Hope Haynes

Last updated
History
US flag 45 stars.svg
Name:Hope Haynes
Builder: Wiscasset, Maine [1]
Launched: 1880 [1]
Renamed:Mystic (1916) [1]
General characteristics
Class and type: Schooner
Tonnage: 216  GRT [1]
Length: 108 feet (33 m) [1]
Beam: 30 feet (9.1 m) [1]
Draft: 10 feet (3.0 m) [1]
Sail plan: Three-masted [1]

The Hope Haynes was a ship notable for causing a massive fire and gas explosion in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1905.

A gas explosion is an explosion resulting from mixing a gas, typically from a gas leak, with air in the presence of an ignition source. In household accidents, the principal explosive gases are those used for heating or cooking purposes such as natural gas, methane, propane, butane. In industrial explosions many other gases, like hydrogen, as well as evaporated (gaseous) gasoline /petrol or ethanol play an important role. Industrial gas explosions can be prevented with the use of intrinsic safety barriers to prevent ignition.

Bridgeport, Connecticut City in Connecticut, United States

Bridgeport is a historic seaport city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is in Fairfield County, at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Island Sound, 60 miles from Manhattan and 40 miles from The Bronx. It is bordered by the towns of Trumbull to the north, Fairfield to the west, and Stratford to the east.

Contents

Ship information

The schooner Hope Haynes was a wooden three masted type, home ported in Bath, Maine. Built in 1880, it weighed 216 gross tons, was 108 feet (33 m) long, 30 feet (9.1 m) wide, 10 feet (3.0 m) in depth and was constructed in Wiscasset, Maine. [1]

A schooner is a type of sailing vessel with fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts. The most common type has two masts, the foremast being shorter than the main. While the schooner was originally gaff-rigged, modern schooners typically carry a Bermuda rig.

Bath, Maine City in Maine, United States

Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. The population was 8,514 at the 2010 census, and 8,357 as of 2013, the population has had a change of -10.2% since 2000. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County, which includes one city and 10 towns. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its 19th-century architecture. It is home to the Bath Iron Works and Heritage Days Festival, held annually on the Fourth of July weekend. It is commonly known as "The City of Ships". Bath is part of the metropolitan statistical area of Greater Portland.

Wiscasset, Maine Place in Maine, United States

Wiscasset is a town in and the seat of Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The municipality is located in the state of Maine's Mid Coast region. The population was 3,732 as of the 2010 census. Home to the Chewonki Foundation, Wiscasset is a tourist destination noted for early architecture.

1905 Bridgeport incident

On 30 July 1905, the Pequonnock River flooded from a massive storm which dumped over 11 inches (28 cm) of rain in one day and also burst several reservoirs north of the city. [2] The Hope Haynes was torn from her moorings and smashed into the Congress Street Bridge, tearing out electrical wiring and thus setting a fire which spread to and ignited a broken gas main. There was a large explosion and the ship also caught on fire, but was soon put out. [3]

Pequonnock River river in the United States of America

The Pequonnock River is a 16.7-mile-long (26.9 km) waterway in eastern Fairfield County, Connecticut. Its watershed is located in five communities, with the majority of it located within Monroe, Trumbull, and Bridgeport. The river has a penchant for flooding, particularly in spring since the removal of a retention dam in Trumbull in the 1950s. There seems to be a sharp difference of opinion among historians as to just what the Indian word Pequonnock signifies. Some insist it meant cleared field or open ground; others are sure it meant broken ground; while a third group is certain it meant place of slaughter or place of destruction.

The Congress Street Bridge was a movable deck-girder Scherzer rolling-lift bridge in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. In 1909, the City of Bridgeport tasked a special commission to oversee the construction of a bridge at Congress Street. The original construction was completed in 1911 for $300,000. The bridge served as a street car, vehicle and pedestrian bridge throughout its service life. In 1997, the bridge was closed after the Connecticut Department of Transportation found the substructure to be moving. The bridge was demolished in 2010 and $40 million funding for a new bridge has since been secured. The Congress Street bridge was on the Connecticut Historical Commission's list of bridges.

Later service

The ship was rebuilt in 1908 in Mystic, Connecticut was renamed Mystic in 1916 when it was sold for $12,000 to a Captain Mueller for use as a cargo ship to Cape de Verde. [4]

Mystic, Connecticut Census-designated place in Connecticut, United States

Mystic is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Groton and Stonington, Connecticut; it has no independent government because it is not a municipality in the state of Connecticut.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Maine</i> (ACR-1) 19th-century battleship of the United States Navy

USS Maine (ACR-1) was a United States Navy ship that sank in Havana Harbor during the Cuban revolt against Spain, an event that became a major political issue in the United States.

USS <i>Maine</i> (BB-10) Maine-class pre-dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy

USS Maine (BB-10), the lead ship of her class of pre-dreadnought battleships, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 23rd state. Maine was laid down in February 1899 at the William Cramp & Sons shipyard in Philadelphia. She was launched in July 1901 and commissioned into the fleet in December 1902. She was armed with a main battery of four 12-inch (305 mm) guns and could steam at a top speed of 18 knots.

USS <i>Kearsarge</i> (BB-5) Kearsarge-class pre-dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy

USS Kearsarge (BB-5), the lead ship of her class of pre-dreadnought battleships, was a United States Navy ship, named after the sloop-of-war Kearsarge. Her keel was laid down by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Virginia, on 30 June 1896. She was launched on 24 March 1898, sponsored by Mrs. Elizabeth Winslow, the wife of Rear Admiral Herbert Winslow, and commissioned on 20 February 1900.

SMS <i>Lützow</i> battlecruiser

SMS Lützow was the second Derfflinger-class battlecruiser built by the German Kaiserliche Marine before World War I. Ordered as a replacement for the old protected cruiser Kaiserin Augusta, Lützow was launched on 29 November 1913, but not completed until 1916. Lützow was a sister ship to Derfflinger from which she differed slightly in that she was armed with an additional pair of 15 cm (5.9 inch) secondary guns and had an additional watertight compartment in her hull. She was named in honor of the Prussian general Ludwig Adolf Wilhelm von Lützow who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.

1938 New England hurricane Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 1938

The 1938 New England Hurricane was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike Long Island, New York and New England. The storm formed near the coast of Africa on September 9, becoming a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale before making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Long Island on September 21. It is estimated that the hurricane killed 682 people, damaged or destroyed more than 57,000 homes, and caused property losses estimated at $306 million. Damaged trees and buildings were still seen in the affected areas as late as 1951. It remains the most powerful and deadliest hurricane in recorded New England history, perhaps eclipsed in landfall intensity only by the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635.

HMS <i>Hood</i> Admiral-class battlecruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Hood was the last battlecruiser built for the Royal Navy. Commissioned in 1920, she was named after the 18th-century Admiral Samuel Hood. One of four Admiral-class battlecruisers ordered in mid-1916, Hood had design limitations, though her design was revised after the Battle of Jutland and improved while she was under construction. For this reason, she was the only ship of her class to be completed. Despite the appearance of new and more modern ship designs over time, Hood remained the largest and most powerful warship in the world for 20 years after her commissioning, and her prestige was reflected in her nickname, "The Mighty Hood".

<i>Charles W. Morgan</i> (ship) American whaling ship built in 1841

Charles W. Morgan is an American whaling ship built in 1841 whose active service period was during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Ships of this type were usually 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 merchant vessel and the only surviving wooden whaling ship from the 19th century American merchant fleet. She was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

USS <i>S-48</i> (SS-159)

USS S-48 (SS-159) was the first submarine in the fourth group of S-class submarines of the United States Navy.

Bridgeport Harbor Light lighthouse in Connecticut, United States

The Bridgeport Harbor Light, later the Bridgeport Harbor Lighthouse, was a lighthouse in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. It is located on the west side of the Bridgeport Harbor entrance and the north side of Long Island Sound. Originally constructed in 1851 and rebuilt in 1871 with a dwelling, it had a red-fixed light throughout its service life. The builder and first keeper of the light was Abraham A. McNeil who is also credited as improvising the first light for the Bridgeport Harbor in 1844. By 1953, the lighthouse was in poor condition and the United States Coast Guard opted to build a skeleton tower in its place. In the 2014 edition of the Light List Volume 1, the skeleton tower is marked as "Light 13A" with a height of 57 feet (17 m) and a visual marker of a square green dayboard with a green reflective border. The lighthouse was sold and an attempt was made to move it to serve as a monument for Connecticut's maritime history, but it was later decided to scrap the structure. The lighthouse caught fire and was destroyed during the dismantling in 1953.

Russian battleship <i>Borodino</i> ship

Borodino was the lead ship of her class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy although she was the second ship of her class to be completed. Named after the 1812 Battle of Borodino, the ship was completed after the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904. Borodino was assigned to the Second Pacific Squadron sent to the Far East a few months after her completion to break the Japanese blockade of Port Arthur. The Japanese captured the port while the squadron was in transit and their destination was changed to Vladivostok. The ship was sunk during the Battle of Tsushima on 27 May 1905 due to explosions set off by a Japanese shell hitting a 6-inch (152 mm) magazine. There was only one survivor from her crew of 855 officers and enlisted men.

HMS <i>E30</i>

HMS E30 was a British E class submarine built by Armstrong Whitworth, Newcastle upon Tyne. She was laid down on 29 June 1914 and was commissioned in November 1915. HMS E30 was lost in the North Sea, thought to have been mined off Orfordness, Suffolk on 22 November 1916, the minefield was not discovered until 25 November. There were no survivors.

HMS <i>Glatton</i> (1914) British monitor (ship), 1918

HMS Glatton and her sister ship Gorgon were originally built as coastal defence ships for the Royal Norwegian Navy, as Bjørgvin and Nidaros respectively. She was requisitioned from Norway at the beginning of World War I, but was not completed until 1918 although she had been launched over three years earlier. On 16 September 1918, before she had even gone into action, she suffered a large fire in one of her 6-inch magazines, and had to be scuttled to prevent an explosion of her main magazines that would have devastated Dover. Her wreck was partially salvaged in 1926, and moved into a position in the northeastern end of the harbour where it would not obstruct traffic. It was subsequently buried by landfill underneath the current car ferry terminal.

Spanish cruiser <i>Infanta Maria Teresa</i>

Infanta María Teresa was the lead ship of her class of armoured cruiser constructed for the Spanish Navy. The ship fought at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.

SS <i>Imo</i>

SS Imo was a steamship that served in passenger and freight trades and later as a whaling supply ship. Christened SS Runic, she was bought, sold and renamed numerous times during her career. In 1917, Imo was under Norwegian registry chartered by the Belgian Relief Commission to bring supplies to war-ravaged Europe.

German battleship <i>Scharnhorst</i> Scharnhorst-class battleship

Scharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship or battlecruiser, of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15 June 1935 and launched a year and four months later on 3 October 1936. Completed in January 1939, the ship was armed with a main battery of nine 28 cm (11 in) C/34 guns in three triple turrets. Plans to replace these weapons with six 38 cm (15 in) SK C/34 guns in twin turrets were never carried out.

<i>Berkshire No. 7</i>

Berkshire No. 7 is a wood and steel barge constructed in 1935. It is historically important as a transitional canal barge and as one of the few surviving wooden-hulled canal boats. It was used to transport bulk cargo, including shipping fertilizer, from Connecticut to Long Island Sound. It sank in 1974 along with the Elmer S. Dailey and the Priscilla Dailey in the harbor of Bridgeport, Connecticut on the west side of the Pequonnock River. The sunken vessel has deteriorated to the point that a salvage operation could result in breaking it apart. The Berkshire No. 7 was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 21, 1978.

Grand Street Bridge (Connecticut) bridge in United States of America

The Grand Street Bridge was a double-leaf deck-girder bascule bridge in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States, that spanned the Pequonnock River and connected Grand Street and Artic Street. It was one of three movable bridges planned by the City of Bridgeport in 1916 at the request of the War Department during World War I. Construction was completed in 1919, but the delays surrounding the construction went to the Connecticut Supreme Court in case of Edward DeV. Tompkins, Inc. vs. City of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The court ruled in favor of Tompkins and awarded damages equal to the contract. In 1936, the bridge had excessive settling and required the replacement of its southeast pier. As part of the repairs, a new floor and electrical system were installed. In 1965, the floor was replaced with a steel grate on I-beam floor. In 1984, the eastern approach span was replaced and the northwest trunnion post was reconstructed. The bridge was closed in the 1990s and dismantled in 1999.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Annual List of Merchant Vessels of the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1889.
  2. Witkowski, Mary; Williams, Bruce (2001). Bridgeport on the Sound. Arcadia Publishing. p. 57. ISBN   0738508624.
  3. "Fatal flood at Bridgeport". The New York Times . 31 July 1905. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  4. Marine Review. 46. Penton Publishing Company. 1916. p. 369.