This week in Alaska History: On September 4, 1794 the first ship was built in Alaska. The Phoenix set sail from Resurrection Bay, where Seward now exists. It was the first ship launched on the northwestern Pacific Coast and sailed six times between Kodiak, Alaska and Okhotsk, Russia – carrying loads of fur over a span of four years.
Alexander Baranof Arrives On Kodiak Island
Alexander Baranof arrived at Kodiak Island from Russian in July 1791. He came to manage to Grigorri Ivanovich Shelikhov’s fur exporting operation. Prior to Baranof’s arrival in Alaska, Shelikhov formed the North American Company.
Alexander Baranof Builds The Phoenix
Baranof received orders to build a ship. Baranof received a vessel with ship building material including iron, rigging and sails, for one ship from Shelikhov. The ship’s commander, Second Lt. Shields, was an American shipbuilder who also worked for Shelikhov.
It took Baranof and Shields two years to build what became an 180-ton, 73 foot-long vessel. Christened the Phoenix, the three-mast ship had two decks and besides some deck work and unfinished cabins, was finished by September 1794. It became the first ship launched on the northwestern Pacific Coast.
Alexander Baranof Builds The Dolphin and The Olga
Baranof went on to build two more ships after the Phoenix. He completed The Dolphin and the Olga in 1795. Both ships measured 40 feet long, 17.5 feet wide and 9.5 feet deep. Unlike the Phoenix, Baranof next two ships were both single masted, single deck ships. The Olga became Baranof’s private vessel once Shields taught him how to navigate.
The End of The Phoenix
During the next four years, The Phoenix sailed six more times between Kodiak, AK and Okhotsk, Russia with loads of fur. It left Okhotsk on December 1, 1799 bound for Kodiak on its last voyage. Unfortunately, on December 29, 1799 pieces of the ship washed ashore on the eastern shore of Kodiak Island.
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Info Source: SeniorVoiceAlaska.com
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
