In the tradition of Edward Rowe Snow the author tells salty tales of Maine wrecks including The Nottingham Galley . Leith Smith with the Maine Historic Preservation Commission said locating the wreckage of the Angel Gabriel would be an important find.. Yet Maine historians and shipwreck hunters continue to search for and periodically discover remnants of ships built hundreds of years ago. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. Pages in category "Shipwrecks of the Maine coast". Raymond H. Clark, who started the marina, couldn't afford a breakwater levee, so he came up with the unconventional idea of using sunken ships, according to Point San Pablo Yacht Harbor. The lands original Wabanaki inhabitants skillfully plied coastal waters, bays and rivers for millennia before Vikings or Europeans finally encountered the New England coast. All rights reserved. "This graveyard of coastal steamers was quite picturesque," especially for people fishing for striped bass, which were abundant in the area, Harbor's website said. . The ship continues to weather damage. The Aquanuts have been cataloging shipwrecks in Penobscot Bay using historical records from libraries, museums and historical societies, as well as local word of mouth. Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration. The Already have a commenting profile? Ripped open by the rocks as the passengers were sitting down to dinner, the Mohegan sank with the loss of 106 lives, including the captain. The cries and entreaties of men, women and children were truly distressing, reads an anonymous passengers account published in the Oct. 31, 1836, edition of the Bangor Daily Whig & Courier. Shipwreck and treasure hunters have searched for and failed to find German submarines rumored to have been secretly sunk in Maine waters, lockers or safes full of gold and other valuables that went down with ships. Months of plundering Wikipedia and Wrecksite.eu for every known, recorded, and estimated ship lost during WWI and WWII, with some randoms from the American Civil War and Cold War era. It was the night of George Washingtons birthday, so the distress flares and gunfire from the ship were mistakenly dismissed as celebratory by some on shore. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Please try again. This was far from the first time the mysterious ruin had . But the group found cannons, cannonballs, lead shot, fishing weights and other items believed to be from the 1710 wreck. VintageMaineImages.com. But, depending on your preference, we have a fair few months where things arent so brag-worthy. Maine, click on the thumbnail image at right. The isolated island's rescue team gathered to assist the crew, using a rocket-fired "breeches buoy" to haul crew members to safety. Local lore says bone fragments and teeth from exotic animals could sometimes be found on the shores of many local islands. In addition to the cold and the snow, coastal Maine has some pretty significant fog that rolls in during the morning and night. After a decades-long career, the ship encountered stormy weather while being towed to Thailand in the early 1990s, where it was meant to be retired and converted into a 5-star floating hotel. The Royal Navy decommissioned the tug after the war, and sold it in 1947 to a man in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Extremes of human behavior, from the basest cowardice to the most selfless heroism, are often on exhibit in the same story. But also because it can reveal the increase and impact of storm events and sea level rise. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Japanese B5N2 Kate torpedo bombers sank the USS Utah during the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. The SS Point Reyes, pictured here, can be found on a sandbar in nearby Inverness. (Photo: Niko), The Plassey was thrown against the rocks of Inis Oirr, the smallest of the Aran Islands, in 1960 during a severe storm. A federal database of navigational wrecks and obstructions lists hundreds of known and suspected wreckage sites along Maines coastline. My personal fascination with maritime disasters has its roots in my childhood in the 1960s, when I enjoyed hearing the popular historian Edward Rowe Snow (1902-1982) spin his salty yarns on Boston television and radio. Several lifeboats were reportedly left in St. John to accommodate the animals and their cages. It still sits at Roderick Bay, where tourists photograph the tropical vegetation growing on its deck. If you'd like to privately share a comment or correction with MMN staff, please send us a message with this link. However, Germania was seized by England during World War I, and it was later sold and renamed the Half Moon. Research also showed that a sloop of the same name was coincidentally built in 1754 in Massachusetts, which fits well with our tree-ring dates of circa 1753, Claesson said. But the ship never made it there: A cyclone severed the towline connected with the SS Maheno and the Oonah, the ship towing it, according to Atlas Obscura. Its remains can now be found several hundred meters inland in the Namib Desert. (Photo: stefg74), Built in 1904, the Maheno had a successful shipping history -- even serving as a hospital ship in WWI -- before being sold for scrap in 1935. Mogul the elephant reportedly demolished a makeshift raft and drowned several people when he finally went over the ships rails. On August 10, 1897 the schooner Howard H. Middleton was under full sail despite near zero visibility. Over the years, the wreck has been deteriorating slowly back into the sea. Documenting shipwrecks can be a difficult task, however. It reappeared in 1978, 2007, 2013 and 2018. Stories of shipwrecks sort of draw us back into that.. Great Shipwrecks of the Maine Coast (Maritime) . Deb Cram/Portsmouth Herald, via Associated Press, were cooking and eating brown crab 90,000 years ago, for the now-extinct straight-tusked elephants, the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum. Scores of vessels and countless lives have been lost on its rocky shores. Laura is the archaeology/history and Life's Little Mysteries editor at Live Science. Despite their efforts, over 50 ships have been lost in this area. Another 18 may be buried in Forest City Cemetery, but sadly, the location of that mass grave, as well as their names, are unknown. Photo courtesy: Wreckhunter.net; Paul Sherman collection, The wreck of the Wandby, a British freighter that ran aground near Walkers Point in Kennebunkport in 1921, was a tourist attraction for years until a storm knocked it back into the ocean. A THOUSAND SHIPWRECK SITES But with about 3500 miles of coastline (more than California) and more than 2000 islands, there have been plenty of disasters. Thousands of visitors to Portland Head Light one of the most photographed spots in Maine can see two memorials to the Annie C. Maguire, which ran up on the rocks during a Christmas Eve squall in 1886. The United Nations estimates that three million shipwrecks litter our ocean floors. If its there, they will find it. Some shipwrecks have been evading researchers for generations. But the ship's journey wasn't complete. Laura holds a bachelor's degree in English literature and psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in science writing from NYU. In 1992, all three members of the tugboat Harkness were plucked from their raft by Matinicus Island fishermen and Coast Guard crew members searching for survivors amid a fierce nighttime storm and subzero temperatures. The amount exposed depends on the amount of beach sand from tides and ocean storms. Here is a look at some of the famous, dramatic or intriguing shipwrecks from Maines history, pulled together from historic sources, newspaper accounts and books on the states rich and, at times, tragic maritime history. It was looted and damaged during the Solomon Islands Civil War. Photo: NH 93000 courtesy of the Naval History & Heritage Command. Copyright 2000-2023 Maine Historical Society, All Rights Reserved. Last summer, New York-based Threadbare Theater Workshop turned the Royal Tars story into a theatrical production in Deer Isle that engaged the local community in crafting the story line. Despite its optimistic-sounding name, Boon Island has claimed other victims in the centuries since. As Lord Byron wrote in The Dark, Blue Sea, Man marks the earth with ruin, but his control stops with the shore.. In subsequent years, the Albany seized ships throughout the midcoast and launched raiding parties before the ship by then relegated to a prisoner transport ran aground and sank on the ledges near Vinalhaven in 1782. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, After several unsuccessful attempts to return the ship to the sea, it was ultimately abandoned. For two or three wonderful months, we have weather to rave about. In addition to the 93 passengers and crew, the Royal Tar was carrying a circus menagerie or caravan that included two lions, numerous horses, monkeys, a camel and at least one elephant, named Mogul. On the night of February 22, 1864, Capt. Hi, to comment on stories you must create a commenting profile. Michelle has lived in many places, but counts Maine as one of the best. . Robert Borland was in charge of The Royal Mail Ship Bohemian as it headed for Portland Harbor. Jeremy DEntremontPortsmouth, New HampshireVisit Jeremy's WEB SITEVisit Jeremy's Lighthouse Section on SeacoastNH.com, (c) 2010 Published by Commonwealth Editions, an imprint of Applewood Books, Carlisle, MA. The ship hit a ledge off of Higgins Beach in Scarborough, damaging the hull. Heres why. Don't have a commenting profile? An assault by the British Ships, that bombarded the coast resulted in the destruction of the shipyard and boats moored there. The 976-mile-long(1,570 kilometers) Skeleton Coast is littered with shipwrecks, according to the HuffPost. The ship was a total loss, but the crew survived.. Forty-three crew members died. Click Here to Download. Log in to join the discussion. The ultimate action-packed science and technology magazine bursting with exciting information about the universe, Subscribe today and save an extra 5% with checkout code 'LOVE5', Engaging articles, amazing illustrations & exclusive interviews, Issues delivered straight to your door or device. Great Shipwrecks of the Maine Coast (Maritime) [D'Entremont, Jeremy] on Amazon.com. Use the form below to reset your password. This record was added to Maine Memory Network through the efforts of a student at Scarborough Middle School. But the history and identity of the ship remained uncertain in York, a small resort town 45 miles south of Portland. The vessel is an American-built rescue tug that served in the British Royal Navy during World War II, as part of the Lend-Lease Act, according to NavSource Online. Get more stories delivered right to your email. With all that water and coastline, it's no wonder that Maine has an abundance of shipwrecks. See Offers. In 1977, the ship was retired and big plans were made for her to become a floating museum in Gold . : Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout. In 1944, for instance, 24 sailors aboard the British freighter the Empire Knight died when the ship hit an underwater ledge near the island. Russell, who now works as the director of communications and community engagement at Stoningtons Opera House Arts, said it didnt matter whether someone was 10 or 90 years old they all knew a version of the Royal Tars story. But whats the attraction for the rest of us? Thankfully, not all of Maines shipwrecks involve tragedy. Charles H. Trickey (left) and Mary E. Olys. Please wait for the page to reload. OLD SHIPWRECK STORIES STILL RESONATE The cost of archaeological excavation to document and reconstruct the vessel is very doable, Claesson said. With all that water and coastline, Although attempts were made to save the ship, they were all futile. Wrecks of small fishing vessels were unfortunately so frequent a century or two ago that they often werent even recorded and have been lost to history. Today, were pretty well-equipped to ensure that boats navigate safely. Shipwrecks and Other Mari has been added to your Cart. : Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. (Photo: Serge Ouache), The wreck of the Dimitrios can be seen off the shore near the town of Gythio. Ive presented a greatest hits (no pun intended) collection here, focusing on the most celebrated and dramatic stories. The final chapter includes quick synopses of many additional wrecks. But Desjardin, a historian who has led several ground excavations of the fort at Colonial Pemaquid, is hoping to pick up where Riess left off. (Photo: Ghost of Kuji), The Eduard Bohlen ran aground on Namibia's Skeleton Coast in 1909 due to heavy fog. He got his hands on condemned wooden schooners and towed them to the best position for the marina. (Continued below), This excerpt published exclusively on SeacoastNH.com with permission of the author and publisher, Introduction toGREAT SHIPWRECKS OF THE MAINE COASTBy Jeremy DEntremont BUY THIS BOOK. I felt the complete absence of any graphic compliment to the stories undermined what otherwise could be characterized as a first rate book. After dutifully notifying the state, the fishermen were reprimanded and told to return the cannons, according to an account in Harry Gratwicks Historic Shipwrecks of Penobscot Bay.. Cover has no visible wear, and the dust jacket (if applicable) is included for hard covers. The highly visible wreck of the Sweepstakes is one of the best-preserved nineteenth century schooners ever located, and one of the most picturesque shipwrecks in the world. Maines commercial fishermen continue to be at greatest risk, as they have for centuries. appreciated. Over the years, storm waves have occasionally uncovered the shipwreck. Success. Traditional stories regarding the wreck maintain that the boat was smuggling cigarettes and alcohol while being pursued by the Greek Navy. It is a local oddity, said Elizabeth D. Blanchard, a member of the York Board of Selectmen. . Relying on historical records, archaeological work and wood samples from the ship, Stefan Claesson, the maritime researcher, told York town officials last month that he believed the remains most likely were from the Defiance, a sloop that was built in Massachusetts in 1754. After it was made in Oakland, California, the SS Palo Alto was moved south to Aptos, California, by the Cal-Nevada Company in 1929. The schooner's crew's belongings and most of the cargo were taken to other ships. In one of the largest ecological disasters caused by man, the once 4th-largest in-land sea shrank by 90%, leaving the fishing economy of Moynaq in ruins. Of interest in this particular study was that three different species were used, two that are not commonly used in shipbuilding, that grow right here in New England and northeastern North America, Carol B. Griggs, a senior research associate at the Tree-Ring Laboratory, said on Sunday. 2. Many images on this website are for sale on VintageMaineImages.com. Questions or comments? , Paperback The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. Please try again. Is the item digitized? In July 1779, American forces suffered a double humiliation after they failed to recapture the village of Castine from the British and then lost or scuttled more than a dozen ships while fleeing upriver. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. And why have shipwrecks been the source of so much popular art and literature through the centuries? and inland waters of Maine. Check out our lighthouse road trip to check out the best that Maine has to offer. One of the best maritime authors, John Rousmaniere, has written, Few events can thrash a lifeor glorify itas effectively as a storm at sea. Shipwrecks caused by weather serve as rude reminders that our modern technology hasnt given us mastery over our oceans. state of Maine has some 3,500 miles of undulating coastline and over 2,000 coastal islands. When the ship most recently emerged at Short Sands Beach in 2018, locals flocked to the site. There is still a lot to learn about how exactly these ships were designed and built ships that were the lifeline for early settlements, and were the main vehicles of trade and commerce in New England and the U.S.. Here are some of their dramatic, courageous and intriguing tales. The USS Eagle PE-56 was among the last U.S. Navy ships to be sunk by a German U-boat when it was torpedoed about five miles off Cape Elizabeth in April 1945. In the tradition of Edward Rowe Snow the author tells salty tales of Maine wrecks including The Nottingham Galley, The Angel Gabriel, the Penobscot Expedition, Royal Tar, Steamer Bohemian and more. Downriver from the Defence, somewhere near the dangerous Triangles Ledge area of Penobscot Bay, rests whatever remains of a British ship that was key to the American debacle at Castine. Clancy I'm still working on Italy and France, but I wanted to share with ya'll! THE DEADLY REALITY OF SEA TRAVEL The remains of the Peter Iredale can be found on a stretch of sand in Fort Stevens State Park. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. Please post your comment below to share with others. All Rights Reserved. Desjardin hosted researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute at the site earlier this year and said the group hopes to deploy their high-tech scanning equipment next spring. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. The Nottingham Galleys story which included rumors of mutiny as well as cannibalism was told in poems, books and even a movie. That's because when the Atlantic's cold currents mix with the dry, warm air from the Namib Desert, the two create a cold, dense fog that can befuddle even careful ship captains, the HuffPost reported. You have the facts of the story, but you also have this beautiful mythology that grew out of it. Destruction to shipping was widespread, especially along the Massachusetts shore. Vintage Maine Images . The MS World Discoverer sits just off the shore of one of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. During World War I, New Zealand converted this passenger ship the SS Maheno into a floating hospital, according to New Zealand History. To view the interactive Google map, click here. Login. Thomas Reed and Howland Dyer, the captain of the Castine-based cutter Veto of the U.S. Revenue Service (todays Coast Guard), with saving at least 40 lives. The schooner's crew's belongings and most of the cargo were taken to other ships. However, the Howard W. Middleton did wreck . Three days later, the Maheno and its small crew were found stranded on the beach of Fraser Island, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Rumors indicate the ship was caught carrying drugs into Europe and had been impounded before being abandoned. The Wandby. The schooner-yacht sank in 1930, when a storm ran it aground, according to DiveSpots.com. The waters around Oakland and San Francisco are filled with rotting shipwrecks. Shipwrecks are like submerged time machines that offer insights into history but also into that primal form of human drama, writes Jeremy DEntremont in his 2010 book Great Shipwrecks of the Maine Coast., People in shipwrecks often exhibit the greatest in human heroism but also the opposite, so it illustrates the best and worst of humanity, DEntremont, who is president and historian of the Owls Head-based American Lighthouse Foundation, said in an interview. Maine Historical Society. Publisher They took anchor, but in heavy seas the crew was forced to cut the anchor cables, and were pushed ashore onto York Beach, Mr. Claesson said. Riess eventually walked away from the search around the time he wrote his book. In fact one of (the cannons), as we touched it underwater, it just snapped, Riess said. The Eerie Tale Of This Shipwreck Off Maine Will Keep You Awake Tonight. After attempts to tow the ship back to sea failed and a brief stint as a hotel for workers in a nearby diamond mine, the ship was finally abandoned. $18.97. Claessons discovery is significant because its one a very few examples of a pre-Revolutionary War ship built in New England, he said. Navigator at left, or click here Its because it is basically a time capsule of life back in 1635, he said of the Angel Gabriel galleon, potentially still hiding in the muddy bottom near Colonial Pemaquid. They lie in the shallows and deeps all along Maines ragged-edged coastline the wrecks of wooden sailing sloops driven onto rocks in storms, military ships sunk during wartime and passenger steamers whose losses made national headlines. We may not have too many opportunities to document marine architecture of this vintage and tell the story of these early American seafarers.. Plus, while the Defiance seems to fit every description of the shipwreck, Claesson said additional historical research and archaeological investigations are needed to confirm it as fact. Photo courtesy: South Portland Historical Society. After combing through historical and notary records, including a firsthand account he found at the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum in Rowley, Mass., Mr. Claesson learned that there was a sloop called the Defiance that had been wrecked in York in 1769. In 1769, a cargo ship laden with flour, pork and English goods set sail from Salem, Mass., headed to Portland, Maine. And lives are still lost at sea in Maine every year, despite incredible advances in maritime technology and safety, ship-tracking equipment and the heroic efforts of rescuers. Jeremy D'Entremont has been writing about and photographing the lighthouses of New England since the mid-1980s. Its a clich to say that disasters bring out the best and worst in people, but its also absolutely true. The schooner Equator was burned and destroyed by the British, during the war of 1812, in 1814 at Biddeford Pool in Maine. Often, we can never know the whole story with any certainty; the 1941 loss of the Don in Casco Bay is a prime example. it's no wonder that Maine has an abundance of shipwrecks. Shipwrecks of Maine and New Hampshire, Like New Used, Free shipping in the US. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges. Shipwrecks--Maine--Scarborough; Marine accidents--Maine--Scarborough; Schooners--Maine--Scarborough; . See Terms of Use. It capsized in the Shatt al-Arab, also known as the Arvand Rud, a river that runs through southern Iraq and forms the border between Iran and Iraq near the Persian Gulf. Only parts of the bow remain above water today. Its kind of neat.. The USS Utah, a dreadnought battleship, was not an active battleship, but rather an auxiliary ship, when the Japanese bombed it. A sloop in His Majestys Royal Navy, the HMS Albany successfully defended Castines narrow harbor entrance for days until reinforcements drove the American forces upriver. In addition to the smell of ocean water in the air on rainy days in Portland, she loves puppies, photography, funny people, the Maine Red Claws, traveling, fresh tomatoes, Cambodia and filling out forms. Stephen Puleos Due to Enemy Action, a gripping account of the sinking of the USS Eagle 56 at the close of World War II, is an inspiration not just because of the emotional story it tells, but also for the depth of Puleos research and commitment. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. These immigrants were hoping for a new life in America, but that dream was to be dashed quickly. On August 10, 1897 this schooner was under full sail despite the near zero visibility. (Photo: Alberto Perdomo). Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Sorry, there was a problem loading this page. (Photo: Jim Fischer), Once a major fishing port, Moynaq is now 150km away from the shore of the present-day Aral Sea. Tall ships along with lighthouses are a reminder of the romantic period when maritime commerce was what America was all about in the 19th century and the early 20th century, said DEntremont, the author and lighthouse historian. Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app. The St. Christopher ran ashore and was abandoned in 1957, and photographers have snapped photos of the deteriorating tug ever since. The Maine Historic Preservation Commission has said it believes the wreckage dates from the period between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Heres How To Explore It Yourself. Statistically, there should be pretty close to a thousand shipwreck sites off the coast of Maine which is an incredible amount, but you are talking about centuries of shipping, said Warren Riess, an associate research professor of maritime history and archaeology at the University of Maines Darling Marine Center in Walpole. A strong storm sank it in the winter of 1976, and it was later abandoned and looted, according to the Municipal Prefecture of Rio Grande. And I dont even own a set of swim fins. However, the Howard W. Middleton did wreck. Passengers credited Royal Tar Capt. We put ourselves into those stories, we imagine how we would react to it theres also the mystery.. So if people were to find objects, it would be important for folks to get in touch with the museum. On Aug. 15, a fierce hurricane hit the region and destroyed the ship. To view a map of Search. In this initial study, we now have tree-ring data for multiple species from the early 1600s to the 1750s, Claesson said. But, this wasnt always the case. Its wooden hull, which is about 50 feet long, appeared in 1958 after a storm, and again in 1978, 2007 and 2013, capturing the interest of local residents and visitors to Short Sands Beach. But some, like the wreck of the Bohemia, are more awful than others. The Half Moon Underwater Archaeological Preserve is the watery grave for a German 366-ton steel schooner-yacht with two masts. She has won multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association for her reporting at a weekly newspaper near Seattle. A chief reason is that shipwrecks represent a pure, primal form of human drama. And if they dont find it, its not there, said Desjardin, who now works for the Senate Republican caucus in the Maine Legislature but continues to work on the Angel Gabriel in consultation with Maine Historic Preservation Commission. The Danish cruise ship was constructed in 1974 and met disaster after striking a rock during a cruise in 2000, according to the History channel. Create a commenting profile by providing an email address, password and display name. On August 10, 1897 this schooner was under full sail despite the near zero visibility. return here. . Constructed with local lumber from the Gold Beach area, the Mary D. Hume worked in several capacities, first as a cargo ship, then as a whaling ship up in Alaska. Both ships went down in the same storm on New Years Day, 1920. You have elephant bones found on Brimstone Island, and everyone wants to believe the elephant survived you have a woman who believed she saw a tiger behind her clothesline.. But we can speculate, always a popular human pastime. The wreck is a sought-after location for divers who are drawn by both the poignant backstory and the visible remains of the ship. To view a map of Maine, click on the thumbnail image at right. The ship was a total loss, but the crew survived.. But a New York Express report claimed the elephant survived by swimming to a nearby island, where he went into a barn-yard, and after frightening the cattle there out of their wits, was taken care of by the proprietor of the farm until a circus hand came to take care of him.. It contained 894 tons of hard and soft coal as it came up the coast from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Portland. Exactly what happened is unclear, although several accounts from the time say the 240-ton ship was cast away by the hurricane, Riess writes in his book. After the war, the SS Maheno became a passenger ship again, and was later sold to an Osaka ship-breaker company for scrap metal in 1935. The coast of the Gower Peninsula is scattered with the remains of over 250 shipwrecks in varying stages of decay. Join our newsletter for exclusive features, tips, giveaways! WARS CASUALTIES , Item Weight He said he hoped town officials could protect the wreckage.