In 1930, a pier was constructed to reach the boat, and it became a popular tourist destination, as well as an environmental hazard that was finally cleaned up in 2006. https://www.mainememory.net/artifact/31656, Quick Search Robert Borland was in charge of The Royal Mail Ship Bohemian as it headed for Portland Harbor. This famous concrete tanker was made to fight the Central Powers during World War I, but the war ended before it could enter battle. Make a note in the comment section if you can find any others. Every few years, the remains of a shipwreck have surfaced on a beach in York, Maine. Just a few corrupt harbor officials who allowed ships to be discarded here for a cheap price. We put ourselves into those stories, we imagine how we would react to it theres also the mystery.. It is a local oddity, said Elizabeth D. Blanchard, a member of the York Board of Selectmen. Here are some of their dramatic, courageous and intriguing tales. The importance of the ship, and the reason it gets peoples attention, is not because it has $20 million in gold, Tom Desjardin, a historian and former director of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. THE IRONICALLY NAMED BOON ISLAND Below is a partial list of the wrecks located in the coastal and inland waters of Maine. Pictured here, the Petrel was once a key whale-catching vessel. [CDATA[ Minimally, I hope there will be a local stewardship team assembled to keep an eye on the site during storm season, protect the site from looters, and inform visitors how to interact responsibly with the site when it is exposed, he said. The crew of the next ship to wreck on the island were less fortunate. Passengers credited Royal Tar Capt. 10. Over 100 years old, full of maritime history, and easily accessible on the beach in Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon, this wreck showed me that you can visit some famous wrecks without even getting your toes wet. Below is a partial list of the wrecks located in the coastal Cannons from the HMS Albany were reportedly still visible at low tide among the ledges until a few decades ago, when some local fishermen allegedly retrieved them. Photo courtesy: Brick Store Museum Collection, Kennebunk, Maine. (Photo: Francesco Paroni Sterbini), Also known as Smuggler's Cove, Navagio Beach in Zakynthos is one this area's most popular tourist attractions. With a long maritime history, tales of shipwrecks are expected. With all that water and coastline, it's no wonder that Maine has an abundance of shipwrecks. The crew abandoned the ship, and because the ship's owners never came forward, the ship was left in the lake, where it is now home to birds, including cormorants and gulls. In the 1990s, Riess was part of a team that looked for any remaining evidence of the ship around the island, which now boasts New Englands tallest lighthouse, visible from Nubble Light and other areas of York. Erosion of sea water at the Pool in 1957, resulted . : & South Coast Maine, Historian Jeremy DEntremont has a new book and we have the introduction. (Photo: Jim Fischer), Once a major fishing port, Moynaq is now 150km away from the shore of the present-day Aral Sea. . 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. Most of the 400 wrecks in. 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. She is also the author of the Down East Books titles, Haunted Maine Lighthouses and New England UFOs. About two years ago, a nor'easter struck York Beach, Maine, revealing the skeleton of a centuries-old shipwreck beneath the sand. Published Maines coastline has its share of wartime-related shipwrecks. , ISBN-10 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. Crew members skirted atop and through the pounding surf on a cable shot to the ship from shore. I wish to thank the Maine Historical Society, the Museum at Portland Head Light, the Vinalhaven Historical Society, and all the organizations and institutions that provided information and photos for this book. (Photo: Niko), The Plassey was thrown against the rocks of Inis Oirr, the smallest of the Aran Islands, in 1960 during a severe storm. Describing the sinking as one of the most remarkable marine disasters in the annals of the Maritime Provinces, an 1898 article in The New Brunswick Magazine reported that a Portland-bound schooner passed the remains of a burned steamer near Cashs Ledge, a possible reference to Cashes Ledge in the Gulf of Maine. For years, Riess and his graduate students and archaeological colleagues spent two or three weeks a summer searching for evidence of the ship amid the centuries of debris, moorings, fishing traps and other refuse in and around Pemaquid Harbor. With all that water and coastline, it's no wonder that Maine has an abundance of shipwrecks. Did you encounter any technical issues? We dont share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we dont sell your information to others. Jeremy D'Entremont has been writing about and photographing the lighthouses of New England since the mid-1980s. Several lifeboats were reportedly left in St. John to accommodate the animals and their cages. Please try again. (Photo: Theodore Scott), Several shipwreck sites can be found in the waters off the coast of Punta Cana and are popular dive spots for tourists hoping to catch a glimpse of some Caribbean sea critters. The Half Moon Underwater Archaeological Preserve is the watery grave for a German 366-ton steel schooner-yacht with two masts. 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. Twenty-five years ago they were a novelty. The map also shows the phases of the Moon, and all solar and lunar eclipses. This volume, first of a planned series, focuses on a dozen dramatic shipwrecks from among 700 in the Gulf of Maine. When there are no survivors to provide witness, careful detective work can sometimes give us an idea of what happened. 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. The SS Point Reyes, pictured here, can be found on a sandbar in nearby Inverness. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. But the ship encountered a fierce storm. Its remains can now be found several hundred meters inland in the Namib Desert. With all that water and coastline, Many of the boats left without being full and another broke completely sending Irish immigrants into the ocean waves. It still sits at Roderick Bay, where tourists photograph the tropical vegetation growing on its deck. Mogul the elephant reportedly demolished a makeshift raft and drowned several people when he finally went over the ships rails. Tourists visiting the boat can also see sand dunes, waterfalls and wild animals, including black seagulls, tortoises and hawks. Remnants from roughly a half-dozen of the expeditions sloops, troop transports and other ships have been located. Hours later, men and women still were clinging to the masts and rigging waiting for rescue. 2000-2023 Maine Historical Society . Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration. (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. : Mr. Claesson said he has presented his research to the York board and the Ellis Park Committee, which manages the beach. appreciated. Thankfully, not all of Maines shipwrecks involve tragedy. Basically, people are not supposed to be taking any objects from shipwrecks that are within state waters.. 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 coast of the Gower Peninsula is scattered with the remains of over 250 shipwrecks in varying stages of decay. Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app. There has been plenty of tragedy as well. The Royal Navy decommissioned the tug after the war, and sold it in 1947 to a man in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code. In 1977, the ship was retired and big plans were made for her to become a floating museum in Gold . A few of these wrecks, including the famed Astron, can be spotted from the comfort of your reclining beach chair. Only parts of the bow remain above water today. 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. My biggest criticism about the book is that there are zero graphics to accompany any given story related within. These moldering boats sit in the Thames River, just off the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2022. : Historic romanticism aside, the rocky coastline of Maine and its neighbors particularly Cape Cod and parts of Nova Scotia have claimed untold lives over the centuries. Two crewmen died trying to reach the mainland on a makeshift raft, and after the ships carpenter died, the remaining men resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. Vintage Maine Images . Use the form below to reset your password. One of the best-studied wrecks is of the Defence, a 170-ton American brig that was scuttled by its crew near todays Stockton Springs to keep it from falling into the hands of the Royal Navy. The Maine Historic Preservation Commission has said it believes the wreckage dates from the period between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Today, Boothbay Harbors Mill Cove boasts pricey waterfront homes, a marina for yachting tourists and a lobster pound. Try again. 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. This wrecked ship known as the Altair is wasting away on the coast of southern Brazil, just south of the Rio Grande. Discovery Company. The ship hit a ledge off of Higgins Beach in Scarborough, damaging the hull. (Photo: Flavia_FF), Grytviken's whaling station closed in 1966, leaving behind the remnants of a once successful whaling industry. The ship encountered a fierce storm and never made it to its destination. Many images on this website are for sale on VintageMaineImages.com. And I dont even own a set of swim fins. 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. (Photo: Brent Pearson), The coast of the Gower Peninsula is scattered with the remains of over 250 shipwrecks in varying stages of decay. Altair off Brazil (Image credit: Google) This wrecked ship known as. But Mr. Claesson added that there must be more archaeological research to confirm that the wreck is indeed the Defiance. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! In the tradition of Edward Rowe Snow the author tells salty tales of Maine wrecks including The Nottingham Galley . The location of the Eagle 56 officially designated as a war grave was only confirmed last year. 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. Blinded by snow and heavy fog, the crew mistakenly ran the ship aground by South Manitou Island. It is unknown where the flaming ship eventually went down. The schooner's crew's belongings and most of the cargo were taken to other ships. Shipwrecks like this can also be thought of as living organisms, or environmental warehouses, that store and can reveal information about regional climate variations through study of tree rings. 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. Love Maine? All Rights Reserved. Numerous accounts tell of sailors seeing his carcass floating days later. They were about to fall apart. While being towed to a Japanese scrapyard, the ship hit an unusual out-of-season cyclone and ended up beached on the shore of Fraser Island. But 32 people perished including many women and children along with nearly all the circus animals. In 2018, Yorks Police Department posted photos of the wreckage on Facebook, drawing more than 2,000 shares and national headlines. 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. Seacoast New Hampshire In 1947, for instance, more than 30 crew members of the cargo ship Oakey L. Alexander were rescued by the Coast Guard and Cape Elizabeth residents during a March storm that sank other boats and washed away several homes. . Maine cant boast as many wrecksif thats something to boast aboutas the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Nova Scotias Sable Island, or Cape Cod. 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. This year, we observe the 300th anniversary of the tragic wreck of the Nottingham Galley at Boon Island, and Kenneth Roberts novel Boon Island remains an eminently readable account of a staggeringly harrowing story of survival. 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. To prevent environmental disaster, its remaining fuel was drained in 2004, according to NavSource Online. . This enormous vessel washed ashore on a beach in Mexico's Baja California Sur. 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. Despite their efforts, over 50 ships have been lost in this area. I'm still working on Italy and France, but I wanted to share with ya'll! For more information, please contact the contributing organization. CNN Ever since it first emerged in 1958 on a beach in York, Maine, the 50-foot skeleton of a shipwreck has intrigued both locals and experts alike. We dont know what happens after that, but she washes ashore.. $18.39. But the history and identity of the ship remained uncertain in York, a small resort town 45 miles south of Portland. There was a problem loading your book clubs. 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. Why was it made out of concrete? Today, the shipwrecks and abandoned facilities are a popular stop for tourist ships visiting Antarctica. (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. According to NOAA's Office of Coast Survey, there are over 700 known wrecks in the Gulf of Maine, extending from Saint John, New Brunswick, to the Nantucket Shoals. You can share 5 more gift articles this month. He chartered it for salvage operations, but it ran into engine trouble and rudder damage in Beagle Channel by Ushuaia. The schooner-yacht sank in 1930, when a storm ran it aground, according to DiveSpots.com. The wreckage typically lies between 4 and 6 feet below the sand. To get one, go to the subscriptions page. Capt. More than 40 of the ships 62 crew members died in what was initially attributed to a boiler explosion. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. The story has been turned into at least two childrens books in which the animals survive and go on to help (or entertain) local islanders. Unable to add item to List. But we can speculate, always a popular human pastime. WARS CASUALTIES Use it to locate a planet, the Moon, or the Sun and track their movements across the sky. Some shipwrecks have been evading researchers for generations. But the ship's journey wasn't complete. 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. The samples were tested at the Cornell University Tree-Ring Laboratory in Ithaca, N.Y., to determine their age. For two or three wonderful months, we have weather to rave about. This would ensure, even if it is taken one day by the ocean, that we have preserved its memory for future generations. The sampled timbers matched a New England tree-ring index indicating a felling date of approximately 1753, Claesson told CNN. 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. 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. Its wooden hull, which is about 50 feet long, appeared in 1958 after a storm, and again in 1978, 2007 and 2013 . On the night of February 22, 1864, Capt. This record was added to Maine Memory Network through the efforts of a student at Scarborough Middle School. 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. This list may not reflect recent changes . 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. Here are 17 mysterious shipwrecks you can see on Google Earth. A chief reason is that shipwrecks represent a pure, primal form of human drama. 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. What followed was 24 days of misery on an exposed, treeless island in December and January without food or hardly any material to build a shelter, much less a fire. A boy displays pieces of wood he took as souvenirs from a shipwrecked sloop at Short Sands Beach on March 6, 2018. //]]> Taryn Plumb is a freelance writer and former Boston Globe correspondent whose topics have ranged from ghosts and goblins to the intricacies of finance (which subject frightens you more?). 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. Copyright 2000-2023 Maine Historical Society, All Rights Reserved. Because of the attention at the time, town officials temporarily placed police tape around the ruins after reports that people were taking pieces of it, The Portland Press Herald reported. This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. On Aug. 15, a fierce hurricane hit the region and destroyed the ship. return here. Maine Memory Network is a project of the Maine Historical Society. Coordinates List Maine has thousands of miles of coastline owing to its craggy peninsulas and hundreds of islands, most uninhabited. It is the subject of poems, numerous historical books and is the namesake of a Royal Tar Blend coffee sold by a Deer Isle coffee roaster. Other wrecks are rotting or rusting away for anyone to see. Log in to join the discussion. Japanese B5N2 Kate torpedo bombers sank the USS Utah during the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941. This one sits in San Leandro Bay, not too far from the Oakland International Airport. Heres How To Explore It Yourself. Check out our lighthouse road trip to check out the best that Maine has to offer! Im deeply indebted to Snow and the other authors who have sailed these waters before me, particularly Peter Dow Bachelder, whose Shipwrecks and Maritime Disasters of the Maine Coast is comprehensive and compelling. The It contained 894 tons of hard and soft coal as it came up the coast from Philadelphia to Portland. Please try again. Rather, the water receded beneath them when two rivers that fed the sea were diverted for irrigation. The outline of a shipwreck can still be seen on Cape Cod's Long Point. But some, like the wreck of the Bohemia, are more awful than others. Over centuries, the states craggy coast has been the final resting spot for nearly one thousand fishing vessels, warships and passenger steamers. Another historian, meanwhile, is once again searching for an elusive, nearly 400-year-old shipwreck that could shed light on this countrys earliest English settlements. : Shipwrecks of Maine and New Hampshire, Like New Used, Free shipping in the US. Many shipwrecks were scattered and eroded by waves, rocks and time. Taryn Plumb explores the tragic history of shipwrecks in Maine, focusing on a dozen or so of the most interesting and weaving in tales of pirates, lost treasure, violent storms, and other disasters. It had just the right amount of spooky touch when the particular tale called for it. The study of wrecks and the artifacts they hold can tell us much about the way ships were built and about the cultures that produced them. 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While all 18 crew and family members were rescued, photographs of the lighthouse and the ship leaning against the rocks before it was smashed to pieces by waves were published around the country and turned into souvenir postcards. 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. . Over the years, the wreck has been deteriorating slowly back into the sea. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Lying at a maximum depth of twenty feet (7m), it is a favorite location for divers, tour boat operators, and snorkelers in the Fathom Five National Marine Park. Shipwrecks and Other Maritime Disasters of the Maine Coast. Despite its optimistic-sounding name, Boon Island has claimed other victims in the centuries since. Riess spent several decades searching for wreckage from the Angel Gabriel, the British galleon which reportedly sank with all of its cargo in Pemaquid Harbor one day after arriving with new settlers from Bristol, England, in 1635. Now a maritime archaeologist believes he may have solved the mystery. 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 ELUSIVE . It reappeared in 1978, 2007, 2013 and 2018 after powerful storms swept away the sand burying it.