Northern Alaska Shipwrecks ( C )

C B BROWER (1934)     The vessel C B Brower is reported to have been wrecked off of Point Barrow and lost in 1934.

Mapping and Location: Northern Alaska   71 23 29 N 156 28 30 W

Source: The H W McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest (1966) Pg 432

C HOWLAND (1876)     The U S Revenue Cutter Service 1868-1888 files list the 333 ton Bark C Howland lost September 12, 1876 northeast of Point Barrow.  See Cornelius Howland.

CALEB EATON (1884)     The 110 ton whaling schooner Caleb Eaton was crushed in the ice and lost on July 17, 1884.  She had departed San Francisco in March of the same year bound for whaling in the north Pacific.

Mapping and Location: Northern Unknown

Source: Shipwrecks of the Alaskan Shelf and Shore

CAMILLA (1876)     The 328 ton wooden bark Camilla was caught in the ice and abandoned northeast of Point Barrow on September 12th during the whaling season of 1876.  She was carrying 190 barrels of sperm oil, 300 barrels of whale oil and 5,000 pounds of whale bone valued at $30,000.  The Camilla was valued at $36,000 at the time of the disaster.

Mapping and Location: Northern Alaska   71 23 29 N 156 28 30 W   Chart 16003

Source: Destruction of the Arctic Whaling Fleet (1876) Pgs 83-4

CARLOTTA (1871)     The 480 ton wooden bark Carlotta of San Francisco was abandoned in ice around Point Belcher on September 14, 1871 while in the service of the whaling trade. She was valued at $52,000 at the time of the loss.  Many vessels were lost from the Arctic Whaling Fleet during the same time period and multiple resources and descriptions are available.

Mapping and Location: Northern Alaska   70 47 40 N 159 39 02 W   Chart 16003

Sources: 1. U S Revenue Cutter Service Microcopy 641 (1867-1914), 2. Harpers Weekly (December 2, 1871) “Destruction of the Arctic Whaling Fleet”.

CAULAINCOURT (1861)     The 657 ton whaling ship Caulaincourt from LeHavre France was stove in by ice on September 5, 1861 and became a total loss at Point Belcher.

Mapping and Location:  Northern Alaska   70 47 40 N 159 39 02 W   Chart 16005

Source: Shipwrecks of the Alaskan Shelf and Shore (1992)

CHAMPION (1871)     The 367 ton wooden whaling ship Champion was abandoned in ice around Point Belcher September 14, 1871.  The vessel was valued at $40,000 at the time of the loss and had a cargo of whale oil and bone aboard, some of which was salvaged. She had departed Edgartown, Mass.  August 14, 1869.

Mapping and Location: Northern Alaska   70 47 40 N 159 39 02 W   Chart 16003

Source: Harpers Weekly (December 2, 1871)Destruction of the Arctic Whaling Fleet”

CHELYUSKIN (1934)     The Russian steamship Chelyuskin became trapped in the ice November of 1933 and was lost off the northern coast of Russia.  101 men, women and children abandoned the ship to the ice pack.  They drifted for many months and were rescued between the Bering Strait and Wrangell Island April 13, 1934 by a group of Russian aircraft.

Mapping and Location: Northern Russia   68 16 N 172 51 W

Sources: 1. The H W McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest (1966) Pg 432, 2. Baton Rouge Morning Advocate (May 17, 1934) “Northland Epic Shining With Heroism Written in Rescue of 101 Explorers from Arctic Ice Floe” Pg 5

CLARA BELL (1876)     The 196 ton wooden whaling bark Clara Bell was abandoned in the ice a few miles south of Cape Smith during the whaling season of 1876.  The following is an excerpt from the U S Commission of Fish and Fisheries article “Destruction of the Arctic Whaling Fleet, 1876”:

In 1877, Captain Wm. M. Barnes of the Bark “SEA BREEZE” reported finding the CLARA BELL” lying at her anchor, wholly clear from ice and with no further damage than was done by the natives, who took whatever was of any use to them, and cut and hacked until they had make a bad looking vessel of her.  The first few vessels helped themselves to whatever was left of value, and the Schr. “

NEWTON BOOTH” of San Francisco took the remaining oil.  The “CLARA BELL” lay there at her anchors till about the 20th of September when she broke adrift and came up with the current and went out of sight in the ice to the northeast. She was last seen off Harrison Bay.”

Mapping and Location: Northern Alaska   70 40 N 151 30 W   Chart 16003

Additional Information: Home Port San Francisco, Cargo 650 Barrels whale oil, Value $18,000

Comment: U S Revenue Cutter Service Microfilm of the period lists this vessel at 295 ton last seen September 12, 1896 NE of Pt Barrow

Source: Alaska File of the Revenue Cutter Service 1867-1914 Microcopy 641

CLARA LIGHT (1886)     The 179 ton whale schooner/tender Clara Light was abandoned in the ice 15 miles N of Point Franklin late August of 1876.  She had departed San Francisco March 18, 1876 and was valued at $10,000 with cargo at the time of the loss.

Mapping and Location: Northern Alaska   70 54 28 N 158 47 58 W   Chart 16003

Source: Shipwrecks of the Alaskan Shelf and Shore (1992)

COMET (1871)     The wooden whaling bark Comet was crushed in the ice between Point Franklin and Sea Horse Island on September 2, 1871.  Her home port was Honolulu, still part of the Sandwich Islands at that time.  Her American owners had registered her there to fly the Hawaiian Flag to protect the Comet from rebel cruisers.  All those aboard survived the casualty.

Mapping and Location: Northern Alaska   70 53 N 158 42 W   Chart 16003

Source: Harpers Weekly (Dec 2, 1871) “Destruction of the Arctic Whaling Fleet”

CONCORDIA (1871)     The 368 ton wooden whaling bark Concordia out of New Bedford, Mass was abandoned in the ice near Point Belcher on September 12, 1871.  The following year Captain Kelley of the bark Gay Head visited the location and reported the Concordia had been destroyed by fire.

Mapping and Location: Northern Alaska   70 47 40 N 159 39 02 W   Chart 16003

Source: U S Revenue Cutter Service Files 1867-1914 Microcopy 641

CONTEST (1871)     The 341 ton whaling bark Contest was abandoned in the ice around Point Belcher September 14, 1871.  The Contest was valued at $40,000 at the time of the disaster.

Mapping and Location: Northern Alaska   70 47 40 N 159 39 02 W   Chart 16003

Source: Harper’s Weekly (December 2, 1871) “Destruction of the Arctic Whaling Fleet”

CORINTHIAN (1868)     The 390 ton whaling bark Corinthian was lost at Blossom Shoals August 30, 1868.

Mapping and Location: Northern Alaska   70 23 N 161 57 W   Chart 16003

Source: Alaska File of the Revenue Cutter Service, “Losses of 1868-1888”

CORNELIUS HOWLAND (1876)     The 333 ton wooden whaling ship Cornelius Howland was caught in the ice and abandoned in the Arctic Ocean during the whaling season of 1876.  Her home port was New Bedford, Mass and she was valued at $40,000 including her 1,400 barrels of whale oil and 8,000 pounds of whale bone on board at the time of the disaster.

Mapping and Location: Northern Alaska (Unknown)

Source: U S Commission of Fish and Fisheries: The Fishery Industries of the United States Section 5 Volume II “Destruction of the Arctic Whaling Fleet, 1876” Pgs 83-84

CYANE (1883)     The 296 ton wood bark Cyane stranded and was lost at 7:00 p.m. August 23, 1883 while on a whaling cruise in Arctic waters.  The crew of 17 was forced to abandon the vessel 5 miles NE of Point Belcher and the vessel went to pieces in a heavy SW gale.  The Cyane was valued at $7,500 with no cargo aboard at the time.

Mapping and Location: Northern Alaska   70 47 40 N 159 39 02 W   Chart 16003

Additional Information: Tonnage 295.76, Built 1848 in Baltimore MD, Registered San Francisco, ON 5686, Master/Owner James McKenna of San Francisco, Vessel Insurance $7,500

Source: U S Customs Wreck Report filed October 29, 1883 at San Francisco

4 Replies to “Northern Alaska Shipwrecks ( C )”

  1. I have just found out from letters written by my Great-Grandfather, Sewall Page, that he sailed on the Camilla out of New Bedford, Maine in May 8, 1858 to the Arctic. He was 20 years old. He returned May of 1862. My research has revelled such awesome information about whaling and the dangers. Two books I’ve been reading, ‘Old Whaling Days’ and I’ve ordered ‘The Yankee Whaler’. His master, Samuel Prentice died December 1859, but I’ve been unable to find out why or where….what happened? Suggestions to research this? Thank you! Sherry Pollard/Taylor/Page

    1. The Captain of the Camilla that Sewall Page shipped out on was Samuel M Prentice. There was a Captain Samuel M Prentice who died at 50 years old May 2, 1874. His funeral arrangements were in New Jersey and were announced in the New York Herald on May 3rd and May 4th of 1874. They invited his relatives and the relatives of his father in law, William Keeney. There was also a second person with the last name of Page on the 1858 voyage of the Camilla to the north Pacific.

  2. My sources list the Charles Brower (H. Liebes and Company) as having been sold to a Soviet shipping company, post 1928.

    1. Thank You for the heads up. I will do some follow up research and expand the entry for the Brower. This work is in the “under construction” phase and far from complete. Michael Burwell is assisting me with research and I am getting behind with the posting of our more complete descriptions of many of these disasters.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *