New Yorks Oldest Oyster Ship At Sunset

[UnderMiner]

New York's Oldest Oyster Ship At Sunset

Went on a late afternoon kayaking trip the other day and took some pictures of the Chriteen, a 132-year-old oyster dredge ship.

She was built in 1883 and served as an Oyster Dredge until 1914 when she received her first engine and became a cargo ship. As a Cargo she was used to transport furniture and potatoes from New York City to Long Island and New London. In 1958 she was purchased and used as a pleasure yacht until 1976 when she fell into disrepair. By 1989 she was abandoned and sank off the coast of New London, Connecticut. Local Connecticut company Tradewinds Education Network saved her at the last minute from destruction and by 1991 had fixed her up to sea worthy status. She now resides back in her original 1880's Oyster harvesting grounds in Oyster Bay Long Island, where she can be seen by everyone.

 

[packerbacker]

Grilled oysters are yummy!!

 

[Escape]

Hi UnderMiner: Where are you kayaking from? I kayak out about city island. Nice pics.

 

[BosnMate]

Glad to see her restored.

 

[UnderMiner]

Hi UnderMiner: Where are you kayaking from? I kayak out about city island. Nice pics.

I usually go out directly opposite of you on the North Shore of Queens on Long Island. Flushing Bay and Little Neck Bay are my usual launch areas.

 

[HCW]

Very cool.

My Great Grand Father built 2 schooners in Nova Scotia.
And His brother-in-law was a very prolific ship builder there.
great historical reference is Mystic Seaport's American Lloyd's Register of American and Foreign Shipping.

 

[tamrock]

Nice to see that the time and money was put forth to bring it back. Long time ago I went with a buddy who's Dad was buying a speed boat that had an Oldsmobile 455 V8 jet drive. The boat dealer was along the Des Moines river in Iowa. I saw this really unique looking old boat that was at the boat dealers. I asked what it was and the said it was an oyster barge once and it was originally steam powered built in the 1920s and some guy traided it in after he put a diesel engine in and made a house boat out of it. It had a pilot house and all and was the size of a good size pontoon boat. I ask how much he wanted as I thought it be cool to fix up. He said 400 bucks. I thought that was perfect, but where in the heck would I keep the thing? My dad said no way at his place would I could drop it off. At one time they would harvest oysters in the rivers of the Midwest for making shell buttons. There was a place along the Mississippi river at Burlington Iowa I'd fish with my granddad on the rivershore that was littered with perforated oyster shells. My granddad said the place once had a button factory and they just dumped all the drill holed oyster shells on the shore for the river to wash away.