SS Islander
The SS Islander was a 1519-ton, steel hull, schooner-rigged twin-screw steamer, built in Scotland in 1888, and owned and operated by the Canadian-Pacific Navigation Company. She was built especially for the Inside Passage to Alaska and was reputedly the most luxurious steamer engaged on that run. As a consequence, she was favoured by many wealthy businessmen, speculators, bankers, railroad tycoons and the like who had a stake in the lucrative Klondike gold fields. Wreck of Islander On 14 August 1901, Islander departed Skagway, Alaska for Victoria, British Columbia, filled to capacity with passengers and carrying a cargo of gold bullion valued at over $6,000,000 in 1901 dollars. Sometime after 2:00 am on 15 August 1901 while sailing down the narrow Lynn Canal south of Juneau, she struck what was reported to be an iceberg that stove a large hole in her forward port quarter. Attempts to steer the foundering vessel ashore on nearby Douglas Island were in vain; within five minutes, the tremendous weight of the water filling the ship's forward compartments had forced her bow underwater and her stern, rudder and propellers completely out of the water. After drifting for about 15 minutes in a strong southerly outbound tide, Islander began her final plunge to the bottom and sank quickly. She was reported to have carried 107 passengers and a crew of 61 during the last voyage. In total, 40 people died, including the wife and daughter of politician James Hamilton Ross. Salvage attempts Reports concerning the substantial value of the ship's cargo led to many early salvage attempts and also several lawsuits. No sooner had Islander sunk than efforts began to locate the wreck. Within days, another ship, the SS Haling, was sounding the area in order to determine the wreck's depth. The first attempt to locate Islander was a failure. In 1902 Henry Finch, an experienced diver with 40 years' experience, dragged the bottom of the Lynn Canal for the wreck. He located the hull but was not able to proceed with an actual salvage attempt. 1904 In 1904, equipped with a specially designed barge and diving bell, Finch succeeded in locating the wreck of Islander in of water and reported a "gaping hole" in the ship's bow. Unfortunately, Finch did not have the means to gain access to the reported location of the gold in the Purser's Office amidships and as a result only a section of deck rail and grating were recovered. Over the next 25 years at least a dozen separate salvage attempts were made on Islander. Every operation succeeded in reaching the wreck, but none proved able to penetrate the ship's hold or recover any of the gold. Apart from the adverse weather conditions, the strong currents, and extremely cold temperatures, salvage from the depth at which the wreck lay was virtually unknown in the early 20th century. 1929 In 1929 Captain Wiley of Seattle teamed up with Frank Curtis, a professional housemover with experience in moving and transporting large structures. Their scheme