Here is a list of boats built in Sitka.
These come from several sources: the main one is the annual Merchant Vessels list, published by the government of every registered vessel in the United States. Vessels over 5 net tons (capacity) have to be registered, that’s something like 30 feet for a motorized vessel. That list has the use, the size, the material, the power, the owner, how many crew, and the place and year it was built.
Individual records, which used to be in Juneau, have more information like the name of the builder. I found cards for many boats there.
Other boats that were too small to require documentation were called Number Boats, because they had their commercial fishing number on them instead of a name. That would be the original old time trollers. A lot of the old wooden trollers now were built as seiners or long liners.
Another source was newspapers, but Sitka didn’t have a newspaper for all the years when boat building was happening, especially the late teens.
A main source was interviews I did with fishermen and boatbuilders and their relatives, in 1988 and the early 1990s. Herman Kitka had an incredible memory. Of everyone I talked to, his information was corroborated completely by other sources.
I would love more information, more boats, details and corrections. More information about the builders are in Boatbuilding Part 2 and Boatbuilding in Sitka Part 3 on this blog.
Boat name year register builder
doc. length
Lulu 1916? John Bahrt for John Sarvela?
St Louis Hope, Scotty Jennings?
Storm King Simpson and Willard for Willard
Kingfisher Hope
Bumble Bee 1922 Bob and Percy Hirst
Bubbles 1920s? John Bahrt
Anita 1928 T. F. Demidoff for self and son-in-law
William 1909 34 Peter Simpson for Rudolph Walton
Dreadnaught 1915 34.5 Simpson for Geo. T. Myers Co., for James Kuenz
Necker Bay 1915 35.5 John Young Sr. and Frank Kitka sank 1964
Nicholai 1915 32
Active 1917 44 Andrew Hope, George Howard for themselves and sons
Albatross 1917 39 Simpson for John Cameron sank Necker Bay 1930 or 31
Alms 1917 36.2
Billy G. 1917 36.2 owned Bill Grant
Baranoff 1918 37.5 Simpson for Ralph Young, Sr.
Dora B.H. 1918 33.8
Elsie 1918 34.4
Esther 1918 38
John D. 1918 35
Moonlight 1918 41 Simpson for Deep Sea, Edward Grant bought boat still fishing
Olympic 1918 37.6 Frank Kitka for self
Zingo 1918 35.1 Frank Kitka for John Joseph, Deep Sea Salmon Co. burned 1954
Busy Bee 1919 35.5 Frank Kitka for George T. Myers (cannery)
Dermott I 1919 29.6 William Grossman for self
Eagle 1919 34 Simpson for Frank Joseph, Pyramid Packing abandoned 1965
Katharine 1919 39.6 Simpson for Deep Sea Salmon Co., Dick Harris
Louise 1919 37
Mary Ward 1919 37 Simpson for Deep Sea Salmon Co, George Ward
U and I 1919 36.2 George Howard for George Davis rebuilt 1947 still fishing?
Margaret P. 1919 36.2
Hudson 1929 40
Smiles 1929 32 Simpson for Ralph Young, Sr.
Atlas 1922 39.7 Frank Kitka for self, only big boat
Carrie 1922 31.9 Kris Norholm for George Rice (plumber)
Mary J 1922 36
Lituya 1922 30
Lornty 1923 33.3
Progress 1923 43.2 Hope, Howards for themselves still around?
Janice 1924 32.3
Laeso 1924 30 owned George Banvard (store owner)
Comet 1926 37 Peter Kitka rebuilt (original from Puget Sound) abandoned 1957
Optimist 1926 37.1
Biorka 1927 42 Hope built for Rudolph Walton, Pyramid Packing
Persevearance 1927 39 Johnnie? Lawson, owned Thomas Sanders, burned 1944
Valo 1927 33.9 burned 1949
Starlight 1927 39.2 Hope for Peter John, Pyramid Packing wrecked 1955
OK 1929 40 Johnnie Lawson for David Davis sank 1966
Pyramid 1929 38 Hope for Pyramid Packing
Trosky 1929 34 Hope
Chatham 1929 38 Hope?
Neptune 1930 36 Hope and William Pavloff
Buddy 1931 28 Hope – his troller
Two Brothers 1934 35 Simpson for grandsons
New England 1935 38.3 George Howard Jr. for George Ward burned 1963
Sophia 1936 36 Adolph Thomsen for self
SJS 1937 42.8 Peter Simpson and Rudy James later called Miss Linda
Admiralty 1938 44.1 Hope for George James
Eros 1938 38.6 Adolph Thomsen for self
Fin Fin 1938 30.8
Betty K. 1940 34.2 George Howard started
Roamer 1940 33.9 Louis Johanson at Goddard
GGK 1941 33.
Sisu 1941 32.4
Laverne 1942 31.4 Hope?
Neva 1942 40.6 Hope with Herman Kitka, for Todd, later his boat
Princeton-Hall 1942 61.7 Hope, Kitka, Howards, SJ students
Tamara San 1942 49.8 Hope for Hans Peterson
Hope 1944 41.5 Hope for Henry Yrjana
Martha K
(North Cape) 1944 43.3 Kitka
Sally 1944 38
SJS II 1944 49.4 Hope for Presbyterian Board of Home Missions
Allanah 1945 51.1 Hope, Richard Peters, Al Rotluff for Fred Brandes
Denny Jo 1945 50 George Howard started, finished Stanley Sutton for John Townsend
June K 1945 43.4 George Howard for Charles Bennett, Hood Bay
Minnie R 1945 34 A.F.Rowley and sons
Polaris 1945 37
Her-Highnes 1946 32 Earl MacDonald, at his home
Junior 1946 38.1 Sitka Marine Railway for Emil Taug
Laverne II 1946 39 Richard Peters
Martha K
(Empress) 1946 45.7 Hope for New England Fish Co.
Mom 1946 37
Myrth 1946 37 Sitka Marine Railway for Rudy and Myrth Sarvela
Pop Rowe 1946 31.1 (Pop Rowe sold salvaged sawmill to SJ and ran it a year)
Shirley M 1946 37 Sitka Marine Railway
Skeeter 1946 37 Dave Hallock on Baranof Street
WRJ 1946 37 Sitka Marine Railway for Wally and Earl Johnson
Alrita 1947 38.7 Sitka Marine Railway for Albert Wallace
Jenny 1947 33.4 George Howard and Andrew Hope
Patricia Mae 1947 45.1 Hope for John Young
Pt. Cravens 1947 38.1 Sitka Marine Railway for Jimmy Walton
Sharon-Ann 1947 35.9 Rowley?
Sonja 1947 45.1
Gota 1950 36.6 Hope, George Howard, Richard Peters for Pete Anselm, then Oscar Isaacson
Satchem 1952 30.9 Hope, Herman Kitka for Cap Anderson
Chuck A Nan 1955 35.8 Sitka Marine Railway (Al Rottleff and Herman Kitka) for Earl MacDonald (originally the Stephanie)
Vali 1961 31.2 Hope, Herb Hope, David Howard for Roger Lang (Hope=s son-in-law)
C-Rae 1962 45? Paul Morgan
Wendy 1965 33.9 Howard Brothers
Peril Strait 1967 32 Harry Jimmy for self
Chancy 197? 45 Gary Erb
Annette Harry Jimmy
Amanda Rose Gary Erb and Jack Rheinwaller
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