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 |
Content: Mike Burwell
Alaska OCS Region
Minerals Management Service
Last updated 01/30/2004