Bermuda Shipwrecks Constellation Silver Proof

 

The Constellation was a four masted, wooden hulled schooner, which was owned by Intercontinental Steamship Lines Inc. of New York and served as a cargo vessel in World War II. On 19 July 1943 she set sail from New York Harbour headed for Venezuela under the command of Captain Neavers. She was carrying a cargo which included Johnny Walker whiskey, drums of alkali, Argo oil (for salad dressing), antique furniture, plates, phonograph records, cement, cosmetics, religious articles, and pharmaceuticals. On 22 July the ship developed a leak and, despite the use of hand pumps, the situation grew worse and the decision was made to head for Bermuda. The Captain was unfamiliar with Bermuda’s waters and headed for the focal point of Gibbs Hill Light but, unfortunately, the ship struck the reefs at 2.10 p.m. Tug boats from Bermuda were sent out to the ship and all of the crew were safely rescued. The United States Navy salvaged some of the cargo, mainly bottles of whiskey, but despite the reduction in weight, the ship remained grounded and was considered a total loss by 7 August, 1943. After this initial rescue operation, the site was subsequently salvaged by modern divers. Archaeologists from the Maritime Museum and divers from the Maritime Archaeological and Historical Society recorded the site in the early 1990s. The pharmaceuticals in the wreckage included small ampules of morphine and this now infamous cargo is credited with being the inspiration for Peter Benchley’s book ’The Deep’.

Bermuda Shipwrecks Hunter Galley Silver Proof

The wreck of the Hunter Galley is located east of the Hogfish Cut at the western end of Bermuda. Few details of the origins of the vessel have been recorded, but it is known that she was commanded by Clement Conyers on her passage to South Carolina from the island of St. Eustatius on 28 December 1751. During the early part of the voyage, gale force winds damaged the rigging, sails and ’top timbers’ forcing the ship to head to Bermuda for repair. The Captain, afraid the crashing into the reef when another gale hit on 9 winds. The next day, Bermuda was visible and the ship headed for port. Because of the treacherous weather conditions, the Captain and crew could not get the ship into the harbour, and moored her in Hogfish Cut. Captain Conyers sent members of the crew to get an anchor and some rope to secure the vessel but they were unsuccessful and, during the night, the force of the winds battered the ship to such an extent that the next day the Captain was forced to cut away the mast, leaving the ship to sink. At the time of loss, the ship was engaged in the trades with the American Colonies and those of the Bahamas and West Indies. A shipping register from 1749 identifies the sloop Hunter Galley, the five guns and weighing forty tons, as built in Bermuda and launched in 1747. Manufactured goods from Europe and America, rum and sugar from the West Indies and stone from Bermuda would have been some of the cargo carried by this vessel.

Bermuda Shipwrecks Mary Celestia Silver Proof

 On 6 September 1864 the Mary Celestia set out from Bermuda ’for Nassau’ (actually Wilmington, NC), Bahamas carrying a cargo of 125 boxes of bacon and 534 containers of general merchandise on a blockade run. The steamer successfully navigated the eastern channels of the island and travelled west along the south shore. Southeast of Gibbs Hill Lighthouse the Bermudian pilot, John Virgin, brought the ship close to shore to disembark. The steamer struck a reef and sank within eight minutes. The ship was a total loss but some of the merchandise was salvageable and auctioned off on behalf of the owner. The wreck of the Mary Celestia lies in fifty-five feet of water off the south shore where her boilers, part of the bow, her anchor, and both of her paddle wheels are still visible. The Mary Celestia is one of the more visually intriguing of the wrecks which have found their graves in the waters around Bermuda.

 

Bermuda Shipwrecks North Carolina Silver Proof

El North Carolina fue en ruta de Baltimore a Liverpool en el invierno de 1879, con una carga general de algodón y otros bienes, cuando se descubrió que el timón fue dañado y, el 21 de noviembre de 1879. El buque reparado en Bermudas el 30 de diciembre de 1879 pero encalló en los arrecifes occidental el día de Año Nuevo 1880.

 

Bermuda Shipwrecks Pollock Shields Silver Proof

 

Bermuda Shipwrecks Sea Venture Silver Proof

El 25 de julio de 1609 el Sea Venture que navegaba desde Plymouth a Virginia se hunde en una tempestad y los supervivientes alcanzan las Bermudas.