 1900 photograph of Benjamin F. Packard by Charles E. Bolles | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Builder | Goss, Sawyer & Packard, Bath, Maine |
| Launched | November 15, 1883 |
| Fate | Scuttled on May 18, 1939 |
| General characteristics | |
| Length | 244 ft 2 in (74.42 m) LOA |
| Draft | 43 ft 4 in (13.21 m) |
Benjamin F. Packard was an American Down Easter ship constructed in 1883. She was the last surviving Down Easter until her scuttling in 1939. [1] [2]
Benjamin F. Packard was launched in Bath, Maine on November 15, 1883. She was named for her shipwright. [3] She was primarily used as a cargo ship during her career. [4] She held a reputation as a "hell-ship." [2]
On April 17, 1911, she was one of three ships that blew ashore in Chignik, Alaska. She was repaired and returned to service. [5]
The Benjamin F. Packard declined in use in the 1920s, undergoing a final voyage as a barge in 1927. [6] The historic value of the ship was noted at the time, and the press called for her to be saved. [7] [8] She was ultimately sold as an "antique" in 1929. [9]
Benjamin F. Packard was brought to Playland in 1930, where she was repurposed into an attraction. [10] Among other things, she was depicted as a pirate ship and used as a dancing area. [11]
The 1938 New England hurricane seriously damaged the Benjamin F. Packard. It was determined that the ship could not be saved. She was scuttled off of Long Island Sound on May 18, 1939. [12] Parts of her can still be seen at Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary in Rye, New York at low tide. [13] [14]
The cabin and its furnishings were saved and were taken by Mystic Seaport, where they remain to this day. They are used to teach the history of the New England cargo trade. [15] [16] Some artifacts are also at the Maine Maritime Museum. [17]
The home of her namesake in Bath, Maine was turned into a bed and breakfast. [3]
The decision to scuttle rather than save the final Down Easter is used as a case study on why vessels are or are not preserved. [1]
Joseph Conrad is an iron-hulled sailing ship, originally launched as Georg Stage in 1882 and used to train sailors in Denmark. After sailing around the world as a private yacht in 1934 she served as a training ship in the United States, and is now a museum ship at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut.
Charles W. Morgan is an American whaling ship built in 1841 that was active during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Ships of this type were used to harvest the blubber of whales for whale oil which was commonly used in lamps. Charles W. Morgan has served as a museum ship since the 1940s and is now an exhibit at the Mystic Seaport museum in Mystic, Connecticut. She is the world's oldest surviving (non-wrecked) merchant vessel, the only surviving wooden whaling ship from the 19th century American merchant fleet, and second to USS Constitution, the oldest seaworthy vessel in the world. Charles W. Morgan was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.
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The Edward Cooper was a 19th-century Sandy Hook pilot boat, built in 1879 for New York Pilots at Greenpoint, Brooklyn. She was named in honor of the Mayor of New York City. The Edward Cooper helped transport New York City maritime pilots between inbound or outbound ships coming into the New York Harbor. She survived the Great Blizzard of 1888. In 1892, the Cooper sank in a snowstorm and was replaced by the Joseph Pulitzer in 1894.
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