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Alaskan historic shipwrecks, including former Hassler, part of local and NOAA heritage

By Kelley Elliott

Funded by a grant from the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration, researchers and archaeologists from Alaska's Office of History and Archaeology, NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks descended under frigid southeast Alaskan waters between April 4-10, 2006, to collect information on several of Alaska's most famous shipwrecks. The research provided archaeological baseline information at five important sites, including the late-19 th century U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey vessel named for the agency's first superintendent, Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler.

When Hassler came to the U.S., it was a time when there was little scientific knowledge. Despite the politics and financial burden he faced, he persevered to bring science to a young nation.”

Operating from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service vessel CURLEW, the team deployed a high frequency sonar unit to collect baseline information on three submerged wreck sites. After assessing local water conditions, researchers decided to dive on two of the three submerged wreck sites – the PRINCESS KATHLEEN and the CLARA NEVADA which is the former survey vessel, HASSLER. Working in icy water temperatures ranging from 38 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit, and at depths to 88 feet, four divers, including archaeologists and marine biologists, collected baseline information on the condition of the shipwrecks, including high resolution digital still photos and movie clips.

(Left) Prior to diving on submerged shipwreck sites, the team deployed a high frequency sonar unit to collect baseline information on submerged wreck sites. This sonar image displays a section of the PRINCESS KATHLEEN. (Right) Research divers prepare to enter frigid Alaskan waters.

"The Klondike gold rush steamer CLARA NEVADA provided the team with their most accessible site. It's not clear how the 150-foot vessel, working for the Pacific and Alaska Transportation Company, was lost," said Hans Van Tilburg, NOAA diver and marine archaeologist. "The ship was heading south down Lynn Canal from Skagway in 1898, when witnesses on shore reported seeing a bright orange fireball, then a ship burning near Eldred Rock."

All on board the vessel perished on what was the return leg of the first voyage after the vessel's name was changed from HASSLER to CLARA NEVADA. The ship's demise provided sufficient evidence of the need for construction of the Eldred Rock light house, currently one of the oldest remaining lighthouses in the state of Alaska. The history of the CLARA NEVADA, formerly named the HASSLER, has become part of local culture and many local features were named after the ship, including Hassler Island, Hassler Point, Hassler Cove, Lake Hassler, Hassler Pass and Hassler Reef. Other features were also named in honor of crewmembers who served on board and were lost.

(Left) The Klondike gold rush steamer CLARA NEVADA was originally built as the hydrographic survey vessel HASSLER in 1872. Named after the first superintendent of the US Coast and Geodetic Survey, Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler, she steamed through the Straits of Magellan with famed naturalist Jean Louis Agassiz and spent many years hard at work in Alaska. (Right) Digital still image of the remains of the HASSLER's shaft, now encrusted with marine growth.

"The ship's history is equally as interesting as her loss," said Van Tilburg. "The CLARA NEVADA was originally built as the hydrographic survey vessel HASSLER in 1872. She steamed through the Straits of Magellan with famed naturalist Jean Louis Agassiz and spent many years hard at work in Alaska."

As first superintendent of the US Coast and Geodetic Survey, NOAA's oldest predecessor agency, Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler maintained an, "unswerving unwillingness to compromise his values and his beliefs," explained Albert "Skip" Theberge, NOAA Central Library specialist. "When Hassler came to the U.S., it was a time when there was little scientific knowledge. Despite the politics and financial burden he faced, he persevered to bring science to a young nation."

The project team has no doubt the steamer explored is in fact the former HASSLER, however they have yet to determine the full extent of the wreck site. "Further research on the wreck site and clues to the circumstances of her loss await future dives. The hunt for the details of the HASSLER is on," said Van Tilburg.

The research team also collected information on two tidal wrecks in the area, the ISLANDER and the GRIFFSON, and that information was supplemented by interviews with recreational divers and historians familiar with the wrecks. Principal Investigator and State Archaeologist Dave McMahan describes the information collected as "snapshots in time, which will allow those who conduct future studies to better understand changes that are occurring due to natural and cultural processes." Van Tilburg offered a historical perspective on all of the sites explored, explaining that, "these wrecks capture the maritime nature of Alaska's coastal history in the days of steam propulsion and the inherent hazards of navigation at 60 degrees north."

During their dives on the historic shipwrecks, archaeologists saw evidence of vandalism by other divers. Before leaving the CLARA NEVADA and PRINCESS KATHLEEN, the team placed brass monuments and plastic tags at the sites to identify their protected status.

The project is one of the first steps towards the development of a management plan for Alaska's submerged heritage sites and will set the stage for future investigations. "This is our heritage and the state's responsibility to manage," explained McMahan. Researchers involved in the project are evaluating the shipwrecks for their eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places.

Additional project collaborators include the University of Rhode Island and U.S. Minerals Management Service.

5/1/2006

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