by Dan Milton
Just before arriving at the first dive site, Pam and Ernie got their dive equipment ready. Diving at a depth of 50 feet would provide about 30 minutes on a tank of air. They figured they would need about an hour and a half of searching time at each site to determine if what they had seen from the air had any significance. The result was that each pair diving would have two dives per day. Ernie and Pam would be the first pair to hit the water with Jeff left in charge of the boat. Jeff and Pam would go for the second dive followed by Ernie and Jeff for the third dive. The person left on the vessel would recharge the air tanks. In the water, one of the divers would be in charge of photographing the site. The other diver would, if necessary, attach, inflate and send a buoy to the surface to mark a particular spot at the site.
After anchoring at the first site, Ernie and Pam got suited up for the dive while Jeff lowered the Zodiac inflatable into the water. It had a 7.5 horsepower Evinrude outboard motor on its stern. Pam was to handle the camera on the first dive, and Ernie would carry the inflatable buoy. After Jeff had run the dive flag up the pole, Ernie and Pam stepped off the dive platform at the aft end of the boat.
Pam and Ernie followed the boat anchor down to the bottom. They checked their underwater compass and headed out. Ernie, who was breathing slightly harder than Pam, went to reserve first, gave the surface signal to Pam and then they both headed up. When they were back on the surface, they signaled Jeff to pick them up. Jeff had been following their bubbles, so he knew where they were.
Jeff hopped into the Zodiac and headed it toward them. He anchored a buoy where they had come up to mark the end of the first dive. Jeff helped Pam and Ernie climb into the Zodiac. On their way back to the boat, Jeff asked if they had seen anything promising. The answer from Ernie was, “Not anything of significance to the search, but a good dive for our first attempt. We ran into a log on the bottom that probably got water logged and sank when someone was towing a log boom across the lake. That may have been what we saw from the air. Pam took pictures of it.”
Ernie said, “Pam, as soon as I get my gear off, I’ll help you change out your tank. Jeff, go ahead and suit up. You and Pam take the second dive. I’ll drop you off in the Zodiac where we left the buoy. While you’re down, I’ll recharge the tanks. Jeff, did anything happen while we were down?”
Jeff said, “No. It was quiet up here. Shall we just continue in the same direction as you and Pam?”
“Yes. By the third dive, we should have covered the leeward and the windward sides of the island.”
The second and then the third dive, with Jeff and Ernie, were completed, and everyone made it safely back on board. They found nothing significant on the last two dives that would help in the search. After stowing the gear, hoisting the Zodiac back on board, and hooking the empty air tanks to the compressor, Jeff headed them back to Kokhanok.
That evening, over dinner, they discussed how the day went and what should be changed to be more productive. The consensus was that the day’s efforts had logistically gone well, and they should use the same procedure for the rest of the dive sites. Everyone agreed.
Pam commented, “I nearly came out of my skin on my first dive. All of a sudden it appeared that an enormous object was passing just above me. I immediately thought of the ‘large creature in the lake’ Indian legend. I grabbed Ernie’s arm and shook it furiously. He saw the fear in my eyes. He pointed upward and mouthed the word ‘cloud’. I suddenly realized what had happened. The sun had gone behind a cloud changing the light and causing me to feel like something had passed overhead. After a few more times, I got used to it. You young guys have a lot more energy than I do. I’m going to hit the sack early. Good night all.”
With that, Pam headed for her cabin. Ernie and Jeff walked down to the boat. Ernie said, “I just want to take one more look at the map of the potential dive sites before I turn in.”
Over the next week, the search continued with no success. Everyone was getting a little anxious. After the eighth day of diving, there was still nothing to show in their quest. They headed back to Kokhanok. In order to lift everyone’s spirits, including his own, Ernie said, “Including today’s dives we’ve covered over half of the sites we identified from the aerial survey. We still have seven to go. Owen is flying in later this afternoon. We’ll get together for dinner and determine where we are. Maybe Owen will have some new insights.”
That night at dinner Owen said, “One thing, we did not factor in, was exactly where they found Captain Boyd’s body in relation to the Kokhanok islands. It might not mean anything, but we know the direction of the storm winds during that time of year. The body would have bloated and risen to the surface within 2-3 weeks. The wind and waves would have then carried the body in a somewhat straight direction. Maybe we could backtrack following the most probable path to determine which islands might be the likely ones.”
Ernie said, “I’ll get the map from the boat. Let’s meet back in the work cabin.”
A line was drawn based on the wind direction during the storm starting backward from where they found the body. The line crossed between two islands that were only a few hundred yards apart. Owen said, “I suggest we try those two islands the next two days and see if our luck changes. If it is alright with you, I would like to go on the boat with you tomorrow. I don’t have any commitments for the next few days.”
Ernie, answering for the rest of the group said, “Great. We would love to have you.”
During the next few days, the search of the two islands in the projected path the body of Captain Boyd had taken proved fruitless. There was nothing but some logs and piles of rocks. The areas were photographed to make sure they did not miss anything. They did recognize that the pile of stones appeared to have stacked up on the bottom of a shallow canyon.
That night it was back to the drawing board. They had only five more sites to search and then what? Their hopes were not high. The questions on everyone’s mind were—what else could we do? What have we missed?
Owen had a charter and took off early the next morning. Pam, Jeff, and Ernie headed out to the last five islands they had not yet searched. Hope was not high, but they knew they could not give up. If something were going to happen, it would happen this week.
And something did happen. Their last hopes vanished as they came up with nothing following the last dive on the last dive site. As they made their way back to Kokhanok, it was silent on the boat. They had come up short, and they all felt the disappointment.
They had been invited by the General Store owner and his wife for dinner. Owen had flown in and would join them. They were looking forward to an excellent meal but were in a depressed mood at not being able to locate any sign of the wreck.
At dinner, they let the store owner know of their defeat. They talked about the various islands they had dived on with no success. The store owner said, “There is another island that used to be there. Have you checked it out?”
Ernie said, “I’m, not sure!”
The store owner continued, “Come out on the front porch, and I can point out where it used to be.”
As they stood there looking toward where the store owner was pointing, the two islands, that they had most recently searched, came into view. The store owner said, “There used to be an island about a mile this side of those two islands. During the Alaskan Earthquake, this past March, the island slide back into the lake. Maybe you should give it a look.”
With a little of the disappointment gone, and with renewed hope, they felt that they should spend the remainder of their time diving at the sunken island site. They had two days left before they had to get back to Iliamna
Checking the weather with the meteorologist in King Salmon on their way out to the sunken island the next morning, Ernie said, “The news is not good. A series of storms are heading toward the Aleutians and will be hitting the lake by tomorrow night. Looks like we have today to find what we can and tomorrow we have to get to Iliamna before the storm hits.”
On arrival at a spo
t estimated to be where the island was, the echo sounder indicated a depth of 60 feet. After anchoring the boat, they positioned a buoy. They then lowered the Zodiac into the water. Jeff and Ernie took the first dive.
Following the anchor line to the bottom, they headed to an area that appeared to be what might have been the center of the island. Covering the sunken island was 35 feet of water. What was once a beautiful site was now just a part of the vast underwater vista. Jeff and Ernie explored about half of the now sunken island—a jungle of uprooted and tangled trees. They spotted nothing encouraging. As Jeff went on reserve, the two of them headed for the surface. Pam picked them up in the Zodiac.
Back on board, it was decided they only had time for one more dive, and Jeff and Pam would make it.
After descending the anchor line, they headed off in the opposite direction that Jeff and Ernie had gone in the morning. About 15 minutes into the dive, Pam got Jeff’s attention and pointed to her right. She had barely made out something that appeared different from the surroundings. It was too smooth and had no branches coming out of it. As they headed in the direction Pam had indicated, it became clearer that what they were looking at was not part of the tangled mess. What she was looking at was a broken part of a mast. As they got closer, their excitement took a giant leap forward. They were able to distinguish a cable and some other hardware wrapped around the mast. Pam got her camera situated and took pictures of the mast, cable, hardware and pile of boulders from all angles using the whole roll of film. They continued their search through the tangle of trees around the mast and determined that a mass of stones covered its base. Debris covered everything else.
As their air ran out, and they went on reserve, they headed for the surface confident that they had found something significant. Both were anxious to tell Ernie when they reached the surface.
Ernie was there in the Zodiac to pick them up as both Pam and Jeff shouted the good news. Jeff said, “I attached a rope to the mast so we could tie on a buoy.”
Ernie said, “Here’s one. Tie it on. I’ll help Pam into the Zodiac.”
Back on the boat, with their gear off and stored, they decided to head for the buoy. When they reached the buoy, they stopped the engine and took compass readings on three different stationary points so they would be able to locate the mast’s position later. Once they had drawn the compass lines on the map, they started the engine and headed for Kokhanok. All were in a good mood as they tied up at the dock.
That night after dinner they radioed Owen and let him know what they had found. They agreed to get together when they arrived at the Lodge in Iliamna to review what they had and what they should do.
The mood at dinner that night was joyous even knowing they could do nothing more this year. It would involve a significant effort to uncover enough of the wreck to get into the forward compartment. Regardless, they had found the wreck site! They had done what they set out to do, and it felt good!
What Now?
The table at Ernie’s apartment was stacked high with the photos Pam had taken at the dive sites near Kokhanok during their attempt to locate the wreck and recover the parcel. Jeff and Ernie sat there going back over all the photos to make sure they had not missed anything,
They had arrived home safely from their Lake Iliamna summer expedition and immersed themselves in their University classes as well as a project for Commander Carothers at the Naval Shipyard Test Tank. Jeff was now working on his Doctorate in Marine Biology while Ernie was continuing his Oceanographic studies.
As they poured over the photos one-by-one they discussed what had gone well this past summer and what else they could have done to be more successful in their attempt to find the wreck. Of all the pictures they had taken, only the last roll of film held any real promise. It was the one Pam had used at the sunken island dive site. There they had photographed what was clearly a mast, showing cables and other attached gear. They were hoping they could use those images to identify the boat positively.
Ernie said, “I still have the number of the company that built the boat. Let me contact the builder and see if we can get together with him next Saturday. Maybe he can provide identification from the photos. How would you like to take a quick drive to Portland and back? What say I pick you up at 7:00am?”
Jeff replied, “Sounds okay with me. I need to run. See you next Saturday.”
Next Saturday Ernie boxed up the photos, picked Jeff up and headed to Portland. It was an easy three-hour drive. They found the marine design center using the directions Ernie received when he talked with the builder.
After introducing themselves, Ernie handed the builder the pictures showing the mast and other items at the sunken island dive site. He picked up a magnifying glass to get a closer look at the cable and the metal fittings on the mast.
The builder looked at the relevant pictures for some time. He then said, “The mast appears to be one that we have built for us by a specialized manufacturer. But, it seems too small in diameter for the size of the boat that we sent to Lake Iliamna. Secondly, the metal fittings on the mast are not the same as we use on our masts. We buy exclusive fittings from a local vendor. What appears in the photo is not the same as we use. I am afraid that it has been a wasted trip for you. I think you have the wrong boat!
Driving back to Seattle was as gloomy as the weather. As they exited the interstate to get to Jeff’s place, Ernie said, “I’ll give Pam and Owen a call with the bad news.”
Jeff asked, “What now?”
Ernie responded, “To use a football analogy, we are behind by one touchdown, and we have the ball. There are 30 seconds on the clock; we have no timeouts, and we need to tie the game so that we can go into overtime.”
About the same time that Ernie was dropping Jeff off; Owen had just deplaned a charter in Iliamna. Standing on the front porch of the lodge after lunch, he noticed the boat belonging to ‘the Russian’. It looked like ‘the Russian’ had finally given the boat a name. Yes, it was MV-LEV. Owen thought: Where have I seen that name before? Where? I know I saw it somewhere. Yes, it was in Alexei’s journal. It was the name of the dog he befriended riding the train to Vladivostok.
The following thought kept racing through Owen’s mind. Three years ago, when I took Ernie and Jeff to meet and rent a boat from ‘the Russian’ he said he had just buried his old dog, and it was a very sad day. Come to think of it, I always saw them together as if they were looking out for each other. Is it possible that his old dog’s name was Lev? Could this just be a coincidence or is there more to it?
Owen radioed ‘the Russian’. When connected, he said, “I’m in Iliamna and headed your way. Is it alright if I drop in for a visit?”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
As ‘the Russian’ and Owen sat down to eat there was small talk about the hunting season. Owen then said, “I noticed you finally christened your new boat. What does LEV mean?”
“LEV means ‘the lion.’“
Owen continued, “When I saw the name, I thought I had seen it somewhere before. I finally remembered where it was. It was when I was reading the journal of a young Russian boy sent on a perilous journey. The boy’s name was Alexei Timofeyovich. Is that you? Are you Alexei?”
The room became eerily quiet. It took a long time for ‘the Russian’ to answer. The time and the silence became very uncomfortable for both of them. Owen started to speak several times but held back.
Finally, letting out a long deep sigh, ‘the Russian’ began, “I’m sorry Owen. I’m sorry I deceived you all these years. You have been a good friend. I should have confided in you a long time ago. But, I was afraid my secret would get back to my village in Russia. I am so ashamed because I lost everything the community owned—all the wealth they had and the parish register. It was my fault, and I could do nothing about it. I felt it was better for them to think I had died in the wreck. I don’t know what I was thinking at the time. But, once the lie started, I couldn’t change it.”
“I didn
’t think anyone would notice the name MV-LEV. I did not know that someone had found my journal.”
“They found it with the Captain’s body, and several years later, a copy was sent to your village. The people of your village are aware that a search is being conducted to find the wreckage. In fact, we have a site near Kokhanok that looks promising. We photographed a mast, cable and some other metal fittings that may have come from the wreck.”
“Should I continue to call you ‘the Russian’ or can I now call you Alexei? I promise that your secret is safe with me and will not get back to your village until you want it. We have received letters from your father, Pyotr. Your village is still destitute. Life is hard. Pyotr is the Village Elder, and Grigory is the Parish Priest. Tasha is now a doctor and is living back in the village. Grigory, Tasha, and your father miss you and still have faith in you. The rest of the community thinks you took off with the village’s wealth and settled in America.”
“Please call me Alexei. That is another reason I could not let the villagers know what happened. I came here with nothing. You know me. I worked very hard and with good fortune became financially comfortable. If the villagers knew this, they would say for sure: See, he used our riches to make himself wealthy. The only way I can counteract that is to help you find the wreck, recover the parcel and return it to them.”
“I would like Ernie, Jeff, and Pam to hear directly from you. They have been working so hard to find the wreck; they deserve to hear the whole story starting from when you left Iliamna. Having read your journal, they know what happened before you reached Iliamna. What would be good is to let them know what has happened for the past 20 years. I’ll get Ernie, Jeff and Pam to fly to Anchorage. You can fly with me, and we can meet with them there.”
Alexei said, “Yes. I will do it. Let me know when.”
Owen was able to get hold of Pam, Jeff, and Ernie and arrange a meeting at the Anchorage Airport private terminal. Pam told Owen that they have a small conference room, and she would schedule it. They arranged a date and time. Owen only told them that some new and critical information recently uncovered, warranted a meeting.
