AH-WR-0471

Umnak Native

Motor Vessel · United States · Lost 1933 · The Aleutians & the Bering Sea

A small island supply boat was driven onto the rocks of Umnak Island in a winter gale, and most of those who reached shore later died of exposure.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

The Umnak Native, a 59-foot motor vessel owned by the Native Community of Umnak, was carrying trappers and crew from Unalaska toward Atka when a cold gale drove her from anchorage in Inanudak Bay on January 24, 1933. Both her engines and anchor tackle failed and she was wrecked on the rocks. Twelve people reached the snow-covered beach, but eight later died of exposure before help could arrive; only one survivor, Bishop Antonin Pokrovsky, was found alive when rescuers finally returned.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: 59 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 49
Propulsion: Diesel, twin screw
Owners: Native Community of Umnak

Loss

Date: January 24, 1933
Cause: Storm
Location: Inanudak Bay, Umnak Island
Water: Bering Sea
Voyage: Unalaska → Atka
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 16
Lives lost: 15
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Total loss, pounded apart on the rocks
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 53.29° N 168.45° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Inanudak Bay, Umnak Island, Alaska
Region: The Aleutians & the Bering Sea

Alaska Shipwrecks database and the vessel's 1933 casualty report place the loss in Inanudak Bay on the northwest side of Umnak Island; coordinates here are the bay's charted position (USGS/GNIS), as no more precise wreck fix was found.