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There are also more mundane items, a metal sink and silverware testify to a comfortable existence for the crew. She was also extravagantly equipped with electrical gear, several generators, motors and heavy wiring feature among the wreckage. Given the winch gear, the large engine and the size of the vessel it is clear that this was some sort of tugboat, equipped to handle barges similar to those found nearby in the woods. Charred timbers and piles of metal fittings in the bilge shows she burned to the waterline, most likely ending up on the beach as she burned. Remains of a tugboat on the shore of Funter Bay, possibly the cannery tender Anna BarronA closer examination of the wreck tells much about the vessel and how she met her end. He also notes that the Anna Baron sank near Swanson Harbor. His guess is the tugboat Morzhovoi, an 84 foot diesel vessel owned at one time by the Thlinket Cannery. He has done some research on the various wrecks, posting the information to his blog.
#Funter bay description update#
Update 1May2015: Found a great website by Gabe Emerson who grew up in Funter Bay. They believe the wreck is the Anna Helen, a tugboat that burned from a gasoline explosion caused by an engine backfire on October 22, 1928. Update 25Feb2015: Received an email from a historian at the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. I could walk where I had previously floated. This year was the first time I had had an opportunity to examine the wreckage more closely, low tide had completely exposed the wreck to examination. On a previous visit I had motored around the engine with our launch, taking a few photographs of a large four cylinder diesel engine protruding from the water. At low tide a large engine betrays the wreck. On the northern shore of Coot Cove there is the wreckage of a substantial vessel. Two large motors and winch gear are rusting away on the uppermost barge. Remains of a skid ramp and heavy cables secured to large tree stumps show how they came to rest here well above the tideline. the decks are collapsing and spruce trees grow through the frames.
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of Funter Bay decaying in the woods.Just behind the treeline of Coot Cove are four barges, well built working vessels now decaying in the woods. Going ashore and poking about soon reveals that the forest conceals even more evidence that this bay looked much different in the past.īarges used by the Thlinket Packing Co.
![funter bay description funter bay description](https://www.alaskahistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Cannery-1973.jpg)
Pilings on the shoreline, unnatural objects along the beach. The stories are a vignette of Alaskan history that typifies the lives of those who came to this place generations ago.Įven with a quick exploration of the area, signs of the past are scattered about to catch an observant eye and inquisitive mind. The area has quite a history with tales of industry and tragedy. Photos from 1900 to 1930 show a bay alive with activity, with substantial buildings supporting the mine and cannery, a post office, church and everything else one would expect in a thriving community. As I have come to find, it is more than a convenient harbor, it is also a very interesting place…Īt the beginning of the 20th century, Funter Bay was home to a large cannery and mining operations. No surprise that we found ourselves using this safe anchorage no less than four times over two weeks. Funter Bay is a convenient place to stop and spend the night for anyone coming into or out of Juneau and Auke Bay. It is a quiet place today, a favorite anchorage near Juneau for local sportsman and boaters, rimmed with a dozen homes and cabins.