Seattle's Revenue Cutter Heads to Bering Sea to Crack Down on Seal Poachers
The U.S. revenue cutter Grant sails from Seattle for Sitka and the Bering Sea, carrying orders to seize illegal sealers; two fast new launches are being built at Port Townsend.
Unless unexpected developments occur, the United States revenue cutter Grant will sail from this port today for Sitka and from there direct to Bering Sea to join the government fleet. Either at Sitka or in that vicinity the Grant expects to meet Capt. Hooper, the fleet commander, who is aboard the Rush.
Within the past few days there has been a general hustling aboard the Grant to get her on the way to Alaska as soon as possible. This probably means, in view of the present condition of affairs respecting the sealing fleet, that the commander of the Grant bears important state documents to Commander Hooper.
It is understood that the British men-of-war Wild Swan and Nymph will leave Esquimault for Bering Sea in a few days to join the British fleet, and this may have something to do with the movements of the United States government. Under the present instructions from Washington the United States fleet will seize every vessel sealing in the prohibited zone and also every vessel found with seal skins aboard that appear to have been shot.
The cutter Grant has fifty men aboard, including the officers, and is armed with two twenty-pound guns and two rapid-firing guns, together with the usual arsenal of small arms. There is not a foreigner aboard the Grant. Her officers are as follows: Capt. P. T. Toiler, commander; W. Perry, executive officer; Lieut. F. H. [???], navigating officer; Lieut. J. O. Berry, chief engineer; E. A. Jack, assistants L. T. Jones and W. E. McCoun; pilot J. W. [???]; surgeon R. Lyall.
Lieut. F. Tattle, now passed for captain, has been ordered to superintend the construction of the two new government steam launches now building at Port Townsend. These launches are to be each 50 feet long, with 9-foot beam and 3-foot draft. The diameter of the screw will be 4? inches. According to the contract the shaft must make 80 revolutions a minute for twelve hours before being placed in the hull, and after being in must repeat the operation. These smuggler-chasers will be armed with rapid-firing guns and carry a crew of five men. According to general calculations the speed will be fourteen and fifteen knots an hour, but some think as high as sixteen.
“Under the present instructions from Washington the United States fleet will seize every vessel sealing in the prohibited zone.”
The Bering Sea sealing dispute was an early example of international resource management, with the U.S. and Britain nearly going to war over fur seals. Today, the same waters face new challenges like climate change and fisheries management, and Seattle remains a hub for maritime enforcement.
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