A sunken Canadian steamship that played an important role during the second world war and then provided luxury cruises between Vancouver and Alaska has begun leaking oil into the waters off Juneau.
The historic Princess Kathleen, a Canadian Pacific passenger liner that went off course and sank off southeast Alaska almost 60 years ago, has been identified by the U.S. Coast Guard as the source of oil in the waters north of Juneau.
When it sank near Lena Point on its last voyage of the season in 1952, the 120-meter (393.7 feet), 5,900-ton vessel was carrying an estimated 153,000 gallons of fuel.
Responding to reports of oil in the waters near the shipwreck, the Coast Guard along with other U.S. government agencies have launched an underwater inspection of the ship through dive operations using a remotely operated vehicle.
“Based on the recent reports of a sheen from the Princess Kathleen and our concern for the environment, the Coast Guard felt diving on the vessel to determine its actual condition was necessary,” Capt. Melissa Bert, sector Juneau commander of the Coast Guard’s Juneau section, said in a statement.
“Any action we take with regard to this vessel will be done in conjunction with our state and local partners and balance our concern for the environment and its historical significance.”
The statement said the ship “continues to periodically cause small unrecoverable oil sheens in the area.”
Carrying 307 passengers, the Princess Kathleen ran aground on a reef and sank about 10 hours later in 130 feet of water. All passengers and crew made it safely to shore in lifeboats. As it slowly slipped beneath the waves, every moment of the vessel’s descent to its watery grave was captured by photographers and witnessed by onlookers.
Part of a large fleet of Pacific princesses, the Kathleen was one of Canadian Pacific’s top coastal cruise ships in the 1920s and 1930s, carrying tourists on the busy so-called triangle route between Vancouver, Victoria, and Seattle.
She was pressed into service as a troopship during World War ll, sailing both alone and in convoy to Malta during the German siege of the island and carrying troops and supplies to Libya and Italy, among other places. She also carried Jewish refugees to freedom in Palestine.
After the war, the Princess Kathleen was refitted and began service as a cruise ship between Vancouver and Alaska.
The sunken ship rests on a slope in 80 to 165 feet of water. The Coast Guard statement said that further examination by divers is necessary to accurately assess the amount of oil on board the Princess Kathleen and the risk of future discharges.
Fuel leaks from old shipwrecks has become a problem in several areas, including Pearl Harbor in Hawaii where the USS Arizona is leaking oil at the rate of about a quarter of a gallon a day.
The USS Arizona was one of seven battleships attacked by Japanese aircraft on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. Six of the ships were salvaged, but the Arizona remains submerged in over 40 feet of water.
It is feared that the collapse of the ship’s deteriorating fuel bunkers—which contain more than 530,000 gallons of fuel—could result in a highly damaging release of oil into Pearl Harbor.
The Canadian Pacific’s elegant princess ships were considered the finest liners on the Pacific coast and were a big hit with tourists. Lore has it that the Princess Kathleen was kept in pristine condition with the brass duly polished to a high sheen throughout the ship.
The wreck of the Princess Kathleen is a popular destination for scuba. In an online forum, Dave Mitchell, who frequently dives to the site, wrote that the ship “was a beauty and remains so today.”
“The wreck is deteriorating rapidly but is still beautiful. There are places where the brass still shines!” he wrote.
The historic Princess Kathleen, a Canadian Pacific passenger liner that went off course and sank off southeast Alaska almost 60 years ago, has been identified by the U.S. Coast Guard as the source of oil in the waters north of Juneau.
When it sank near Lena Point on its last voyage of the season in 1952, the 120-meter (393.7 feet), 5,900-ton vessel was carrying an estimated 153,000 gallons of fuel.
Responding to reports of oil in the waters near the shipwreck, the Coast Guard along with other U.S. government agencies have launched an underwater inspection of the ship through dive operations using a remotely operated vehicle.
“Based on the recent reports of a sheen from the Princess Kathleen and our concern for the environment, the Coast Guard felt diving on the vessel to determine its actual condition was necessary,” Capt. Melissa Bert, sector Juneau commander of the Coast Guard’s Juneau section, said in a statement.
“Any action we take with regard to this vessel will be done in conjunction with our state and local partners and balance our concern for the environment and its historical significance.”
The statement said the ship “continues to periodically cause small unrecoverable oil sheens in the area.”
Carrying 307 passengers, the Princess Kathleen ran aground on a reef and sank about 10 hours later in 130 feet of water. All passengers and crew made it safely to shore in lifeboats. As it slowly slipped beneath the waves, every moment of the vessel’s descent to its watery grave was captured by photographers and witnessed by onlookers.
Part of a large fleet of Pacific princesses, the Kathleen was one of Canadian Pacific’s top coastal cruise ships in the 1920s and 1930s, carrying tourists on the busy so-called triangle route between Vancouver, Victoria, and Seattle.
She was pressed into service as a troopship during World War ll, sailing both alone and in convoy to Malta during the German siege of the island and carrying troops and supplies to Libya and Italy, among other places. She also carried Jewish refugees to freedom in Palestine.
After the war, the Princess Kathleen was refitted and began service as a cruise ship between Vancouver and Alaska.
The sunken ship rests on a slope in 80 to 165 feet of water. The Coast Guard statement said that further examination by divers is necessary to accurately assess the amount of oil on board the Princess Kathleen and the risk of future discharges.
Fuel leaks from old shipwrecks has become a problem in several areas, including Pearl Harbor in Hawaii where the USS Arizona is leaking oil at the rate of about a quarter of a gallon a day.
The USS Arizona was one of seven battleships attacked by Japanese aircraft on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. Six of the ships were salvaged, but the Arizona remains submerged in over 40 feet of water.
It is feared that the collapse of the ship’s deteriorating fuel bunkers—which contain more than 530,000 gallons of fuel—could result in a highly damaging release of oil into Pearl Harbor.
The Canadian Pacific’s elegant princess ships were considered the finest liners on the Pacific coast and were a big hit with tourists. Lore has it that the Princess Kathleen was kept in pristine condition with the brass duly polished to a high sheen throughout the ship.
The wreck of the Princess Kathleen is a popular destination for scuba. In an online forum, Dave Mitchell, who frequently dives to the site, wrote that the ship “was a beauty and remains so today.”
“The wreck is deteriorating rapidly but is still beautiful. There are places where the brass still shines!” he wrote.
