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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

NH 68437 S.S. Manhattan's Northwest Passage Voyage, 1969

Photo #: NH 68437  S.S. Manhattan's Northwest Passage Voyage, 1969
Title: S.S. Manhattan's Northwest Passage Voyage, 1969
Description: The 150,000 ton icebreaking tanker, SS Manhattan, plowing its way through ice on its way to Point Barrow, Alaska, nearing completion of its voyage from the U.S. East Coast to the Alaska North Slope. Earlier, the 1005-foot vessel reached Sachs Harbor on Canada's Banks Island and became the first commercial ship ever to conquer the ice-covered waters of the Northwest Passage. Humble Oil & Refining Company is conducting the Northwest Passage project to determine the feasibility of transporting crude oil from the North Slope of Alaska to refineries on the U.S. East Coast. The giant ship broke through ice floes up to 15-feet thick as well as occasional ice ridges of up to 40 feet. (quoted from the original caption, released with this photograph on 17 September 1969) Courtesy of the Humble Oil & Refining Company, New York, NY, 1969. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.
Catalog #: NH 68437
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