Peril Strait
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Peril Strait is a strait in the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska at 57° N 135° W. It is between Chichagof Island to its north and Baranof Island to its south. The strait is 80 km (50 miles) long and reaches from Salisbury Sound on the west to the Chatham Strait on the east.
As the strait does run between two large bodies of water (the aforementioned Chatham Strait and Salisbury Sound/Pacific Ocean), the tidal currents pose a danger to large vessels navigating the body of water. This is demonstrated by the Alaska Marine Highway System only running their mainline vessels through Peril Strait at slack tide.
On May 10, 2004, the AMHS vessel M/V LeConte grounded on Cozian Reef in Peril Strait. There were no major injuries, and after an extensive salvage process, the LeConte was escorted to Ketchikan for successful repairs. The cause of the grounding was determined to be operator error, not tidal currents.
The Fairway Island Light, located on the eastern entrance to Peril Strait, was an important aid-to-navigation in the early 20th century.
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