Archaeologists find wrecks of 19th-century whaling ships off Alaska coast

A team of U.S. archaeologists has found the remains of a fleet of whaling ships that sank after being trapped by sea ice nearly 150 years ago.

Using "state-of-the-art sonar and sensing technology," researchers from the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration located the hulls of two ships that were among 33 vessels that sank in 1871 in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast, near what is now the city of Wainwright. 

"Earlier research by a number of scholars suggested that some of the ships that were crushed and sunk might still be on the seabed," said Brad Barr, NOAA archaeologist and project co-director, in a release.

"But until now, no one had found definitive proof of any of the lost fleet beneath the water. This exploration provides an opportunity to write the last chapter of this important story of American maritime heritage and also bear witness to some of the impacts of a warming climate on the region's environmental and cultural landscape, including diminishing sea ice and melting permafrost."

A nautical near-disaster

More than 1,200 whalers were left stranded on the sea ice before being rescued. Seven nearby ships dumped their cargo of whale bones and oil to take on the survivors, which included families. Though nobody died, NOAA researches said the incident contributed to the end of commercial whaling in the United States. 

James Delgado, maritime heritage director for NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, said the wrecked ships were likely pressed against a submerged sandbar less than 100 metres from shore. There, the ice tore open the hulls and smashed the ships' rigging onto the beach, while the hulls sank to the bottom.

"Usually, the Arctic does not destroy ships if there is a natural obstacle like a sand bar, large rocks or a sheltered cove to partially divert the force of tons of ice," Delgado said in the release.

The team also found anchors, ballast and whaling equipment on the sea floor near the two hulls.

The researchers said receding Arctic sea ice has made it easier to explore the region for shipwrecks. Earlier searches turned up gear and pieces of timber from the ships, some of which had been salvaged by local Inupiat hunters.