A promise to keep: One husband's search for his wife amid the grisly aftermath of the 1918 Princess Sophia disaster
Part of a continuing weekly series on Alaska history by local historian David Reamer. Have a question about Anchorage or Alaska history or an idea ...
Part of a continuing weekly series on Alaska history by local historian David Reamer. Have a question about Anchorage or Alaska history or an idea for a future article? Go to the form at the bottom of this story. On Oct. 24, 1918, the steamship Princess Sophia struck and stuck upon the Vanderbilt Reef northwest of Juneau. For 39 hours, the ship sat there, perched on the precipice of its demise, before storm and tides lifted, dragged, and dropped the steamer on the rocks. Gouged and falling apart, the ship sank beneath the water around 5:50 p.