The number of cruise ships stopping in Dutch Harbor has been on the increase. Many of the ships that stop are smaller 'expedition' cruise ships, that carry a fleet of Zodiacs for exploring remote islands. They also have naturalists and historians on board to give lectures on the areas the ship will be visiting. Many ships are from companies that have never visited Unalaska before.
Most are headed out along the Aleutian Chain to stops in Russia and Asia. Some vessels are heading north to the Arctic or coming over the Northwest Passage (many of the September ships). Tentative schedule for 2020: Silver Muse, May 13 and September 13 Viking Orion, May 26 and September 3 Oceania Insignia, June 22 (part of a world tour) Bremen, June 24 and August 2 Silver Explorer, July 18 and July 29 Roald Amundsen, August 12 and September 17 Hanseatic Nature, September 8 Scenic Eclipse, September 9 Star Breeze, September 19 Silver Cloud, September 21 L'Austral, September 24 Le Boreal, September 29 Oceania Regatta, October 13 Three visits from National Geographic Orion, dates TBD Cruise ships for 2019: Seven Seas Mariner, May 6, 700 passengers Viking Orion, May 16, 930 passengers Star Legend, May 17, 212 passengers Azamara Quest, May 21, 686 passengers Silver Muse, May 23, 596 passengers Crystal Symphony, June 4, 922 passengers National Geographic Orion, June 22, 100 passengers Silver Explorer, June 25- canceled due to engine problems Le Soleal, June 30, 264 passengers, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. National Geographic Orion, July 15, 100 passengers MS Maasdam, July 19, 1258 passengers National Geographic Orion, July 25, 100 passengers Silver Explorer, July 30, 144 passengers Azamara Quest, August 10, 686 passengers Viking Orion, August 24, 930 passengers National Geographic Orion, Sept 10, 100 passengers Silver Muse, Sept 15, 596 passengers Roald Amundsen (Hurtigruten cruises), Sept 15, 530 passengers L'Austral, Sept 19, 264 passengers Le Boreal, Sept 29, 264 passengers |
In 2019 state ferry Tustumena came to Dutch Harbor/Unalaska 9 times. At this point, it is uncertain whether the Tustumena will be coming in 2020. |
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With climate change reducing ice cover in the Arctic, there is increasing vessel traffic over the Northwest Passage. Many of these vessels, from small sailing boats to research vessels to cruise ships, stop in Unalaska.
The first expedition to visit Unalaska en route to the Northwest Passage was that of Captain Cook in 1778. Cook, on board the sailing ship Endeavor, was on a mission from the Admiralty in Great Britain to discover the Northwest Passage. There was a 20,000 pound sterling prize (more than $1 million today) being offered at the time for anyone who discovered the fabled route that would link Europe with the Orient.
During the 18th century numerous explorers and expeditions tried to find the Northwest Passage from both the east and west.
The first expedition to visit Unalaska en route to the Northwest Passage was that of Captain Cook in 1778. Cook, on board the sailing ship Endeavor, was on a mission from the Admiralty in Great Britain to discover the Northwest Passage. There was a 20,000 pound sterling prize (more than $1 million today) being offered at the time for anyone who discovered the fabled route that would link Europe with the Orient.
During the 18th century numerous explorers and expeditions tried to find the Northwest Passage from both the east and west.
Fascination with the Arctic and the possibility of a route to the Orient had stirred European imagination for centuries. Many believed that the far north was actually a hellishly hot place (Hyperborea) and that they would find open water once they had sailed far enough north. Others imagined a massive whirlpool that would devour ships.
Cook set out from Nootka Sound in April 1778 and headed north, attempting to approach the NW Passage from the west. He charted the coastline and searched areas the Russians had reached 40 years previously. The Admiralty’s orders were to ignore inlets and rivers until they reached 65 North. Cook continued out along the Alaska Peninsula and to English Bay on Unalaska Island. Though Cook sailed as far north as latitude 70, he was unsuccessful in finding the Northwest Passage. (Bristol Bay was just one place that got its name from this expedition.)
Note: One of the original pencil drawings from Cook’s Expedition of the Unangan people is on display at the Museum of the Aleutians.
Perhaps the most famous attempt at finding the northern route was made by the doomed Franklin Expedition. This was a large British expedition that got trapped in the ice for several years and resulted in the death of Sir John Franklin and all hands in 1845. When they didn’t return, it was devastating to the British government and people.
The McClure Arctic Expedition was sent to search for Franklin. Irishman Robert McClure headed into the NW Passage from the west, but also became hopelessly trapped in ice. They were eventually rescued from the east, so McClure was credited with ‘discovering’ the NW Passage but it wasn’t until 1906 that anyone successfully sailed the entire route. The Norwegian Roald Amundsen made the first successful passage from Greenland to Alaska, with a relatively small sailing sloop and a crew of six.
The “Northwest Passage” actually encompasses multiple possible sea routes through the icy islands. With continuing loss of sea ice due to climate change, there is increasing interest in use of this route for transportation of goods. Commercial viability remains a problem though, with areas too shallow for large ships and the unpredictability of when the passage will be ice free. Lack of ports along the route also poses a problem for commercial uses.
After oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay in 1968, the NW Passage was considered as an option for getting this oil to market. The first oil tanker to make the passage was the ice-strengthened SS Manhattan in 1969-accompanied by two Canadian and two American ice-breakers. A single token barrel of crude was loaded at Prudhoe Bay and then the ship went back. It was decided that a pipeline was more feasible and there wasn’t much activity in the NW Passage for decades.
In 1984, the first cruise ship, the MS Explorer, made the passage; in 12006, the cruise ship MS Bremen.
In September 2013, the first large ice-strengthened freighter, the MS Nordic Orion, make the trip. This ship, loading with coking coal, was too large when fully loaded for the Panama Canal and the trip was a test of the feasibility of this route for larger, deeper draft ships.
In 2016, the Crystal Serenity set the record for the largest cruise ship to make the voyage. - by Ann Touza
Cook set out from Nootka Sound in April 1778 and headed north, attempting to approach the NW Passage from the west. He charted the coastline and searched areas the Russians had reached 40 years previously. The Admiralty’s orders were to ignore inlets and rivers until they reached 65 North. Cook continued out along the Alaska Peninsula and to English Bay on Unalaska Island. Though Cook sailed as far north as latitude 70, he was unsuccessful in finding the Northwest Passage. (Bristol Bay was just one place that got its name from this expedition.)
Note: One of the original pencil drawings from Cook’s Expedition of the Unangan people is on display at the Museum of the Aleutians.
Perhaps the most famous attempt at finding the northern route was made by the doomed Franklin Expedition. This was a large British expedition that got trapped in the ice for several years and resulted in the death of Sir John Franklin and all hands in 1845. When they didn’t return, it was devastating to the British government and people.
The McClure Arctic Expedition was sent to search for Franklin. Irishman Robert McClure headed into the NW Passage from the west, but also became hopelessly trapped in ice. They were eventually rescued from the east, so McClure was credited with ‘discovering’ the NW Passage but it wasn’t until 1906 that anyone successfully sailed the entire route. The Norwegian Roald Amundsen made the first successful passage from Greenland to Alaska, with a relatively small sailing sloop and a crew of six.
The “Northwest Passage” actually encompasses multiple possible sea routes through the icy islands. With continuing loss of sea ice due to climate change, there is increasing interest in use of this route for transportation of goods. Commercial viability remains a problem though, with areas too shallow for large ships and the unpredictability of when the passage will be ice free. Lack of ports along the route also poses a problem for commercial uses.
After oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay in 1968, the NW Passage was considered as an option for getting this oil to market. The first oil tanker to make the passage was the ice-strengthened SS Manhattan in 1969-accompanied by two Canadian and two American ice-breakers. A single token barrel of crude was loaded at Prudhoe Bay and then the ship went back. It was decided that a pipeline was more feasible and there wasn’t much activity in the NW Passage for decades.
In 1984, the first cruise ship, the MS Explorer, made the passage; in 12006, the cruise ship MS Bremen.
In September 2013, the first large ice-strengthened freighter, the MS Nordic Orion, make the trip. This ship, loading with coking coal, was too large when fully loaded for the Panama Canal and the trip was a test of the feasibility of this route for larger, deeper draft ships.
In 2016, the Crystal Serenity set the record for the largest cruise ship to make the voyage. - by Ann Touza