March 28, 1964 Gulf of Alaska Tsunami - Valdez Narrative

Passage from Lander (1996):

"The 400-foot freighter Chena arrived in port at 4:12 P.M. from Seward, and nine local longshoremen were taken on board to transfer the cargo. By the time of the earthquake there were 28 adults and children on the dock watching the operation. The crew occasionally would throw candy down to the children.

The earthquake hit with great force. The people on the dock had little chance to escape as 500 feet of the dock and 98-million cubic yards of the supporting delta slid into the bay. The breakup began within 20 seconds of the onset of the earthquake (Chance, 1973). The Chena rolled alarmingly and was pitched 53 degrees to port, endangering the vessel. The incoming wave (about 45 seconds after the onset of the earthquake) raised the ship 30 feet and above the warehouse. Its propeller was visible to people on shore. None of the people on the dock survived.

Shifting cargo in the hold killed longshoremen Howard Krieger and Phil Gregordoff, and seriously-injured Jack King in hold #3. King was taken to the hospital in Cordova where both of his feet were amputated. Ralph Thompson, 3rd Officer of the Chena, suffered a massive heart attack and died at 7:45 A.M. having been evacuated to shore earlier. His death is not counted in the official list of fatalities, but is counted here as the ship's extreme motions, the crashing of the dock and cargo, and the attack by huge waves, no doubt caused the heart attack. Bosun Christ Hurst suffered a broken elbow and fingers.

The return of the wave turned the Chena's bow out to the open bay and it was able to gain the safety of open water. The wave reached beyond McKinley Street two blocks inland. Berg et al. (1970) put the maximum wave at about 20 feet above tide level at the time."

---

Return To:
March 28, 1964 Damage Summary
March 28, 1964 Main Page
Past Tsunamis Page
WC/ATWC Home Page