheribon Maru (Japanese cargo vessel 1942), Chihaya Maru (Japanese cargo vessel 1942), Montreal Maru (Japanese cargo vessel 1943), Kotohira Maru (Japanese cargo vessel 1943), Uragio Maru (Japanese cargo vessel 1943), I-31 (Japanese I-class submarine 1943), I-34 (Japanese I-class submarine 1943), I-35 (Japanese I-class submarine 1943), I-24 (Japanese I-class submarine 1943), I-7 (Japanese I-class submarine 1943), Klyuchevsky (Russian trawler 1962), Chi Bo San No. 1 (South Korean freighter 1986).

Alaskan Shipwreck Home Page

Content:  Mike Burwell
Alaska OCS Region
Minerals Management Service

Last updated 01/30/2004