Rhode Island’s Perilous Coast

Reprinted from “The Lighthouse Log” Fall 2014.

This article was contributed by Jim Jenney, BLMA Maritime Historian

The subject of this story will be a bit different from previous articles about shipwrecks that have appeared in the Lighthouse Log. While those have dealt with individual maritime disasters of interest, this article will give an overview of the top sites along our shoreline where vessels have met their end.

The statistics presented are based on confirmed incidents in which the final status of the vessel is either total loss, wrecked, went to pieces or simply lost. What is interesting to note is that the number of vessels lost does Judi Slot Online Jackpot Terbesar not equate to the number of vessels imperiled; thus, this ranking of totally lost vessels would not match the statistics regarding vessels that have been threatened and were subsequently rescued or retrieved. Let’s look at these in countdown fashion starting from the eleventh most dangerous site in Rhode Island.

With six (6) losses, the area known simply as “The Bonnet” has had an interesting history starting with one of the earliest documented wrecks in Rhode Island but it is most well known for the loss of the side-wheel steamer RHODE ISLAND in 1880. In the tenth position are two sites – the immediate vicinity of Lion’s Head/Hull Cove on Beavertail Neck and a prominent offshore rock on the south side of Block Island known as Black Rock. Each of these areas can claim nine (9) vessels that h a v e b e e n totally lost, the m o s t prominent being a four-masted schooner named POCAHONTAS lost off Black Rock in 1890.

The ninth most popular wrecksite in the state is another tie. This one includes Whale Rock (between Beavertail and Bonnet Point) and Castle Hill, Newport and its offshore reef known today as Butterball Rock. Each of these areas is known for eleven (11) total wrecks along with many other incidents. The eighth most common area of loss is the southeast point of Block Island. In this area twelve (12) vessels have come to grief, the latest documented being in 1996.

Number seven in the ranking is the north end of Block Island – Sandy Point and the beaches in the immediate vicinity – where thirteen (13) losses range from a frigate named PRINCESS AUGUSTA in 1738 to a tiny vessel named FURIOUS DUCHESS in 1946. The sixth most popular area for wrecks is at the eastern end of the state – Sakonnet Point – where at least fourteen (14) wrecks, mostly schooners, have ended their careers.

Number five on this list is one of the most feared areas by mariners over the years – Brenton Reef (and the immediate shore). Though there are many more incidents here where vessels have not been lost, there are at least nineteen (19) documented gacor slot totally lost vessels. The fourth most common area for marine disasters encompasses the south shore of Block Island other than Black Rock and Southeast Point. Generally, this means the Southwest Point area, near the Block Island life -saving station, which has claimed twenty (20) vessels since 1797 including two four-masted schooners.

At number three is our own Beavertail Point where at least a dozen schooners join a list of twenty-one (21) vessels which have, in most cases, gone to pieces right in front of the lighthouse. But even the combined total number of vessels at the entrance to the East Passage does not equal the second most common area of peril in Rhode Island. That area is Point Judith, where the confluence of tides from Narragansett Bay and Block Island Sound combine to create the “confused seas” that have led to countless maritime incidents over the years. What is left in this countdown is the number one most dangerous area of our coast and, frankly, this one is a surprise.

I have always considered the waters of Block Island to be the most dangerous to shipping and, in terms of the total number of incidents that is an accurate statement. But in terms of totally lost vessels over the years, the single site with the greatest number is Watch Hill Reef (including the point area and immediate beach, though not including Napatree Point). Fifty (50) vessels ranging from the REVENGE (under the command of then Lt. Oliver Hazard Perry) in 1811 to the AKBAR in 1946 have left their bones here. It is important to note that an area not discussed is the inner Situs Slot Gampang Menang waters of the bay where incidents such as the 1938 hurricane have caused an incredible number of losses. These losses are, however, mostly small craft and confirmation of individual vessels has not been possible. In upcoming editions of the Lighthouse Log, each of these areas of disaster will be looked at in-depth in an effort to offer a better understanding of Rhode Island’s perilous coast.