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- Lituya Bay
- Episode 2
Lituya Bay: One Wave. 1,720 Feet. Survivors.Episode 22:04
The Bay That Swallowed Two Fishing Boats
The wave turns from a vertical splash into a high-speed attack on three boats trapped inside the bay.
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Transcript
In Lituya Bay, water surged over the opposite wall to 1,740 feet.
A federal ocean agency lecture gives 1,722 feet, or 525 meters.
Lituya Bay, an ice-scoured tidal inlet on Alaska’s Gulf coast.
Inner walls rise from steep shores over 6,000 feet.
The bay reaches 720 feet, entrance sill 33 feet. Ahead, the dark water seemed to hold its breath.
At 10:16 p.m., a 7.8-magnitude quake ruptured 125 miles of fault.
The quake ruptured 125 miles of Fairweather Fault.
Howard Ulrich was aboard the Edrie with his seven-year-old son. Aboard the Edrie, his anchor became hopelessly stuck.
After about a minute of shaking, Ulrich heard a roar.
40 million cubic yards of rock fell into Gilbert Inlet.
Gravity wave moved toward the mouth at 97 to 130 miles per hour.
The advancing crest bore down on three fishing boats in the outer bay.
Two of the three fishing boats in the outer part of Lituya Bay were sunk.
The wave threw Badger over a spit as Edrie rode its crest. The Edrie stayed afloat, with its motor still running.
Bill and Vivian Swanson escaped the wreck in a skiff. The Sunmore disappeared, and the Wagners were never found.
2 people were killed, 4 square miles of forest destroyed.
Along the shore, silence seemed to settle into the air.
Aboard Stephen R. Capps, quake felt 60 miles east. The 1958 event did not penetrate into the ocean.
He gave his son a life preserver and told him to pray.
Lab modeling reproduced Lituya Bay's exceptional run-up.
It showed a giant air cavity could move more water than rock alone.
Where it leaves off
The boats revealed what the wave could do at water level—but the forest destruction climbed an almost unbelievable 1,720 feet above the bay…
Sources
- ALASKA STATE LIBRARYdggs.alaska.govprimary
- LANDSLIDE TSUNAMISnctr.pmel.noaa.govsecondary
- 60 years ago: The 1958 earthquake and Lituya Bay megatsunami | Alaska Earthquake Centerearthquake.alaska.edusecondary
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