The National Shipwreck Alliance

03/02/2026

03/01/2026

What do you think? Is removing artifacts from historic shipwrecks an ethically sound traditional recreational diving activity or is it unethical looting of cultural resources? Or, can it be a mix of both depending on the shipwreck’s age, condition and historical significance?

Gyro compass repeater, porthole, and "decorative box" receovered from MV Orgeon in 2024.

02/25/2026

02/24/2026

History Tidbit
The FRANK W. HOWE left Ballard en route to San Pedro, California, on February 12, 1904. They had reached an area offshore of Yaquina Bay when, in a fierce storm, the ship began to take on water. The crew took in the sails and began to throw the deck load overboard. They climbed the rigging, while everything on deck was washed away and the cabin filled with water. Two of the crew were killed.
Captain Keegan hoped to get the ship over the Columbia River bar, but when the back of the ship broke clear through under the main hatch, all he could do was try to ground it onto the beach to save the remaining crew.
The FRANK W. HOWE was first sighted by Weather Observer Kelliher off North Head Lighthouse, drifting north. According to a witness, on Monday, February 22, 1904, “shortly before noon, the three-masted lumber schooner…was sighted off the north-beach coast, floundering under a terrific sea. Life crews hurried to the rescue, and people for miles along the beach congregated along the seashore.”
The crews from Fort Canby and Stevens headed to the wreck. Three attempts to shoot a lifeline were all unsuccessful. The Ilwaco Beach crew successfully launched a lifeboat. The first attempt, they were unable to reach the wreck. On the second try, they were successful. One by one, they were able to rescue the men of the FRANK W. HOWE. The ship continued to be pounded to pieces in the waves during one of the fiercest gales ever seen.
According to the San Francisco Examiner:
“Never in the history of the lifesaving crews stationed about the mouth of the Columbia have they been forced to overcome such difficulties as presented themselves in saving the men from the schooner today. A continuous line of whitecaps ran from the bar to the light ship.”
According to Capt. Keegan:
“The hardships, which we endured can never be described. For several days after our ship became disabled we were in a bad sea. Monday the gale broke out in all its fury and our vessel was completely submerged by seas mountain high. Our experience was a terrible one and we were fortunate to have been saved.” (sic)

CPHM Photo Collection: Schooner FRANK W. HOWE, Sea View, WA, 1904, photo by E.A. Coe (1985.113 Neale)

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02/22/2026

IJN Yamato rests about 1,400 feet below the East China Sea southwest of Kyushu, Japan, where she exploded and sank on April 7, 1945. The wreck lies broken into two major sections, with the bow resting on her side and the stern inverted nearby, surrounded by gun turrets, armor plates, and debris scattered across the seabed. Despite the violent internal magazine explosion that destroyed her, much of her massive armored hull remains recognizable. The wreck was discovered in 1985 by a Japanese expedition led by explorer Yoshinori Kato, and later deep sea surveys confirmed extensive torpedo damage, structural collapse, and detached components. She remains untouched as a protected war grave for the more than 3,000 sailors lost with her.
IJN Yamato was the largest and most heavily armed battleship ever built, measuring 862 feet long and displacing over 70,000 tons fully loaded. Commissioned on December 16, 1941, she carried nine 18.1 inch guns, the largest naval guns ever installed on a warship, capable of firing shells weighing over 3,000 pounds. On April 6, 1945, she was sent on Operation Ten Go, a one way mission toward Okinawa without air cover. On April 7, she was attacked by 386 U.S. carrier aircraft, which struck her repeatedly with bombs and at least ten torpedoes, causing severe flooding and loss of stability. At 2:23 PM, her forward magazines detonated in a massive explosion that split the ship apart and sank her. Only 269 of her crew survived, and her destruction marked the final end of battleship dominance in naval warfare.

02/18/2026

Congrats Paul Ehorn!!

01/27/2026

PROJECT PROFILE: The Dawn

Captain John Anderson built the 55-foot passenger steamer DAWN in late 1914 at his Anderson Shipyards in Kirkland, at what is now Carillon Point. He operated her on Lake Washington primarily on the Mercer Island–Leschi Park (Seattle) run until her retirement in 1940, following the opening of the Mercer Island Floating Bridge.

The DAWN was fondly remembered by Island residents. For decades she served as a de facto city hall, community center, and social hub for what was then a relatively isolated Mercer Island community. Generations of Islanders relied on her not only for transportation, but as a central gathering place in daily life.

After retirement, the DAWN was sold for salvage. Her machinery was removed and she was subsequently scuttled near Rainier Beach in approximately 110 feet of water, where she lay forgotten until 1989. That year, she was located by National Shipwreck Alliance (NSA) board members Avery Munson and Matt McCauley. To help verify the wreck’s identity, Munson recovered a distinctly decorated window from the site. When the window was presented to the Mercer Island Historical Society, members who had ridden the DAWN in the 1920s and 1930s immediately recognized it, confirming the vessel’s identity and sharing firsthand memories of their experiences aboard her. Because she was built in Kirkland, a recovered brass hinge was also donated to the Kirkland Heritage Society and is on display at its museum in Heritage Hall, at 203 Market St.

Today, the DAWN is included in the NSA’s ongoing project to identify and catalogue submerged cultural resources in Lake Washington. Planned work at the site includes high-resolution digital imaging, photogrammetric 3D modeling, and the creation of an underwater “trail”—guide lines placed near the lake bottom to allow divers to safely navigate to the DAWN and other nearby Rainier Beach–area wrecks.

Most significantly, the DAWN will be formally documented in an archaeological report prepared by NSA maritime archaeologist Robert Westrick. This report will be shared with the Kirkland Heritage Society, the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, King County, and shoreline-adjacent cities around Lake Washington. The results will also be made available to the public through the NSA website, where visitors will be able to virtually “visit” the DAWN via the completed 3D photogrammetric model.

In addition, the NSA is currently producing a documentary video chronicling the DAWN’s construction, working life, loss, rediscovery, and her future as an important submerged historic resource.
The DAWN project reflects the National Shipwreck Alliance’s broader commitment to responsible stewardship of submerged cultural resources and to making local history accessible to the public. By documenting, preserving, and interpreting sites like the DAWN in situ, the NSA helps ensure these irreplaceable resources are protected from damage while being shared in meaningful, educational ways. This work supports heritage preservation, public engagement, and interagency cooperation, and reinforces the idea that Lake Washington’s submerged history is a shared public asset worthy of careful management and long-term protection.

12/13/2025

In 1986, one of our divers unknowingly swam into the torpedo hole and into a crude oil tank on a murky dive. This near tragedy led to the development of our WDSP- Wreck Dive Safety Protocol.

Depending on the currents the "R.W. Gallagher" is still slowly bleeding oil from her cargo of 83,000 barrels as a silent reminder of a U-Boat attack off Loui...

12/13/2025

Both videos from BOEM on YouTube

The "R.W. Gallagher" was torpedoed without warning at 0140 EWT on July 13, 1942 while enroute from Galveston via Baytown, Texas to Key West Anchorage, Point ...

12/23/2024

**Lloyds Of London Alleges The Wreck of the SS PACIFIC Remains Undiscovered!**

Marine insurer Lloyd’s of London (LMI), the primary owner of the SS PACIFIC’s gold cargo, has confirmed that the wreck has NOT been found.

In November 2022, Rockfish Inc., a Seattle-based investor group, claimed to have discovered the wreck of the SS PACIFIC—a gold-laden sidewheel steamship that sank in 1875, resulting in the largest loss of life in West Coast maritime history. The claim was based on sonar images and minimal evidence, such as a piece of wood and a firebrick recovered from just under 1000 feet of water. Despite failing to locate coal or metal typically associated with shipwrecks, Rockfish secured salvage rights and raised millions from investors, claiming the wreck held $200 million worth of gold.

However, Rockfish’s equipment and methods came under scrutiny. Their sonar misidentified crab pots as the SS PACIFIC’s paddle wheels, and no definitive wreck evidence was found. In March 2024, Rockfish partnered with marine technology firm Ocean Infinity for “Expedition 14,” using state-of-the-art equipment. After weeks of searching, the expedition revealed no wreck—only geological features and unrelated modern debris.

On March 19, Rockfish’s president, Jeff Hummel, reportedly admitted the site was not the wreck but decided to continue searching nearby without disclosing the failure to investors or the court. Instead, Rockfish filed a vague report with the court in April 2024, omitting these key developments.

In October 2024, LMI and the Garesche Estate, representing interests in the SS PACIFIC, filed a motion to dismiss Rockfish’s salvage rights and recover legal costs. They argue Rockfish has not found any shipwreck, let alone the SS PACIFIC.

This sad story highlights the perils of unverified claims and the devastating financial and emotional consequences of such reckless ventures.

LMI’s Motion to Dismiss is linked here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cNY6SAOLcDhEj7PUpOeZUxE-R7kk7vaB/view?usp=drive_link

12/16/2024

**BREAKING NEWS!!!**

Shipwreck FRAUD SCHEME!?

Disturbing allegations emerge in federal court: Owners of the millions of dollars in gold cargo say wreck of the sidewheel streamer PACIFIC lost in 1875 off the Washington coast has NOT been found! Internationally recognized marine archeologist claims his statement to the court was FORGED! Judge asked to REVOKE SALVAGE RIGHTS! This could be the biggest shipwreck scandal in west coast history!

Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world… would do this, it would change the earth. William…

10/15/2024

https://kcls.bibliocommons.com/events/66a002a9aefc8df4a1181490

Meet Kirkland historian and explorer, Matthew McCauley. He will discuss the tragic sinking of the SS Pacific off the coast of Cape Flattery in 1875. To this day, it is considered to be one of the worst disasters in West-Coast maritime history.When the SS Pacific sank, all but two of the estimated fo...