Light Hearted ep 76 Peter Kaufman discusses the Scotch Cap, Alaska, disaster

Published: Aug. 17, 2020, 4:15 a.m.

b'The Aleutian Islands are a chain of 14 large volcanic islands and 55 smaller islands that form a dividing line between the Bering Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Scotch Cap Lighthouse was established at the southwest corner of Unimak Island, the largest of the Aleutians, in 1903. It was the first station established on Alaska\\u2019s outside coast. \\n\\n\\n\\nScotch Cap in the 1940s (courtesy of Peter Kaufman)\\n\\n\\n\\nIn 1940, a new concrete-reinforced lighthouse and combined fog signal building replaced the original structure. On April 1, 1946, a massive earthquake struck the North Pacific, spawning a tsunami that traveled north to the Aleutian Islands. The lighthouse was destroyed, and five Coast Guard keepers were killed.\\n\\n\\n\\nPainting of the Scotch Cap disaster by Darrell Millsap\\n\\n\\n\\nPeter Kaufman\\n\\n\\n\\nFor the past two and a half years, author Peter Kaufman has been researching and writing about the 1946 Scotch Cap disaster. His work will be published as a book. He talks about the disaster and his research in this interview.'