VESSEL: Schooner
TYPE: Collision
DATE: March 24, 1903
SIZE:
BUILT: 1881, Bath, Maine
MASTER: I. T. Newbury
LOCATION: Off Egg Harbor, New Jersey
SUMMARY:
At about 6:15 a.m. on March 24, 1903, the steamer Parthian collided with the schooner Mary E. Morse approximately 42 miles northeast of Five Fathom Bank lightship. The Mary E. Morse had departed from Port Royal, South Carolina bound for New York with a cargo of 491,000 feet of lumber when it was struck by the Parthian in dense fog. The Parthian stoved in the hull of the schooner which quickly filled with water when the steamer pulled away. There was just enough time for the crew on the Mary E. Morse to lower their lifeboat and abandon ship. All the crew were taken on board the Parthian with just the clothes on their backs.
The Parthian had twisted its bow resulting in some leaking, but the steamer was in no risk of sinking. The Parthian continued on its voyage towards Boston where it would undergo temporary repairs. There were no reports of injuries on either vessel.
When the crew of the Mary E. Morse reached Boston, they were informed the schooner hadn’t sunk after all. Around midnight on March 25, the fishing schooner Alberta had spotted the abandoned schooner some 20 miles off Atlantic City, New Jersey. Somehow the schooner had stayed afloat after the collision and now the captain of the Alberta, Mark Casto, would try to recover the vessel. Leaving 2 crew members on the Mary E. Morse, the Alberta headed to shore to telegraph for assistance. The tug, S.S. Smith, would later be dispatched and tow the Mary E. Morse to Philadelphia. The four fishermen on board the vessel would settle their claim for saving the schooner and receive about $5,000.
The schooner had wrecked prior in 1899 and 1900 and was recovered.
REFERENCE:
Annual Report of the Supervising Inspection Service, Year Ending June 30, 1903. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1904. Page 39.
The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts). March 25, 1903. Page 8.
The Savannah Morning News (Savannah, Georgia). March 26, 1903. Page 1.
Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia). April 2, 1903. Page 6.
+ Structured Data
Vessel Name: Mary E. Morse
Vessel Type: Schooner
Country or Flag: United States
Wreck Type: Collision
Incident Type: Collision
Incident Date: 1903-03-24
Incident Year: 1903
Incident Month: 3
Incident Day: 24
Location – By Water: 42 miles northeast of Five Fathom Bank Lightship, Atlantic Ocean
Location – By Land: Off Egg Harbor, New Jersey
Photo Exist: true
Weather: Thick Fog
Notes:
Outcome: Recovered
Cargo: 491,000 feet of Lumber
Homeport: Bath, Maine
Built Year: 1881
Tonnage: 644
Where Built: Bath, Maine
