SS Northwestern
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | Northwestern |
| Namesake | The Northwestern Steamship Company |
| Builder | Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works |
| Launched | November 23, 1889 |
| Fate | Sank at mooring, Captains Bay, Unalaska Island |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger and freight transport |
| Length | 336 ft (102 m) |
| Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
S. S. Northwestern Shipwreck Site | |
| Location | Port Levashef, at the head of Captains Bay |
| Nearest city | Unalaska |
| Coordinates | 53°49′50″N 166°36′37″W / 53.83056°N 166.61028°W |
| NRHP reference No. | 94001065 |
| Added to NRHP | September 12, 1994 |
SS Northwestern, originally SS Oriziba, was a passenger and freight steamship launched in 1889 by the Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works, Chester, Pennsylvania which spent most of its career in service in the waters of the Territory of Alaska. The ship from early in its career had a reputation for trouble, and was frequently involved in groundings, collisions with other ships, and with port facilities. She first served as a transport in the West Indies as Oriziba, and was acquired by the Northwestern Steamship Company in 1906, sailed around Cape Horn, and renamed Northwestern. For the next thirty years she worked along the Alaska coast, transporting people, mail, and goods, as well as ore from mining operations at Kennecott.