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Alaska's Submerged Heritage 2006

Published by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce | Metadata Last Checked: December 19, 2025 | Last Modified: 2006-01-01T00:00:00.000+00:00
In April 2006, Alaska's Office of History and Archaeology (OHA) collaborated with the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), the University of Rhode Island (URI), the U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS), and the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program to collect information on several historic shipwrecks in Southeast Alaska. These included the PRINCESS SOPHIA, S.S. ISLANDER, GRIFFSON, PRINCESS KATHLEEN, and CLARA NEVADA. Work was conducted off the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service vessel CURLEW. During the project, the multi-agency dive team collected information on the condition of the shipwrecks, including digital photos and movie clips. Their information will be supplemented through interviews with recreational divers and historians familiar with the wrecks. These "snapshots in time" will allow future studies to better understand changes that are occurring due to natural and cultural processes. The divers placed small markers near the wrecks identifying their protected status, but collected no artifacts as part of the project. One aspect of the study, being undertaken by UAF, will focus on trace element analyses of surrounding sediments to better understand coldwater deterioration and effects of the wrecks on the marine environment. The UAF team also collected data on the marine biotic communities around the wreck sites and used a new multibeam high frequency sonar, DIDSON, to collect images of the Sophia and Kathleen from the surface.

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