Discussion frequently turns in the direction of the Karluk. It is the belief of most of the men here who have had some experience along this coast, that if she is not wintering somewhere south of the Sea Horse Islands, that she will not be seen again. I hope she is wintering in a safe place somewhere, but I feel more thankful every day that I am not on board, for now I may be able to do something for my film, while otherwise I could not.
George H. Wilkins
Photographer and cinematographer
Rauner Special Collections Library, Dartmouth College
The Seahorse Islands, just southwest of Point Barrow, represent the last safe harbor on the west coast of Alaska before a ship is exposed to the relentless pressure of the north coast’s moving ice pack.
The prediction of the local men was accurate. As Wilkins was writing this diary entry, the Karluk was indeed well north of the Seahorse Islands. After being trapped in the ice, swept towards Russia, and crushed by the ice, Karluk had sunk to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean some two weeks earlier.
It was a good thing for the Expedition, for Wilkins himself, and for the world in general that he had escaped from the Karluk. His achievements in photography, his leadership in the Northern Party, his efforts at collecting specimens and artifacts, were all of great importance to the CAE. His later role as WW1 photographer, expedition leader, and polar explorer, resulted in him being knighted by King George V.
David
