Great Sitkin Island

Great Sitkin Island (Aleut: Sitх̑naх̑;[1] Russian: Большой Ситкин) is a volcanic island in the Andreanof Islands of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The island covers a total area of 60 square miles (160 km2) and lies slightly north of a group of islands which are located between Adak Island and Atka Island.

Location in Alaska
View of Great Sitkin Volcano from the shore of Adak Island (1990).

The northern portion of the island is dominated by the complex Great Sitkin Volcano which rises to a height of 5,710 feet (1,740 m). The island is 18 kilometres (11 mi) long and 16.94 kilometres (10.53 mi) wide.

History

Great Sitkin was the site of a fuel depot during World War II, and the remains of the oil tanks are still on the island. On September 24, 1959, a Douglas DC-4 carrying 5 crew and 11 passengers crashed due to pilot error with no survivors.[2] On October 26, 1965, Liberty Ship Ekaterini G.(formerly Josiah G. Holland) ran aground after losing her propeller in heavy seas.[3] All crewmen were rescued. The ship was declared a constructive total loss and remains aground on the western side of the island. On December 11, 1973, a Douglas DC-6 crashed on the island, with all 10 crew and passengers as fatalities.[4]

See also

References
  1. Bergsland, K. (1994). Aleut Dictionary. Fairbanks: Alaska Native Language Center.
  2. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-54B-1-DC (DC-4) N63396 Great Sitkin Island, AK". Aviation-safety.net. 1959-09-24. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  3. Shortridge, Clayton (2011-08-21). "Naval & Merchant Ship Articles Of Interest: The Ss Josiah G. Holland". Navalmerchantshiparticles.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2017-12-16.
  4. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas R6D-1 (DC-6) 131615 Great Sitkin Island, AK". Aviation-safety.net. 1973-12-11. Retrieved 2017-12-16.


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