Reprinted from “The Lighthouse Log”  Winter 2014.

This article was contributed by Jim Jenney, BLMA Maritime Historian

Rhode Island’s Perilous Coast – Bonnet Point (Part 1)

On the west side of the western passage into Narragansett Bay about two miles from Beavertail Light there is a crescent shaped sandy beach at a point known simply as “The Bonnet”, Over the years the rocky shores along the eastern side of the point have been the scene of a number of maritime disasters which have resulted in the loss of more than a half dozen vessels including one of the earliest shipwrecks in the state and one of the most Slot Gacor Gampang Menang prominent of the “night boats” that routinely traveled a course between Providence and New York City. The following is a brief description of these ill-fated vessels whose final voyage left them there.

Let’s start with a look at the merchant ship ANASTASIA. Few details have been discovered about this incident, including the exact date. The ANASTASIA was a merchant ship, probably an American vessel, which ran aground around the year 1700. The story says she came to grief on the inside of the point and is memorable in that a pair of oxen which were being transported managed to escape from the wreck and swim to the beach. As more details of this incident come to light, the full story of her loss will surely prove to be an interesting addition to the maritime history of Rhode Island.

The first well-documented loss on Bonnet Point involved an American merchant vessel which sailed from Providence, Rhode Island bound for London, England. The date was January 12, 1722 and the ship LONDON with a cargo of oil under the command of a Captain Folger, ran ashore in stormy seas on Newton Rock, off Beavertail Point. The ship remained in the firm grasp of Newton Rock until the strength of the easterly storm began to pound her to pieces. Driven by high winds the wreck (or perhaps, more correctly, the wreckage) was finally pushed over the rock and made its way across the West Passage, ending up on the shore near Bonnet Point, a total loss. As no loss of life was stated, it can be assumed that her crew managed to save themselves. The vessel and cargo were valued at $20,000, a considerable sum at that time. It was reported that more than half of her cargo of oil was saved. After the LONDON, it would be more than a century before another cargo-carrying ship would come to grief at Bonnet Point.

On December 18, 1822, the MARIA CAROLINE, inbound from New Orleans for Providence, with 300-400 bales of cotton, barrels of flour and some 3 tons of lead, ran ashore here due to stormy weather. She had left New Orleans, homeward bound, under the command Slot Gacor Hari Ini of Captain Nathaniel Bishop, who was also her owner. The MARIA CAROLINE was 85 feet in length and measured 270 tons. Built in Saybrook, CT in 1816 this wooden sailing ship spent her entire career in the coastal trade. With good fortune (and good weather) her cotton and flour were removed from the wreck, most in fairly good condition, but some 6,000 pounds of lead remain on the bottom at this wreck site.

Caught in a late season snowstorm, the schooner CLARA E. MCCONVILLE was the fourth victim to end her days in this area. Although we know that she sailed out of Bangor, ME, it is unclear whether she was inbound or outbound from Narragansett Bay at the time of her stranding. The schooner was just a bit shorter than the MARIA CAROLINE but, at 76 tons, was considerably smaller. As was typical at that time, her master Captain Eaton, was also a partial owner and it is likely, though not conclusively proven at this time, that this was his only vessel. She would never sail again.

In the next edition of the log, the story of the other three known wrecks to have occurred at Bonnet Point will be detailed, including one of the well-known night boats which traveled routinely between New York and Providence.