SS Princess May on the Rocks
Folded Card
$ 8
The SS Princess May was a Canadian Pacific Railway coastal steamer that ran aground on August 5, 1910, near the north end of Sentinel Island in Alaska's Lynn Canal. Departing from Skagway, Alaska, with 80 passengers, 68 crew members, and a shipment of gold, the vessel encountered dense fog while traveling at approximately 12 knots. At around 4:00 AM, the ship struck submerged rocks, causing the hull to breach and flood the engine room. Despite the flooding, wireless operator W.R. Keller managed to send a distress signal using an improvised power source before the ship's electrical systems failed. The crew and passengers were safely evacuated, and the ship remained stranded until September 3, 1910, when salvage efforts successfully refloated it.