AH-WR-0202

SS Northwestern

Passenger Steamship · United States · Lost 1942 · The Aleutians & the Bering Sea

A veteran Alaska coastal liner, burned at Dutch Harbor in the only Japanese air attack on American soil in the North Pacific.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built in 1889 as the Orizaba, the steamer later became the Northwestern and spent decades on the Alaska coastal run. By 1942 she was serving as a station and accommodation vessel at Dutch Harbor. Japanese aircraft attacked the base in June 1942 and left her burning. The hull was afterward beached in Captains Bay, where remains of the vessel are still visible.

Vessel

Built: 1889
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Steel
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: June 3, 1942
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Unalaska Island, Alaska
Water: Bering Sea approaches, Aleutian Islands
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Burned hull, later beached and partly scrapped.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 53.87° N 166.55° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Unalaska, Alaska
Region: The Aleutians & the Bering Sea

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (70/100)

Depth and the present extent of the remains are not established in the sources reviewed.

National Park Service, Aleutian Islands World War II National Historic Area
Attack on Dutch Harbor and the fate of vessels present.
Alaska State Historic Preservation Office
Wreck location in Captains Bay.