The S.S. Baychimo: Ghost Ship
Ghost Ship lore is something that has emerged through the sands of time as an almost universal, timeless fascination. Some of the most popular content from AL, from episodes to blogs, have covered ships like the Mary Celeste, the Cotopaxi, the Lovibond, and The Haunted Schooner Jenny. So, tonight, I’m bringing up another tale from the deep…the story of the S.S. Baychimo.
Built in Sweden in 1914, the Baychimo at the time of its disappearance was owned and operated by the Hudson's Bay Company. Before its lore began, it served primarily as a vessel used to trade pelts in exchange for provision along Inuit settlements off the Victoria Island Coast. So, how did it end up as an infamous ghost ship slinking along the Alaskan coast?
After 9 successful trading runs, the Baychimo would sail it’s last in 1931. On October 1st, it was nearing the end of its 10th trading run and loaded up with plenty of fur. However, it became entrapped by pack ice. The crew, after an attempt to dislodge the ship abandoned the ship and traveled over a half mile of ice to the small town of Barrow. They took shelter and planned a way to rescue their cargo and ship for two days. When the crew returned, the ship had broken through the pack ice and the crew re-boarded. However, again on October 8th it became stuck yet again in pack ice...but this time was even worse.
On the 15th, the Hudson’s Bay Company sent a small aircraft to retrieve as much of the crew as possible. It was agreed that 15 of the nearly 40 person crew would remain behind. They had provisions to wait out the roughest part of the winter, if necessary, so the ice would melt and free the ship. For the first few days, everything seemed fine. But, a powerful blizzard on November 24th and, when visibility returned, the Baychimo was nowhere to be found. It was concluded that it must have broken apart during the storm and sunk, along with its crew.
However, just a few days later the thought the Baychimo had been sunk were squashed. An Inuit seal hunter claimed he had seen the ship about 45 miles from where it was before the storm. A search party went out to find the ship and found none of the crew alive, and retrieved the most valuable furs from the hold to transport by air. The Baychimo was abandoned then. But, it didn't sink like the company thought. Over the passing decades, numerous sightings of the ship were reported. In fact, the last recorded sighting of the Baychimo was in 1969, almost 40 years after it was abandoned.
It soon became known as the Ghost of the Arctic and many attempts were made to board it over the decades. In fact, there were about four recorded salvage missions that all were cut short, for various reasons. Although this ship was left to rot on the sea floor, it waged war against the elements for nearly 40 years. It has never been seen again, and the remaining crew has long been assumed dead.
The ship’s current whereabouts are unknown, although it was believed to have sunk to the unforgiving sea floor of the Arctic. Or, perhaps, she is still out there sailing searching for a crew that will finally board her once again.