Stellwagen Bank Final EIS and Management Plan 



Page 37 



c. Historic Shipwreck Resources 



While historic data strongly suggest the existence 

 of shipwreck sites within the Stellwagen Bank 

 Sanctuary area, few have been positively located at 

 this time. Reliable sources place between 1500 and 

 3000 shipwrecks off Massachusetts coasts; yet there 

 are no specific references to Stellwagen Bank as the 

 resting place for wrecks (Berman, 1972; Lonsdale 

 and Kaplan, 1964; Luther, 1958, 1%5; Luther and 

 Weeks, 1967; Marx, 1987; Fish, 1989). 



The National Ocean Service's Automated Wreck 

 and Obstruction Information System (NOS, 1988) 

 places seven shipwrecks within or immediately 

 adjacent to the Sanctuary area: 



Shipwrecks Occurring Within the 

 Stellwagen Bank Area 



Date Lost 



1917 

 1937 



1938 

 1942 

 1944 

 1950 



1950 



The spatial distribution of these vessels appears 

 random. Insufficient information is presently 

 available to discuss the potential historical 

 importance of these shipwreck sites. 



The remote sensing records of the Historic 

 Maritime Group of New England (HMGNE) note 

 approximately twenty-five anomalies which it 

 considers to represent shipwrecks, as opposed to 

 other debris or natural features (Fish, pers. comm., 

 1990). HMGNE has not as yet investigated each 

 location. The distribution of these anomalies 

 demonstrates a slight clustering to the western half 

 of the Sanctuary study area. In addition, HMGNE 

 places the wreck site for the recently-found wreck, 

 the steamer PORTLAND within the Sanctuary (in 

 particular, within boundary alternatives #3 and #5). 



An historically-important shipwreck, the 

 steamship PORTLAND was lost with over 160 Uves 

 during the Portland Gale of 1898. The side-wheeled 

 paddle steamer was built in 1890 by the New 

 England Shipbuilding Company of Bath, Maine. 

 The vessel was 291 feet in length, 42 feet m breadth, 

 15 feet in draught and had a gross tonnage of 2283 

 tons. Its top speed was 15 knots, and it served the 

 Portland Steam Packet Company in its Boston- 

 Portland Line (Cram, 1980). 



The loss of the steamer PORTLAND is one the 

 most controversial marine mysteries in the history 

 of the region (Fish, 1989:93). The ship's loss 

 marked a change in coastal passenger shipping in 

 the region. Following the loss of the PORTLAND, 

 a duplicate passenger list was always left on shore 

 when a passenger vessel left port (Fish, 1989:95). 

 Changed also was the design of coastal passenger 

 steamers. Paddle wheel steamers, like the 

 PORTLAND, were of shallow draft which, while 

 permitting passage up Maine's rivers did not handle 

 well in heavy seas. Later vessels were of the 

 propeller type rather than paddle wheel, and had 

 deeper drafts and were more enclosed. These 

 changes allowed for more seaworthiness in the 

 unpredictable sind often wild waters of the 

 Northeast (Fish, 1989:95). The PORTLAND is 

 valued as a memorial site, and has historical 

 importance due to its effect on maritime business 

 and technology. Its eligibility for inclusion on the 

 National Register of Historic Places should be 

 determined (Appendix D). 



Another vessel lost during the same storm was 

 the PENTAGOET. Built in Philadelphia in 1864, 

 the vessel served as a gun boat during the Civil 

 War. It was converted to the coastal trade and 

 owned by the Manhattan Steamship Company in 

 service for its New York - Rockiand - Bangor route 

 (Cram, 1980). Several anonymous sport diving 

 sources place this vessel on the southern end of 

 Stellwagen Bank; it is referred to as the "Toy or 

 Christmas Wreck", due to its cargo of toys. If the 

 identity and history of the vessel can be verified, it 

 could possess potential historical importance, and its 

 eUgibility for inclusion on the National Register of 

 Historic Places also should be determined. 



