Bear (1920) -- Discussion: Questions, Comments and Coordination

[Randi]

Tuesday, May 11
Ladysmith, B. C.

The following passengers left the vessel; J. H. Quatincum, F.L. Milligan, O. E. Klockenkuik, M. Syren. These men intended taking passage to the Pribilof Islands but decided to give up the place on account of the poor accommodations for passengers on board.

::) ::) ::)

Thursday, May 13
Ladysmith

0600

Crew moved about one half of soft coal off quarterdeck & placed same in bunkers for the reason that ceiling in cabin began cracking and quarterdeck weakening as the result of deck load.

Maybe this was the reason those passengers thought the accommodation was not too desirable. ;D

Saturday, May 15
Off Masterman Island

0936 Set course 115 psc to return to Alert Bay in order that Commanding Officer might return to Seattle to receive medical treatment.

and, the next day:

0720 Captain F. S. Van Boskerk left the ship and boarded S.S. Princess Mary, enroute to Seattle for medical attention.

and:

Since leaving Ladysmith 4000 gallons of fresh water have left the tanks and the evaporator is unable to make up the deficiency.

With that start, perhaps it's not surprising this log didn't make it to the National Archives...

Is this the log that was discovered to be in Oakland?

Yup

We finally made it to Nome on the 13^th of June. We had a fair bit of trouble getting through heavy field ice, and the SS Victoria came in with us. I mention this, because when we had both anchored to the shore ice, our Captain returned to take command of the ship.

You may remember he had to leave the ship and go to Seattle for medical reasons. Victoria was quicker than us in getting to Nome. We stopped at St George and St Paul islands on our way north.

Friday, July 2^nd
Nome

Merid to 4PM

2:45 Fire broke out in Nome jail; mustered crew and sent ashore first rescue party to render assistance. Flames extinguished before arrival (3:45) crew returned to vessel.

Thursday, July 8
St. Michael

The poor C.O. is still having medical issues.

1350 C. O. and ship's surgeon went ashore to ascertain whether it were possible to make an X-Ray examination of C.O.'s teeth.

There was no update. They picked up several passengers for Unalaska, left Nome and went to St. Michael. They stayed about for four hours and then left to Unalaska. No word on the X-Ray, if any was taken, nor what if anything was found.

Wednesday, July 14, 1920
57N 170 15W

Received 8:00 AM position of Unalga as follows: Lat. 57 16N, Long. 169 20W. In answer to radiogram from Commanding Officer stating weather conditions and asking what time Unalga might be expected received the following: "1014 Expect to arrive not later than eleven a.m. if my position is what I think it is. 0850 Unalga."

I love the confidence that just exudes from the C.O. of Unalga in that statement. ;D

I was wondering why they needed Unalga. And here it is...

11:40 Unalga within signal distance. Exchanged signals and decided to use Unalga's hawser secured to our port anchor cable. Lowered boat to get running line from Unalga.

12:05 received Unalga's hawser aboard and hoisted whale boat. 12:35 underway in tow of Unalga bound for St. Paul.

3:30 Stopped; Mr. W. B. Summers of U.S. Weather Bureau and Mr. F. H. White left vessel, watch ends in tow of Unalga; stopped off Village Cove, St. Paul Is.

4PM to 6PM Veered 20 fathoms on port cable for better towing. 4:15 went ahead various courses and speeds to southward and westward. The place to be towed to North anchorage for transfer of coal from Unalga to Bear was revoked on account of receipt of the following message from Unalga:

"Request permission to tow you direct to Unalaska. In case of bad weather we will need all the coal we have."

They do have sails... ::)

Howdy ;D
https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/med ... 7_0394.jpg

[Randi]

Thanks for the tow! This page from Unalga shows that Bear had only 12 tons of coal remaining. That was never mentioned in their logs.

https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/med ... 7_0390.jpg

I was comparing the weather pages for Thursday, when Unalga was towing us to Unalaska. We were going a bit faster, and our winds were a bit higher. Our barometer was about 0.01 inches higher than yours. Your temperatures were about 5 degrees warmer than ours. Probably all your exertion. ;D we took water temps, but you didn't.

Our page:
https://i.imgur.com/UAZtxTt.jpg

Your page:
https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/med ... 7_0395.jpg

You won't hurt your neck looking at our page. The hoipoloi isn't allowed access, so I put it on imgur... ;D ;D ;D

Saturday, 14 August
6418N 173 35W

This is the first time I've seen something like this.

8AM - Merid

Commissary officer in presence of C.O., and by orders of C.O., warned Commissary Steward against selling, bartering with or giving away any mess stores condemned or otherwise to natives or other persons.

Thursday, September 2

On their way south from Point Barrow, they stopped in to Wainright and purchased 17 tons of coal for testing. It looks like it's not as good as the coal from Vancouver Island. ;D

8AM to Merid. Testing Wainright Coal, revolutions dropped from 75 to about 58. Latter part used only a portion of Wainright Coal and revolutions increased to 72.

Saturday, September 11
Nome

Time for the annual fall relocation...

King Island natives working their belongings on board. Total of 240 natives on board for King Id. Issued each a ration.

Here's everything in the log about the voyage. It must have been a very rough trip, 20 hour long with winds up to Force 7 at times, and mostly Force 5 or 6.

Saturday September 11
Nome

8:10 PM Underway

---

Sunday, September 12

4:13 PM anchored off Ukivok Village. Natives boating their effects to shore.
10:00 PM Suspended boating until daylight owing to adverse weather conditions.

---

Monday, September 13
Ukivok, King Island

0530 natives resumed work of boating their effects.
1035 unloading completed and all King Id. natives off vessl got up anchor & stood 219 psc. Began cleaning ship; vessel in an extremely filthy and unsanitary condition as enforced by King Id. Natives.

Monday, September 20
Off Cape Chibukak

They have been battling high winds, up to Force 9, ever since leaving for Nome with the King Island natives on the 11^th. They were supposed to take supplies to St. Lawrence Island once they had unloaded the natives and their effects at Ukivok. Since then they have been taking shelter in the lee of St. Lawrence Island and the Punuk Islands waiting out this storm, but...

0805 Having decided to go to Nome for coal (the Ketchikan with coal on board being due to arrive there today); the weather showing no signs of abating it is impossible to land stores on St. Lawrence Id and further delay is out of the question.

It is hard for us in these "modern" times to imagine supplies not being available because of ice or weather. In the summer of 1968 I was working on a three man geological survey crew in the eastern Northwest Territories, now Nunavut. At the end of August, on our way out of the north, we stopped at Eskimo Point, now Arviat. Our boss remained behind at a different camp, and the two of us stayed with the two teachers at their teacher house and the pilot stayed at the nursing station.

When I went to get a drink of water from the tap, the teacher said, "Stop! Don't drink that water! It has to be boiled for 20 minutes." She then asked Brian and I if we could not eat until we got to Churchill the next day. The village had run out of supplies because the supply ship couldn't get in because of ice or something. Some hunters had gone out and come back with meat from three caribou that was shared amongst all the villagers. The teacher's share was one very small roast. Naturally, we ate nothing until we were in Churchill the next afternoon.

No hoarding then, everything was shared.

Perhaps our problem is that we have forgotten those times :-\

Tuesday, September 21^st

File this under The Best Laid Plans

1650 Anchored off Nome. Ship ready for coaling. In spite of urgent request for coal the Lighterage Company failed to get any coal alongside. C.O. notified the lighterage company by radio yesterday to have a barge of coal ready to come alongside upon our arrival; again urged tonight immediate delivery of same.

The next day they leave for St. Michael, arriving on the 23^rd. They send a boat ashore to see if they can get coal there, and they're told they can get 10 tons. They used 20 odd tons getting there. (Their daily usage seems to be in the 10-12 ton range, and they're down to 57 tons.)

They go back to Nome after getting their 10 tons and, on the 25^th they anchor alongside the Ketchikan and start loading coal. Remember, these are the guys who had to be towed into Unalaska by the Unalga when they ran out earlier in the summer.

Wednesday, September 29^th

These guys are having no luck. They went back to Nome with 10 tons of coal from St. Michael. They coaled up with coal from the Ketchikan, and they were ordered back to Unalaska and thence to Seattle. On the way they tried to get back to Gambell. The winds were still too high, and even in the lee of Cape Chibukak they're dragging their anchors. They try different landing sites, but the sea is too rough for landing. They decide to wait for better weather, but they discover a problem in the boiler furnaces. I can't read the writing well enough to figure out just what the problem is, but they have just 4-5" of something and they had to reduce pressure from 95 lbs to 40. Anyway, they radio the Force Commander in Unalaska to say they're heading for Unalaska and will need assistance (AGAIN) from Unalga.

"boiler furnace crown"
https://books.google.com/books?id=dCw6A ... 22&f=false

However, I'm not sure what is actually is ::)

[Randi]

Good eyes!!! I didn't see crown. I can't read the last part of the line up about five from the end just before ... ... the crowns being down ... #1 and
#2 furnaces.

Anyway, this just in after midnight...

1220 Rec'd radio from Force Comdr that Algonquin would proceed to our assistance upon completion of fueling at Akutan.

and later,

Bent on to starboard chain 90 fms of port cable, making available a scope of 210 fms for stbd anchor. Began striking below sacked coal stowed in port alleyway, main deck, which was intended for St. Paul and St. George. Ids.

Hummmm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiler_ex ... explosions

Boiler explosions are of a particular danger in (locomotive-type) fire tube boilers because the top of the firebox (crown sheet) must be covered with some amount of water at all times; or the heat of the fire can weaken the crown sheet or crown stays to the point of failure, even at normal working pressure.

https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-crown-sheet.htm

Saturday, October 2nd
57 20N 168W
231 nautical miles NNW of Unalaska

0630 Raised Algonquin bearing two points on port bow.
0730 Clewed up all sail. Got lines and gear ready for being towed.
0800 Began effort to run line to Algonquin. Shot two lines with Lyle gun, cords parted. 0830 stopped engines and let fires under main boiler die out. Started donkey boiler.
0910 Algonquin gun succeeded in dropping a buoy & line alongside. 0940 Hawse passed from Bear to Algonquin, underway course 146 psc in tow, ahead 90 RPM on Algonquin. 0950 set all square sails.
1015 set single reefed mainsail.
1150 Algonquin slowed down for us to renew chafing gear.
1200 Chafing gear ~~~~. Algonquin got underway. Hawser parted. Clewed up all square sails; in mainsail. 1230 prepared port chain for bending on hawser from Algonquin. Algonquin bending on thimble(?); lying off. After making several attempts to float line across our bow, the Algonquin succeeded (2:00) in passing under our quarter and heaving line aboard.
1445 Algonquin's hawser bent on to Bear's port cable, veered to 30 fathoms. Algonquin underway slow speed, set foresail, upper & lower topsails & mainsail.

Sunday, October 3

8AM to Merid
Received radio advice from Bering Sea Patrol Comdr to effect four cases smallpox, in advance stages of convalescence exist in Unalaska; no danger incident to going to Coal dock. Ship's complement vaccinated against smallpox by medical Officer.

Made it at last...

1700 Slowed down off Dutch Harbor Spit and prepared to unshackle. 1720, set off. 1745 Algonquin alongside port side to. Towed Bear to wharf, Unalaska, Aaa, stern first mooring to wharf starboard side to at 6:28. All hands restricted to limits of dock on account of smallpox cases. The forward bit of port waist main deck bits carried away while being towed to wharf by Algonquin.

---

The next day they unloaded the Board of Education freight for St. Lawrence Island onto the dock and then the deck force helped load it onto Unalga. Also, a Board of Inquiry into the failure of the Bear's boiler met.

---

The day after, two teachers left Bear for Unalga for transportation back north. I assume to Gambell.

THIMBLE. An iron ring with a concave outer surface to contain snugly in the cavity a rope, which is spliced about it. Its use is to defend the rope which surrounds it from being injured by another rope, or the hook or a tackle which passes through it.

I've looked ahead in the logs. Algonquin is going to tow us back to the U.S. mainland. ::)

Here's the our rescuer.

Friday, October 15

It just keeps getting worse. Much of the time they've been enduring Force 6-8 winds.

Merid to 4PM. 3:30 C.O informed of the intentions of "Algonquin" in consequence of fuel consumption, to wire Hdqr requesting that "Snohomish" intercept vessels on or about noon of the 18th instant; suggested that "Bear" raise steam. After consulting with executive, & engineers officers, C.O. ordered steam, not to exceed 40 lbs, for 8 a.m., it being deemed safe & in the existing emergency, necessary. Algonquin so informed & directed to send "govt rush" requesting that Snohomish be sent without fail.

Saturday, October 16

0815 As promised, they got steam up and were able to go ahead slow at 45 RPM while limiting steam on boilers to 40 pounds.

6:30 PM Heavy sea was shipped on port quarter, broke cabin skylight, deluged cabin and flooded clothing locker, doing considerable damage to linens in cabin and articles of clothing in locker.

They must be really looking forward to getting this voyage over! Their winds were Force 10 at 4 PM and had "diminished" to Force 8-9 when this occurred. ::)

Monday, October 18

1000 Crew disconnected windlass from steam power and made ready for heaving inc hain cable by hand, boiler pressure being insufficient. Reeving new jib halliards in place of one carried away this a.m.

They lost one log about a month back and they lost their spare three or four days back, both times due to the rough sea and the wire parting. No sign of Snohomish yet...

Tuesday, October 19

0700 Raised USS Snohomish CG, bearing 105 True.
0830 Snohomish alongside Algonquin. Stopped & took in head sails. 8:55 hawser passed from Algonquin to Snohomish. 8:50 Algonquin gives permission to proceed ahead slow.
0900 Snohomish ahead full speed, this vessel making 50 RPM.

Merid to 4 PM In tow of Snohomish on course 80 psc. Under steam & sail as set

https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/med ... 6_0131.JPG

This is our third rescuer:

1. Unalga
2. Algonquin
3. Snohomish

Wednesday October 20
Off Tatoosh Island

Another wrinkle...

1000 Medical Officer received radiogram from Dr. Devalin, Public Health, stating it is intention to fumigate this vessel at Port Townsend Quarantine Station that material for fumigation is available there. Semaphored this information to Snohomish.

2140 Stopped. Snohomish hove in on hawser. With aid of watch tackle hove n our 60 fms port chain & cast off hawser to Snohomish and at 10:50 Snohomish made fast alongside ort side to and anchored.

Thursday October 21
US Quarantine Station
Port Discovery

2:30 PM Commenced fumigating using cyanide process.

6:00 PM Opened up hatches and doors to ventilate vessel. All hands bunking ashore in barracks for the night.

Friday, October 22
US Quarantine Station
Port Discovery

9AM to 4PM Aired bedding, and removed all sea bags, personal gear etc; all hands turned to cleaning ship, scrubbed and washed berth decks and other living quarters.

4:00 bedding piped below.

Saturday, October 23
US Quarantine Station
Port Discovery

6:45 Unmoored and stood off dock. Picked up all boats and at 7:45 went ahead 40 RPM in tow of Snohomish for Navy Yard, Puget Sound.

2:00 PM Arrived Puget Sound Naval Station, cast off tow line of Snohomish. 2:10 Naval Tug Pawtuckett made fast alongside for the purpose of docking the Bear.
3:06 Bear made fast to dock, starboard side to.

And so ends a very trying northern patrol!

Snohomish, January 1920 - June 1920

Snohomish, July 1920 - December 1920

[Randi]

The voyage has been calculated and you can see it here.