Shipwrecks of New Jersey

Shipwrecks are valuable as they can teach us about history and serve as a reminder to respect the sea. Thanks to Cold water, little light, and Anaerobic conditions which inhibit the degrading effects of bacteria the contents of Shipwrecks can be exceptionally well preserved. Around the world wrecks like the Mary Rose, and Skuldelev ship has shed light on the past which we otherwise would not know.

As climate change progresses the sea's impact on the lives of those near it and those on it will only become greater. Storms are predicted to become more powerful and occur at greater frequencies than they have in the past. Abided by rising sea levels storm surges are expected to become more powerful. It is uncommon to think about our relationship to the sea, either in the present day or historically but shipwrecks serve as a reminder to respect the sea and the power it wields.

Stranding- Where a ship is driven onshore by wind or waves. Or done purposely to comit fraud or prevent her from falling to a worse fate. 24 of the 112 ships fell victim to being stranded under some condition, either in heavy seas or lost in driving snow.

Foundered- To take on water to the point where she begins to sink or capsize. Foundering can occur after a strike which damages the hull, or could be the result of simply taking on water for one reason or another. Many ships founder in storms as the seas are too large, others may founder in calm seas because of a leak.

The John Minturn was a Packet Square Rigged ship loaded with cotton, corn, hogsheads, and passengers (including Captain Starks family) bound for New York City from New Orleans. They were off Barnegat inlet when a winter nor'easter caught them off-guard. Captain Stark decided seas as high as 25 feet and gale fore wind was too much to contend with and pointed the John Minturn into the wind off Manasquan beach. Unfortunately, the winds tore the foremasts down as well as the aft yardarms, this left the ship at the sea's mercy. She began to drift towards shore and several attempts were made to either launch a lifeboat or attempt to reach the boat from shore, both failed. The John Minturn was left stranded on Manasquan beach with a loss of 39 of the 51 souls abord including the Stark family.

The Vizcaya was a steamship/ Sailing ship bound for Havana from New York City when Durning the night she encountered Steamship Cornelious Hardgraves. The Hardgraves was running with no lights and hit the Vizcaya in her midships which nearly severed the ship in two. The Lifeboats of the Vizcaya were destroyed by the Hardgraves Bowsprit. Both ships would sink but the Vizcaya brought 69 people of the 86 aboard, The survivors clung to the masts which was still above water for the duration of the October night and were rescued by the crew of the Humboldt. All ten crewmen of the Cornelious Hardgraves would survive.

SC-209 was a Submarine Chaser built in 1917 for use escorting ships during the first World War. She served with the USS Patterson group along the east coast. while running without lights in a heavy fog she was mistaken for an enemy submarine by a sailor abord the Felix Taussis, an armed cargo ship. she fired one shell which struck SC-209 amidships which resulted in her immediate sinking. Of her 26 crew 18 died. All that remained was three gasoline engines.

Isabel B. Wiley was a three masted wooden schooner carrying Coal in route for Newport VA. At 7:50 am a suspicious shape was spotted to their port about 1,200 yards away. It was then that Captain Thomason noticed she was flying a German naval ensign, 1,000 yards out the Submarine U-151 fired her guns but missed. Captain Thomason raised the American ensign and took her jibs down. As the U-151 was attacking another ship Captain Thomason ordered previsions and men packed into lifeboats. Both the U-151 and several lifeboats from freshly sunken American ship pulled up along side. Captain Kohpamel of the U-151 ordered all men of two ships be distributed evenly throughout the four rafts and to move away from the Isabel B. Wiley which was then looted and sunk by the U-151.

Chili had not yet broken diplomatic ties with Nazi Germany, and all Chilean ships were under strict orders to run with lights and flags to avoid falling victim to German U-boats. Steam Ship Tolten was a Chilean cargo ship making her way to New York Harbor after dropping off Nitrates in Baltimore. She was running with lights as ordered before an American patrol boat ordered her to turn her lights off in compliance with American rules. She did and around 2-4 am she was stuck with a torpedo; she went down in 6 minutes. of a crew of 29 only 1 survived. Because of fear of losing critical information to the Germans the Americans stopped publishing specifics about U-boat victims, the Tolten was the last ship mentioned by name in American newspapers

For more information consider Navesink Maritime Heritage association, and their Zoom lecture series and the New Jersey Maritime Museum