Alaska Shipwrecks: 1729-2000

ship
The wreck of the M/V Oduna on a remote beach on the southeast side of Unimak Island, Alaska. The re-purposed 422′ WWII-era Liberty Ship was stranded in a storm in November 1965, finding her permanent resting place here near Cape Pankof. Photo taken by drone during survey operations in the area in June 2018. Terrasond photo by Andrew Orthmann.

Alaska’s waters are notoriously unforgiving, scattered with the remnants of ships overcome by storms, ice and hidden hazards. As part of our mission of ocean stewardship, a dedicated team at BOEM’s predecessor agency, the Minerals Management Service, combed through Alaska’s extensive historical archives to document these maritime incidents.

The result is the BOEM Alaska Shipwreck Table, one of the most comprehensive compilations of Alaska shipwrecks available anywhere. This database is publicly accessible, provided freely in the public domain. However, please note that the table is no longer actively maintained; the most recent updates occurred in 2011.

We extend special thanks to MMS summer interns Ryan Olson, Megan Huber, and Debika Shome. Without their diligence, perseverance, good humor, and remarkable tolerance for meticulous data entry, this database would be far less complete. We also thank former University of Alaska Anchorage Librarian Ralph Courtney for alerting us to the extensive shipwreck archives housed at the Anchorage Daily News; and that newspaper's former librarian, Sharon Palmisano, for graciously granting access to the Daily News and Anchorage Times morgue files.

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