The Event
Full chronology of the San Patrick wreck
December 1964 — April 1970
The final voyage
Cargo: Bulk grain
Route: North Pacific crossing, through the Aleutian Islands
Approximate distance: 7,500 km (4,000 nautical miles)
Chronology of events
1964 — Before the voyage
Conversion of the vessel
The vessel Good Hope (ex-Gonfreville, ex-White Bird Canyon) is acquired by Manor Investment Company (Mosvold & Glastad) and renamed San Patrick.
A major conversion is carried out: from T2-SE-A1 tanker to bulk carrier. The hull is lengthened by 14.7 metres and widened. New dimensions: 174.3 m length, 23 m beam, 14,494 GRT, 21,900 DWT.
Tonnage increased by 42.5% over the original 1944 design.
Arrival in Vancouver
The San Patrick arrives at the port of Vancouver, Canada, to load grain for Japan.
Photograph of the vessel on November 24, 1964 — Walter E. Frost
One crew member chooses to stay ashore
One crew member, concerned about the poor condition of the vessel, decides not to sail on what would have been his last voyage.
“Dijo que, para morir, prefería quedarse en tierra. Mi padre fue a declarar y dijo que el barco estaba muy mal.”
— Rosa María Uriarte, hija del tripulante que no embarcó
“He said that, if he was going to die, he would rather die on land. My father went to testify and said the ship was in very bad shape.” — Rosa María Uriarte, daughter of the crew member who did not sail
[Translation from the original Spanish]
This man would be the only survivor of the tragedy.
Departure from Vancouver
The San Patrick sails from the port of Vancouver bound for Yokohama, Japan, loaded with bulk grain.
32 crew members aboard, most of them from Bizkaia and Cantabria.
December 17, 1964 — The wreck
The ship runs aground
In the middle of a violent storm, the San Patrick runs aground on the rocks of Hasgar Point, on Ulak Island, Delarof Islands, Aleutian Islands.
Reported positions: 51°20′N 179°40′W (first SOS, 06:42 AKST) and 51°20′N 179°05′W (second transmission, 09:10 AKST). The actual location, established later by the US Coast Guard, was 51°18.7′N 178°57.8′W.
The exact causes of the grounding have never been determined.
First SOS call
Radio Officer Antonio Herrero Monsalve transmits the first distress signal. He requests assistance to be towed off, with the ship aground bow-first.
The Japanese ore carrier TETSUKO MARU (17,094 tons, bound for Yokohama) picks up the SOS and establishes communication. Estimated time of arrival: 3 hours.
Critical situation
“Mercante liberiano, muy embarrancado.”
“Posición 51-20 N / 179-05 W”
“Urgente bote salvavidas.”
“Imposible sacar barco hundido. No podemos transmitir.”
“Solo tenemos batería de receptor (NW) en muy malas condiciones.”
“Liberian freighter, hard aground.”
“Position 51-20 N / 179-05 W”
“Lifeboat urgently needed.”
“Cannot pull off the wrecked ship. Cannot transmit.”
“Only receiver battery (NW) left, in very poor condition.”
[Translation from the original Spanish — San Patrick transmissions relayed by TETSUKO MARU, USCG record]
Desperate SOS
“¡RESCÁTENNOS!”
“Es urgente que nos salven. Cinco minutos.”
“Muy urgente, muy urgente. SOS, SOS, SOS.”
“Envíen helicópteros, solo con helicópteros.”
“Por favor, llamen helicópteros.”
“No es posible permanecer en el barco.”
SOS, SOS, SOS
“RESCUE US!”
“It is urgent that you save us. Five minutes.”
“Most urgent, most urgent. SOS, SOS, SOS.”
“Send helicopters, only by helicopter.”
“Please, call helicopters.”
“It is no longer possible to stay on the ship.”
SOS, SOS, SOS
[Translation from the original Spanish — San Patrick transmissions relayed by TETSUKO MARU, USCG record]
Last signals
The TETSUKO MARU receives only Morse signals with no clear message.
Silence
From one o’clock in the afternoon, all communications go unanswered.
The San Patrick falls silent forever.
The days after — The search
Beginning of the search
The TETSUKO MARU reports the SOS to the authorities, but cannot give an exact position for the freighter.
US Navy aircraft and the tug USS KOKA (anchored west of Amchitka) are sent to the search area.
The wreck is located
The tug USCGC TAWAKONI (205 ft), while searching for survivors, sights oil slicks, floating debris, papers and what appears to be a ship.
A US Navy helicopter locates the hull of the San Patrick on Ulak Island. From 500 ft altitude it observes that the ocean is breaking right through the central section. The bow was bent over the upper part of the hull structure.
The vessel has broken in two.
Findings on the islet
- An emergency line-throwing gun (shotline missile) is recovered from the debris.
- A line stretching 200 yards inland, firmly secured, running over a 100-ft cliff — indicating that the crew tried to reach land using ropes.
- Three bodies are sighted. They were stripped of clothing and covered in grease.
- The body of Radio Officer Antonio Herrero Monsalve is recovered.
- The other two bodies are left behind, as their recovery is deemed too dangerous.
Official US Coast Guard report
“The U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Center, Juneau, reported all 32 members of the Spanish crew apparently perished.” — US Coast Guard, Public Information Division, Washington D.C.
The mysterious light
The tug MINARES reports a light shining on the horizon that disappears as soon as they head towards it.
An aircraft from Adak takes off in search of the light but finds nothing.
What was that light? Were there survivors?
December 23 — The news reaches Spain
The families learn from the press
The news reaches the families on December 23, 1964, through the front pages of the Bilbao newspapers El Correo and La Gaceta del Norte.
Very little information is available. Everything is speculation.
“La noche del 23 de diciembre de 1964 vino su novia con el periódico. Fue un dolor horrible. A mi padre le dio un amago de infarto, y después de eso, estuvo once meses en la cama, y se murió. De pena, del disgusto.”
— Esther Barturen, hermana de Jaime Barturen (23 años)
“On the night of December 23, 1964, his fiancée came with the newspaper. It was an unbearable pain. My father had a near heart attack, and after that he was bedridden for eleven months, and then he died. Of grief, of sorrow.” — Esther Barturen, sister of Jaime Barturen (23 years old)
[Translation from the original Spanish]
The shipowner disappears
The shipowner, who kept an office on Villarías Street in Bilbao, disappears four days after the news became public.
1965 — Approaches and refusals
The families plan a journey
The families set up a relief fund to travel to the wreck area. Local businesses, friends and relatives contribute up to 125,000 pesetas.
The United States denies access
The United States refuses to authorize the families’ visit to the wreck area, without further explanation.
Context: in May 1964 the first drilling rig had arrived at Amchitka to prepare the underground nuclear tests. The area was highly sensitive for military reasons.
Captain Morgan visits Bilbao
Captain Morgan, who flew over the islet and sighted the bodies, comes to Bilbao.
“Iban a por vivos, no a por muertos.”
— Capitán Morgan
“They were going for the living, not for the dead.” — Captain Morgan
[Reported in Spanish to the families; the original English wording is unconfirmed]
Strong distress among the families.
Compensation offer
The Spanish Consulate General in New York reports that lawyer Ignacio Artaza (Colón de Larreategui 13, Bilbao) represents the shipping company.
An amount of $13,000 is offered to settle ALL the families’ claims.
“Por supuesto esta cantidad no es suficiente.”
— Carta del Sr. Harry Wallach, Consulado de España en Nueva York, 2 de abril de 1965
“Of course this amount is not sufficient.” — Letter from Mr. Harry Wallach, Spanish Consulate in New York, April 2, 1965
[Translation from the original Spanish]
1970-1973 — Death declarations
Declaration of deaths
The Court of First Instance Nº 3 of Bilbao processes the declaration of death for the crew of the San Patrick (Order Nº 102).
The edict is published in the newspaper of Sunday, April 26, 1970.
The deaths are formally decreed
After the legal waiting period, the deaths of the 31 missing crew members are officially decreed.
Compensation is paid out.
“A relative calm returns, life goes on, the children grow up with the story of the tragedy.”
2014-2024 — 50 and 60+ years on
50th Anniversary — Mass at Begoña
A memorial mass is held at the Basílica de Begoña (Begoña Basilica, Bilbao). Regional Minister Amaia Barredo and Leandro Azkue remember the missing.
Many of the families meet for the first time.
60th Anniversary
It is now more than 60 years since the wreck. The investigation goes on.
The discovery of the SOS visible on Google Earth (1985 imagery) raises new questions about possible survivors.
Possible causes of the wreck
The exact causes of the disaster have never been officially determined. The various hypotheses include:
Loss of vessel control
Navigational error during the storm?
Cargo shift
Bulk grain can shift dangerously in heavy seas
Drift due to currents and winds
Aleutian williwaws can exceed 160 km/h
Poor condition of the vessel
The crew member who did not embark stated that “the ship was in very bad shape”
Structural overload
The conversion increased tonnage by 42.5% over the original 1944 design
Cold-temperature steel brittleness
T2 vessels were known for structural problems in cold waters