Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
Data Exercise Answers

Part 1

  1. Are there certain areas within your sanctuary that seem more prone to shipwrecks than others? Can you think of any reasons why this may be the case?

    Answer: San Miguel Island and the south side of Santa Rosa Island. Reasons - prevailing currents, weather conditions, and natural hazards.

  2. Are there certain times of year when there seemed to be more shipwrecks reported? Can you think of any reasons why this might be the case?

    Answer: There are no particular times of year when there were more shipwrecks reported. Ships could encounter bad weather and fog in any season on the West Coast, and this factor, combined with navigational hazards, led many ships to their graveyards.

  3. How many shipwrecks were reported in your sanctuary before 1942? How many were reported after 1942? Can you think of any reason for this difference?

    Answer: Number of shipwrecks before 1942: 22; number of shipwrecks after 1942: 8. This difference can be attributed to the refinement of radar technology needed for use in World War II.


Part 2

  1. Name two vessels lost in this sanctuary seventy years apart. They were owned by the same company and on the same coastal route at the time of their loss, and each one carried a precious metal as part of its cargo.

    Answer: Winfield Scott (1853) and Cuba (1923), Pacific Mail Steamship Co.

  2. Name the vessel that was being used in a famous feature movie when it sank.

    Answer: W T Co. No. 3, Mutiny On The Bounty

  3. Name three vessels built within five years of each other at the same shipyard and lost in this sanctuary within a six-year period.

    Answer: J. M. Colman, Dora Bluhm, Comet

  4. Name the shipwreck that was engaged in transporting illegal contraband.

    Answer: Wampas (a.k.a. Grey Ghost)

  5. The founder of a prominent university in California named this ship in honor of his wife.

    Answer: Jane L. Stanford

  6. What shipwreck caused over 300 passengers to be stranded on an island for eight days; the desolate island was not much more than a rock.

    Answer: Winfield Scott


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