Eriksen

This case arises out of a collision between the steamer Redwood and the halibut fishing vessel Sun-d’E, in which the Sun-d’E was rammed by the Redwood, opening a hole in her port bow, from which she filled with water and subsequently sank. The collision occurred in the waters of Grenville Channel, British Columbia, which is a link in the inland passage to Alaska. This channel is a long, straight, narrow body of water, running generally northwesterly and southeasterly; its southern end being approximately 500 nautical miles north of Seattle, Washington, and its northerly end being approximately 400 nautical miles south of Ketchikan, Alaska. It varies in width from one-fourth to one nautical mile and is forty-five or fifty miles in length. The collision happened at a spot between Lowe Inlet North Point Beacon on the north and Yolk Point on the south, the places named being landmarks on the channel. The channel was approximately one mile in width at the point of collision.

The Sun-d’E was sixty-seven feet in length and of fifty-four tons gross burden, the libelant Eriksen being the owner and master thereof. The Redwood is 226 feet in length and 1,793 tons gross burden, owned by…