SS Northwestern, Shipwreck in Captains Bay, Unalaska, Alaska, US

The SS Northwestern is a steel passenger and freight steamship launched in 1889 at Chester, Pennsylvania, measuring 336 feet (102 m) and capable of 14 knots. Its wreck lies at the head of Captains Bay on Unalaska, where about 50 feet (15 m) of hull is normally visible above water.

The ship was built in Chester, Pennsylvania in 1889 and began service as a passenger and cargo vessel on the Alaskan coast. After being bombed by Japanese forces in 1942 while serving as worker housing, it eventually sank in 1946.

The ship's name changed with its owners: launched as Oriziba in 1889, it was bought by the Northwestern Steamship Company in 1906, sailed around Cape Horn and renamed Northwestern. In April 1911 it carried the first ore shipment from the Kennicott Mine to Tacoma during Cordova's "Copper Day" celebration.

The best time to visit is at low tide when the remains are most visible above water. Access is from the shoreline of Captains Bay in Dutch Harbor, so visitors should check tide times and wear appropriate footwear for uneven terrain.

After the June 1942 bombing, the damaged hulk was loaded with scrap and towed to Captains Bay, expecting a later tow to Seattle. U.S. Navy records say she reached Seattle, but she never left Captains Bay and sank there around 1946, with differing accounts of how.