Unknown ship is Robert L. Bean?

[F-4MxOfficer]

The 216 foot long ship stranded in the surf on Santa Rosa Island, Florida, beween Pensacola and Destin is listed on the charts as unknown". I believe it is the wooden four-masted schooner Robert L. Bean that grounded in fog on February 17, 1926. The ship was launched by a yard of the same name in Camden, Maine, in 1920. It was one of the last wooden ships and was purposely designed as a bulk freighter.

If anyone is interested I will be happy to post further details.

 

[doc-d]

Cool....

 

[mad4wrecks]

Yes, more details please.

 

[F-4MxOfficer]

In 1926 Miami was undergoing a building boom. Pensacola and Jacksonville were ports that shipped a lot of lumber materials. The Robert l. Bean was coming up empty from Miami to get a load of railroad ties and telephone poles. She was in the accompany of another four-masted schooner, the Annie C. Ross. Fog rolled on on the night of February 17th as the ships approached the coast. The Robert L. Bean ran aground and subsequently set off a red flare. The Ross saw the flare and thought it was the Pensacola light and also ran aground about a mile from the Bean.

The next morning the crews were rescued with no loss of life. A tug was sent from Pensacola to try and free the ships but without success at first. After several days of effort the Annie C. Ross was freed but the Bean remained grounded where it is today.

The Robert L. Bean was made in a Camden, Maine, boat yard of the same name in 1920 and was partially owned by the boat-yard owner. It was 215.6 feet in length, 32 foot beam, and an 11.1 foot draft. Construction was wood over an iron frame which may be why the ship has retained its shape for so long.

I initially thought the ship may have had an auxiliary engine for propulsion, but now don't believe it did. It probably did have a small steam "donkey" engine in the forward crew quarters that assisted in raising and lowering the sails, raising the anchor, and running the bilge pumps.

Years ago I swam out to the ship when I was in the USAF at Eglin and believe I saw the boiler of the donkey engine in the forward part of the ship. I did notice that the ship ribs were made of iron.

Access to the ship is difficult but not impossible. The large barrier island is about 46 miles in length. The western part is known as Santa Rosa island and the eastern portion near Ft. Walton Beach is sometimes called Okaloosa Island. By water it is 31 miles east from the Pensacola Inlet to the wreck and 15 miles west from Destin. By land walking along the beach it is 5 miles east from Navarre Beach and about 7 west from the developed portion of Okaloosa Island. The USAF has a test range on the island so driving directly to the wreck is not possible without permission from the base. However the state of Florida owns the land to the high tide mark so it is possible to walk to the site from either part of the island.

 

[Jolly Mon]

Thanks for a cool post. Here are some contemporary newspaper clippings...

 

[F-4MxOfficer]

Thanks for the articles. The rescue story may have been a little over the top as the crew could have likely just waded ashore on the sandy bottom. The Bean also had a small boat hanging from davits off the stern. It has been lowered in the photo at the top of the thread.

Don't know what of value would remain on the ship today, but would be fun to spend the day snorkeling around it.

The companion ship, the Annie C. Ross, remained in service until the 1940s when she was laid up. In the 50s a Boy Scout group was planning on restoring her and making a training ship but she sank at a dock on the north shore of Long Island, NY.

 

[Jolly Mon]

Thanks for the articles. The rescue story may have been a little over the top as the crew could have likely just waded ashore on the sandy bottom. The Bean also had a small boat hanging from davits off the stern. It has been lowered in the photo at the top of the thread.

Don't know what of value would remain on the ship today, but would be fun to spend the day snorkeling around it.

The companion ship, the Annie C. Ross, remained in service until the 1940s when she was laid up. In the 50s a Boy Scout group was planning on restoring her and making a training ship but she sank at a dock on the north shore of Long Island, NY.

I am sure there are lots of cool relics associated with the ship. Here she is (the red line is 225 feet):



The first image is from 1300 feet.
The second image gives you a general idea of her location...30 23' 18.41" N/ 86 46' 41.80" W

 

[F-4MxOfficer]

The C.A. Thayer is a three-masted wooden schooner that is preserved in San Francisco by the NPS. It is almost exactly the size of the Bean. Just google "C.A. Thayer San Francisco photos" to get a sense of how big these schooners really are.

 

[phjohnso]

A cousin of mine found this posting - This schooner belonged to my Great Grandfather Augustine Johnson. He was from Saba. He was a sea captain his whole life and he had another ship just like this one. He died in 1960 when he was 98 years old, I was only 3 or 4 at the time, he lived with us and is buried in Providence Rhode Island across the street from where I was born. If anyone has more information about him or his ships please post them so I may have the privilege of reading about it.

Thank you

here is a picture i have of her under sail



and another picture of her moored off Saba