The first ship to be built in what is now Alaska, as well as the Pacific coast of North America, the Phoenix. A three-masted frigate was constructed by British Naval officer James Shields.

Shields, one of the most experienced captains and shipbuilders working in Russian America, built the ship for the Shelikhov-Golikov Company, under orders from Alexander Baranov. He built the 90-foot craft in 18-mile-long Resurrection Bay using timber from the area.

Once completed, the Phoenix made its maiden voyage from the bay where Seward is now located on September 4th, 1794.

The sailing ship would ply the waters in Russian America and Russia for the next five years, before succumbing to the stormy seas after departing Okhotsk for Kodiak Island in 1799, costing the lives of all 103 persons on board. Its wreckage washed ashore on Unalaska Island.

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