SEATTLE — For decades, questions have remained about the location of the SS Dix. The vessel was a member of the historic "Mosquito Fleet," a group of passenger transport companies that provided a main means of travel across Puget Sound.
In 1906, the SS Dix collided with the SS Jeanie near Alki Point- sinking quickly and killing at least 39 passengers.
Jeff Hummel, CEO of Rockfish, Inc., says he believes his crew has confirmed the location of the wreck. He's hoping to connect with lawmakers and government agencies to find a way to protect the site. Previously, the team was credited with locating and earning the salvage rights to the SS Pacific near Neah Bay.
"Announcing we've discovered it is part of the process of getting the right people to say, 'Alright, let's figure out how to protect this thing permanently'," Hummel said. "I think our responsibility is to protect the past for future generations."
Hummel says in 2011, another company identified the wreckage site but assessed that the sonar image's features did not line up with those on a photo of the SS Dix. Hummel's team visited later hoping to test their equipment and took new sonar images. He says when looking at the image differently, the sonar lines up with the original Dix image.
"What they thought was the stern was actually the bow, so the bow actually has some damage to it. That made it kind of look like the blunt end of the vessel, not the pointy end, but the Dix has a canoe stern so it was pointed at both ends," Hummel said. "When you take the image and flip it around, and then you do the comparison of the features from a photograph to what we see on the sonar, we get this perfect alignment of all the different features on the wreck."
Hummel says they do not want to disturb the site, and they have not retrieved anything that could be tested for further verification. That would be up to governmental or historical agencies.
"Our goal is to protect vessels like this. From a legal standpoint we're working with the state to figure out the best legal protection," Hummel said. "Most of the protections offered to us today, the Abandoned Shipwreck Act, or arresting it in federal court, have a limited time period. We want something that will change the legal status."
Washington State Parks says managing agencies for Washington waters depend on location. If a crash is in deeper waters, a spokesperson says, it could be the jurisdiction of the waters of the United States, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or US Coast Guard.
According to the department, "documenting or protecting historic sites falls under the purview of the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation."