USC&GS Yukon (1873) Facts for Kids

History
Yukon
U.S. Coast Survey
Name	USCS Yukon
Commissioned	1873
Fate	Became part of U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey fleet 1878
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
Name	USC&GS Yukon
Decommissioned	1894
Fate	Sold 1894
United States
Name	Elwood
Identification	Signal letters: QVTN
Fate	Wrecked 14 December 1895
General characteristics as survey ship
Type	Survey ship
Tonnage	101
Length	84 ft (26 m)
Beam	22 ft 2 in (6.8 m)
Draft	9 ft (2.7 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Schooner-rigged
General characteristics in commercial service
Type	Schooner
Tonnage	97.27 GRT 92.44 NRT
Length	84 ft (25.6 m)
Beam	23 ft (7.0 m)
Depth	8 ft (2.4 m)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Schooner-rigged

The USC&GS Yukon was a special ship called a schooner. It worked as a survey ship for the United States government. From 1873 to 1878, it was part of the U.S. Coast Survey. Then, from 1878 to 1894, it joined the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. The Yukon was one of the first ships to explore and map many parts of Alaska, including the Bering Sea and the western Aleutian Islands. It also worked a lot in California and Washington. Later, it was sold and became a commercial ship named Elwood. Sadly, it was wrecked in 1895.

The Yukon as a Survey Ship
The Yukon as a Commercial Ship
- Final Voyage and Wreck
Images for kids

The Yukon as a Survey Ship

The Yukon was the first ship of its name in the Coast Survey. It started working in 1873. The ship was built in Kennebunk, Maine, especially for exploring Alaska. When the Coast Survey changed its name in 1878 to the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Yukon became part of the new group.

Exploring Alaska's Waters

The Yukon is famous for its trips led by Acting Assistant William Healey Dall in 1873, 1874, and 1880. These trips helped create an important book called the Pacific Coast Pilot - Alaska in 1883.

1873 Cruise: The ship explored the western Aleutian Islands. Another ship, the USCS Humboldt, had surveyed the eastern part the year before.
1874 Cruise: The Yukon first sailed to Sitka in Southeast Alaska. Then it went west along the Gulf of Alaska coast to Unalaska in the Aleutians. After that, it entered the Bering Sea and visited Nunivak Island and the Pribilof Islands before returning to Sitka.
1880 Cruise: This trip followed a similar path to the 1874 journey. It also stopped at Plover Bay (now Provideniya Bay) in Siberia, the Diomede Islands, and Point Belcher on Alaska's Chukchi Sea coast.

Mapping and Science Missions

A main goal of these trips was to fix the locations of bays and islands on maps. Sometimes, they were off by as much as 20 nautical miles! The crew also recorded how much the compass needle varied from true north. To figure out exact locations, they used astronomical observations. This was hard because the Bering Sea often had cloudy weather. The stops at Plover Bay in 1880 helped them check their marine chronometers, which are very accurate clocks used for navigation. Marcus Baker was the expert who made all the astronomical observations on these three trips.

Another important part of the missions was collecting biological samples. On the 1880 trip, Tarleton Bean was the biological observer. He studied the fish and other sea creatures to learn about them scientifically and for practical uses. Edward Perry Herendeen, a former whaling captain, was the sailing master for all three trips. He later went to Point Barrow in the Arctic Ocean with another expedition.

Work in California and Washington

The Yukon also worked in California and a lot in Washington. In 1877 and 1878, the ship mapped the waters of upper Puget Sound. This work was led by United States Navy Lieutenant Richard M. Cutts. Two other lieutenants, Ambrose B. Wyckoff and U. Harris, helped him. Wyckoff thought Puget Sound was a perfect spot for a naval shipyard. His reports and efforts over the next 13 years led to the creation of the Puget Sound Naval Station in Bremerton, Washington. He even became its first commander from 1891 to 1893.

The Yukon stopped its survey work in 1894. It was sold that year in Tacoma, Washington.

The Yukon as a Commercial Ship

After being sold, the ship became a commercial schooner and was renamed Elwood.

Final Voyage and Wreck

On September 1, 1895, the Elwood left Seattle, Washington. It was heading to Kodiak on Kodiak Island and Cook Inlet in south-central Alaska. This was its last trip. At 2:00 a.m. on December 14, 1895, the ship hit a reef off Gardner Point (57°01′N 134°37′W / 57.017°N 134.617°W / 57.017; -134.617 (Gardner Point)) in Southeast Alaska and was wrecked. One crew member died trying to swim to shore. The captain and the rest of the crew made it to land safely by holding onto parts of the broken ship. Once ashore, they walked to Murder Cove on Admiralty Island and then to Killisnoo. There, a United States Revenue Cutter Service ship, the USRC Wolcott, rescued them. The Wolcott then took them to Sitka.