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USS Saginaw
Kure Atoll

The 133-year old wreck of the American warship USS Saginaw was located on a recently completed NOAA research mission at Kure Atoll. Kure Atoll waters are managed by the State of Hawai'i and are adjacent to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Reserve. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and manages the Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve.

The team that found the USS Saginaw, was led by Hans Van Tilburg, maritime heritage coordinator, for the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve. Joining Van Tilburg for the Reserve’s August 2003 fieldwork at Kure were colleagues Brad Rodgers and Kelly Gleason of East Carolina University’s Program in Maritime Studies, and Andrew Lydecker of Panamerican Maritime Inc. The work was conducted in coordination with the State of Hawai'i, the Naval Historical Center, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Model of USS Saginaw at Vallejo Naval and History Museum (van Tilburg 2000)

The USS Saginaw was a transitional vessel, a paddle wheel steam sailing sloop. Launched in 1859 for anti-piracy patrols in China, she was later deployed to the Pacific Squadron during the Civil War. The Saginaw’s last duty was to serve as the supply ship for a team of divers working to blast a channel through the reef at Midway Atoll. She wrecked at Kure on her return voyage, all of her crew and contractors making the transit to nearby Green Island the following day. A small boat was soon fitted out for the hazardous month-long voyage back to the main Hawaiian Islands. Tragically, four of its five volunteers died in the rough surf upon landing at Kauai. The remaining castaways were rescued following 67 days on the remote island.

Sketch of Saginaw on the reef, by the ship’s captain.

Among the most interesting discoveries in exploring the wreck was that the ship’s sounding lead rests in perfect condition. Such heavy lead sinkers would have been (should have been) swung over the side to mark the depth when approaching shallow waters. It appears as if there was little warning preceded the Saginaw’s impact. The artifacts’ debris trails graphically record the initial strike, the ship’s bow subsequently being swung to seaward by the breakers, and the eventual breakup of the entire vessel. The sunken artifacts of the Saginaw remain property of the U.S. Government, and are protected by federal and state preservation laws. Locations of historic shipwreck sites within Reserve boundaries are protected as sensitive data.

Anchors (Van Tilburg 2003)	Sounding lead (Van Tilburg 2003)