Unknown or Uncharted Alaska Shipwrecks ( T )

THEMIS (1906)     The 270 foot Norwegian cargo steamer Themis was lost December 14, 1906 travelling from Ketchikan to Crofton, British Columbia.  The vessel was carrying copper ore and canned salmon.  She struck Crocker Rock and sank 2 miles NW of Scarlett Point, Vancouver Island.  No lives were lost in the disaster.  What is left of the wreck is a popular dive site with maximum depths of 70 feet.

Mapping and Location: British Columbia

Sources: 1. Marine Disasters of the Alaska Route (January 1916) Pg 33, 2. The H W McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest (1966) Pg 128, 3. Internet Site wrecksite.eu “SS Themis +1906”

THISTLE (1917)     The 102 ton 90 foot wooden fishing steam screw Thistle was lost off of Pender Island at midnight Wednesday April 18, 1917.  The vessel departed Seattle April 17th at noon bound for Nushagak in Bristol Bay.  There were 7 fishermen and 7 crewmen aboard.  There was $3,500 worth of sacked coal and supplies on board as cargo.  The following are statements from the casualty reports filed in San Francisco and Seattle:

            “Very dark night and tide rip”  “Light wind, rain, no sea, dark”  “Pender Island, B C, went on rock in fog and when tide turned it turned her around and she slid off and capsized and went down”  “Steamer Admiral Farragut brought crew to Seattle”

            The Thistle was valued at $10,000 and was a total loss along with her cargo.  The vessel was fully covered with insurance but not her cargo.  There was no loss of life.

Mapping and Location: British Columbia

Additional Information:  Tonnage 102 Gross 56 Net, Length 90.5, Breadth 18, Depth 9.5, Built 1887 at Benicia CA, Registered San Francisco, ON 145444, Master Martin Kalnin of San Francisco, Owner Alaska Salmon Co of San Francisco

Sources: 1. U S C G Report of Casualty April 21, 1917 by Martin Kalnin, 2. Merchant Vessels of the U S (1916) Pg 174

TRADER (1908)     The schooner Trader became a total loss at Indian Point, Siberia in 1908.

Mapping and Location: Siberia

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

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