During the past nine years, while | regularly engaged in the transpacific passenger trade, in command of the steamers President McKinley and President Jefferson, it has come to my attention that the Japanese freight steamers bound from Columbia River, Grays Harbor, and Puget Sound ports, to ports in Japan and North China, have been making a practice of taking a more northerly route across the Pacific than is ordinarily taken by westbound vessels between the ports above mentioned.
This track, frequently used by many Japanese and occasionally by American freight steamers, takes them on a great circle track to Unimak Pass, in the Aleutian Islands, thence through the pass and on a new great-circle course north of the Aleutian Islands, through the Bering Sea, to a point about fifteen miles north of Attu Island, the westernmost of the Aleutians, and thence on a final great-circle course to whatever landfall it is proposed to make on the Japanese coast.
A careful study of the more northerly track discloses several very interesting facts.
The track, it is true, is shorter by a matter of only a few miles than the regular pilot chart track laid down by the Hydro- graphic Office, so that the matter of the saving of only those few miles is of no consequence whatever on a long passage of over 4,000 miles. However, a study of the North Pacific weather conditions, and the average prevailing set and strength of the currents in the North Pacific, quickly, bring to light its advantages.
A study of the pilot charts of the North Pacific for all the months of the year indicates that gales sweeping across the North Pacific generally pass over the Aleutian Islands or close to the southward of them. Hence a vessel westbound across the North Pacific, on the regular Hydro- graphic Office track to the southward of the Aleutian Islands, meeting the average North Pacific gale, usually finds herself close to the center of the storm area or in the right-hand or dangerous semicircle, either of which situations makes for very heavy going. She may not stand off to the northward, in an effort to avoid the storm center and to get into the left-hand or safe semicircle, because the Aleutian Islands are in her way. Standing off to the southward will only involve her more directly in the right-hand, or dangerous semicircle, and as a consequence she usually has no choice but to take the brunt of the gale as best she can, and wait for it to pass over. North of the islands, however, the westbound vessel will usually find herself in the left-hand, or safe semicircle, with a fair wind and a following sea, and could, if the storm center were north of the islands, stand off to the northward and enter the left-hand, or safe semicircle.
A consideration of the current conditions in the North Pacific discloses also that westbound vessels on the regular Hydrographic Office track meet the full strength of the Japanese current south of the Aleutian Islands, except only when weather conditions are such as to make it possible to pass reasonably close along the south side of the islands, but because of frequent poor -visibility, lack of surveys, and a total lack of aids to navigation, this is not practicable or safe. On the other hand, a westbound vessel passing through Unimak Pass, and to the north of the islands, escapes the Japanese current entirely, and avoids the heavy southwest swell, which usually prevails, and on arrival off the north side of Attu Island is in a very favorable position with reference to the average prevailing currents in the North Pacific. A westbound vessel on the great circle track from north of Attu Island to a landfall on the east coast of Japan may ordinarily not only entirely escape the east-going Japanese current, but will probably have a favorable current from Attu Island right to the Japanese coast.
An additional advantage to a vessel on a track from north of Attu Island to the Japanese coast is that she will meet the prevailing northwest to north-northwest winds at a better angle, and as before noted will be much more apt to find herself in the left-hand, or safe semicircle of any gale she may encounter and will in any event be in much better position to avoid a storm center by standing off to the right of her track.
Another advantage to a westbound vessel crossing the North Pacific on the track above described is that she will be on a track rarely used by eastbound vessels, for the obvious reason that this track would be very unfavorable for vessels bound east, and as a consequence, danger of collision in fog will be greatly minimized.
To make the passage across the North Pacific by this route safe and practicable for passenger steamers on regular schedule will require:
(1) The installation of additional aids to navigation in Unimak Pass, and the construction of at least one lighthouse, and a radio beacon on the north side of Attu Island.
(2) The northeast, north, and northwest sides of Attu Island should be surveyed and hydrography carried out to the one-thousand fathom curve.
(3) It is desirable, but not entirely necessary, that a band of soundings, about 50 miles wide, be run from the north side of Attu Island along the great-circle tracks between those two points. The deep sea hydrography from the north side of Unimak Pass to Attu Island could be economically and quickly executed by one or more vessels, say three or four destroyers operating in formation, equipped with modem electric echo sounding apparatus, such as the sonic depth finder, or the fathometer.
Additional aids to navigation in Unimak Pass should comprise the following:
(1) A new lighthouse and fog signal on the northeast end of Ugamak Island.
(2) A radio beacon at Scotch Cap Lighthouse.
(3) A second radio beacon at the Cape Pankhof Lighthouse.
Radio beacons at Scotch Cap and Cape Pankhof should be equipped with sufficient power to permit of ships getting reasonably good bearings when 100 miles distant from those stations.
Two great objects are, therefore, to be regarded in the establishment of an adequate naval force: The first to prevent war so far as it may be practicable; the second to diminish its calamities when it may be inevitable. No government will be disposed to violate our rights if it knows we have the means and are prepared and resolved to defend them.—James Monroe, January 30, 1824.