Uliaga Island is the northernmost member of the Islands of the Four Mountains group in the Aleutian Islands of southwestern Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

. The island's name is probably derived from the Aleut

Aleut language

Aleut is a language of the Eskimo–Aleut language family. It is the heritage language of the Aleut people living in the Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands, and Commander Islands. As of 2007 there were about 150 speakers of Aleut .- Dialects :Aleut is alone with the Eskimo languages in the...

 place name ulaĝa, which is itself derived from ulaẍ - "bearberry

Bearberry

Bearberries are three species of dwarf shrubs in the genus Arctostaphylos. Unlike the other species of Arctostaphylos , they are adapted to Arctic and sub-Arctic climates, and have a circumpolar distribution in northern North America, Asia and Europe, one with a small highly disjunctive population...

." The triangular shaped island measures about 2.4 miles (3.9 km) across and consists of a single stratovolcano

Stratovolcano

A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...

 cone that reaches a height of 2913 feet (887.9 m). No eruptions have been recorded in historical times, though it is thought to have been active at some time during the Holocene Epoch.

History

According to writings by Ivan Popov

Innocent of Alaska

Saint Innocent of Alaska , also known as Saint Innocent of Moscow was a Russian Orthodox priest, bishop, archbishop and Metropolitan of Moscow and all Russia. He is known for his missionary work, scholarship and leadership in Alaska and the Russian Far East during the 19th century...

 in the 19th century, the southeastern part of Uliaga was home to a small settlement of "thieving, quarrelsome people" in 1764. This settlement was destroyed by Stephen Golottof, a Russian

Russians

The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....

 settler who had made his home on Umnak Island, at the request of the natives of the latter island. Today, the island is uninhabited, though tourists to the Islands of Four Mountains group occasionally visit it by boat.

F/V Tae Woong shipwreck

On May 6, 1987, the Tae Woong #603, a 210 feet (64 m), 1,500-ton

Short ton

The short ton is a unit of mass equal to . In the United States it is often called simply ton without distinguishing it from the metric ton or the long ton ; rather, the other two are specifically noted. There are, however, some U.S...

 South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

n fishing boat, ran aground on the east side of the island. Although the crew of 49 was quickly rescued by the United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

, the ship was too far grounded to be salvageable. Officials worried about the effect the 120000 gallons (454,249.4 l) of diesel fuel on the ship, which was leaking from a ruptured fuel tank at a rate of more than 1300 gallons (4,921 l) per hour, could have on the wildlife in the area (Uliaga and the entire Islands of Four Mountains

Islands of Four Mountains

Islands of Four Mountains is an island grouping of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, United States. The chain includes, from west to east, Amukta, Chagulak, Yunaska, Herbert, Carlisle, Chuginadak, Uliaga, and Kagamil Islands. This island chain is located between Amukta Pass and the Andreanof Islands...

 group are protected as part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge

Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge comprising 2,400 islands, headlands, rocks, islets, spires and reefs in Alaska, with a total area of , of which is wilderness)...

). By the morning of May 8, the ship had leaked well over 16000 gallons (60,566.6 l) of oil and a slick spread more than 1.9 miles (3.1 km) around the vessel, which had acquired a 15-degree list to starboard. Fortunately, the shipwreck had occurred a few weeks before the horned puffin

Horned Puffin

The Horned Puffin is an auk, similar in appearance to the Atlantic Puffin; this bird's bill is yellow at the base and red at the tip. It is a pelagic seabird that feeds primarily by diving for fish. It nests in colonies, often with other auks.The yellow bill plate grows before the breeding...

 population had returned to the island for the summer, though the leaking fuel could potentially have an impact on the 500,000 to 1 million migratory birds that resided on Chagulak Island

Chagulak Island

Chagulak Island is a small, uninhabited volcanic island in the Islands of Four Mountains group in the Aleutian Islands of southwestern Alaska, United States. The -wide island consists of a single cone that reaches an elevation of 3,747 ft...

, 40 mi (64.4 km) to the west, if not cleaned up quickly. On May 11, the US Office of Response and Restoration and the ship's South Korean owners declared the vessel a total loss and decided to eliminate the oil slick and the remaining fuel on board by blowing it up with high explosives. They concluded that the other option of transferring the remaining fuel on the ship to another vessel would be impossible due to the hazardous navigational conditions around the island and the time that would be required to implement the plan. The ship was detonated on May 13 and the slick and remaining fuel were successfully eliminated. The wreck was determined to be the result of navigational error.