Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 28th

Today in 1848, the brigantine Petrus wrecked on Sombrero Reef. The money on board was saved by the crew, but there appears to have been no other salvage.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 25th

Today in 1855, the brig Eliza W. Dalton struck Bird Key. The brig began leaking and went to Long Cay where the cargo of logwood and coffee was unloaded. The vessel was condemned. In 1923, the schooner Carrie S. Allen was burned at Key West.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 23rd

Today in 1874 the ship Mary E. Riggs was stranded on French Reef. The ship was carrying cotton from New Orleans to Bremen. Though the vessel was lost, the wreckers were awarded $44,371 for their salvage work.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 22nd

Today in 1855 a derelict brig was found 13 miles south of Sand Key, deserted. The wreckers still made money off of the wreck, receiving $389.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys- April 20th

Today we have had a few wrecks here in the Florida Keys. One was in 1812. The American ship Gipsey was bound for Boston from Havana when it was lost in the Gulf of Florida. The crew was saved. The next shipwreck was in 1847. The bark Yucatan was carrying cotton, lard, pork, flour and other cargo from New Orleans to Liverpool. The bark wrecked on French Reef. Even though the vessel was lost, the wreckers were awarded $17,521. A third wreck happened today in 1874. The British ship Mississippi was en route from Liverpool to New Orleans. The ship was carrying general cargo and wrecked on Brewsters Reef. Three quarters of the cargo was saved, awarding the wreckers $9,114.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 19th

Today in 1893 the schooner Benjamin Hale was making its way from Boston to Texas with a cargo of barbed wire when it was stranded on Bird Key Shoals in the Dry Tortugas. It was a total loss.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 18th

Quite a few shipwrecks happened on this day in history. The earliest happened in 1638 when the British ship Kinsdale wrecked in a storm on a sand bar near Cape Florida. The next shipwreck happened two-hundred and sixteen years later, in 1854. The ship Saxony was lost fifty miles north of Cape Florida with a cargo of white pine. Thirty-nine years later, in 1893, the British brig Arcadia was also carrying lumber as its cargo. The brig was on its way from Apalachicola to Cuba when it was stranded on North Flats in the Dry Tortugas. Some of the cargo was saved. Two years after that, the Norwegian bark Ingrid was bound for Rio from Pensacola carrying lumber as well. The bark was stranded on Fowey Rocks, north of the lighthouse there. The vessel was lost and out of the one-million feet of lumber she carried, 200,000 was salvaged soon after the wreck. The wreck was sold for $1 after that and the salvor was able to remove 75% of the remaning 800,000 feet of lumber. The next wreck is more recent, happening in the 20th Century. In 1943 the open lighter YC 891 sank off of Key West.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 16th

Today in 1865 the bark Annie Baldwin was en route to Liverpool from the Florida Keys when it wrecked on Conch Reef. The bark was carrying guano. Though the vessel was lost, the wreckers were awarded $734.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 15th

The RMS Titanic wasn't the only shipwreck that happened today. Thirty-five years before the RMS Titanic went down, in 1877, the brig Memphis was stranded on Conch Reef. The brig was carrying a cargo of sugar, which was saved.

USS Fort McHenry Is In Port

For three days Key West will once again host the crew of a Navy vessel. The USS Fort McHenry is in port for three days of liberty before it is deployed to the Baltic Sea. The USS Fort McHenry, an amphibious landing craft, is 100 feet longer than the last Navy vessel to visit Key West, the USS Spruance, which was commissioned here in October. To get a good view of the ship, stop by the museum and climb the lookout tower.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 13th

This year April the 13th falls on a Friday. In 1895 though, Saturday the 13th was an unlucky day. Two ships wrecked that day here in the Florida Keys. One was the schooner R. Bowers which was stranded on Southwest Reef in the Dry Tortugas. The schooner was carrying a cargo of yellow pine from Apalachicola to Boston. It is unknown if it was salvaged. The other vessel was the British ship Walter D. Walleth which also carried lumber, though the ship was en route from Mobile to Belfast. The ship was stranded off of Loggerhead Light, in the Dry Tortugas. The ship and cargo were valued at $22,000.

April 12th - The Civil War Begins and FDR Dies!

Today in 1861 the Civil War began. Key West, though located in a state that joined the Confederacy, remained a Union city the entire Civil War. Locals who supported the Confederates had to go North to join the South, and some did, including wrecking merchant Asa Tift. He, along with his brother Nelson, worked on designing and building an ironclad warship for the Confederacy.

Also on this day, but eighty-four years later in 1945, Harry S. Truman became President of the United States of America when his predecessor, Franklin Deleno Roosevelt, died. Both Presidents have visited Key West and they stayed at what is now known as the Harry S. Truman Little White House. President Truman spent the most time at the Little White House of any President, there have been seven total.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 11th

Today's shipwreck happened in 1831. The brig William Tell was grounded on Bird Key in the Dry Tortugas. The William Tell was making its way from New York to New Orleans carrying dry goods, cutlery, and other cargo. Some of the cargo was saved.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 10th

Today in 1928 the dredge Massachusetts foundered near Fowey Rock Light.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 9th

On the night of April 9th, 1942, during WWII, the Norwegian freighter Benwood was struck by five shells while heading to port, leaking and running her pumps, after she had been rammed in the stern by another vessel, the Robert C. Tuttle. The shells sank her, and she currently rests inside John Pennekamp State Park, near Key Largo.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 8th

Today in 1854 the ship Saxony ran ashore north of the Florida Keys at Hillsboro Inlet. The ship reported having water in her hold. The crew was able to make it to Key West and arrived on April 26th. Just over half, about 55 percent, of the cargo was saved. It was valued at $1,952 and the wreckers received $921. In 1959 the oil vessel Chimaera collided with a floating object about twelve miles from Fowey Rocks Light.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 7th

Today in 1848 the ship Taglioni wrecked on Carysfort Reef, just three miles away from the lightship. The ship was en route for New Orleans from Havre and carried 28 passengers as well as an assorted cargo. Some of the cargo was saved and the wreckers received $4,798. The vessel and cargo had been valued at $60,000.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 6th

Today in 1865, the brig Atlantic wrecked on East Key in the Dry Tortugas. The brig was carrying coal and the materials of the ship Conqueror. The vessel was lost, but wreckers were rewarded $850.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 5th

Today in 1854 the schooner Pauline wrecked on Pickles Reef with sugar and molasses aboard. Though it was a total loss, the crew was saved.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 4th

Today in 1877 the American brigantine Memphis ran ashore on Parkland Shoal near Alligator Light with a cargo of sugar aboard. The brigantine was gotten off of the shoal the next day.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 3rd

Today in 1837, a schooner was found capsized in the Gulf Stream near Cape Florida. Though the vessel was lost, the wreckers were awarded $1,705. Four years later, in 1841, the ship Manchester was lost on the Florida Reef. For their efforts, the wreckers were awarded $575. Nearly one-hundred years after that, in 1945, the submarine S-16 was sunk as a target off of Key West.

Europeans Find Florida!

Today is the 499th anniversary of the day Ponce de Leon discovered Florida. He would later go on to discover the Florida Keys, naming them "Los Martires" - The Martyrs. After stopping in Key West and naming it "Cayo Hueso" - or Bone Island - because of all of the bones that littered the island, Ponce de Leon would finish exploring the Florida Keys by placing the Dry Tortugas on the map as "Los Tortugas" - The Turtles - because of all the turtles that were to be caught there.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 2nd

One of the earlier shipwrecks to have happened on this date was in 1632. The Almiranta de Honduras and a frigate wrecked near Miami. The frigate had a cargo of cocoa and the ships were on their way from Havana to Spain. Exactly two-hundred years later, in 1832, the schooner William & Frederick was on its way to Key West from Apalachicola when it was lost at Sanibel Key. Three years prior to that, in 1829, the Spanish brig Correrro was bound for Spain when it wrecked on Carysfort Reef. The crew and treasure were saved. More recently, just 99 years ago in 1913, the four-masted schooner Clifford N. Carver was stranded on Tennessee Reef.

Shipwrecks of the Florida Keys - April 1st

Today in 1921 the four-masted schooner Lewis H. Goward burned near Key West.