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Winfield Scott (ship)
Encyclopedia
The SS Winfield Scott was a sidewheel steamer
that transported passengers and cargo between San Francisco, California
and Panama
in the early 1850s, during the California Gold Rush
. After entering a heavy fog
off the coast of Southern California on the evening of December 1, 1853, the ship crashed into Middle Anacapa Island
. All 450 passengers and crew survived, but the ship was lost.
The Winfield Scott has been the object of numerous salvage operations since the crash, and currently rests underwater as part of the Channel Islands National Park
and Marine Sanctuary
. The wreck site of the Winfield Scott is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
at Sutter's Mill
in 1848 brought thousands of people to California
in search of fortune until the late 1850s. Since neither the Panama Canal
nor the First Transcontinental Railroad
had been constructed, people emigrating to California from the Eastern United States
had three main routes of passage. They could travel over land, which was expensive and dangerous, or they could sail the roughly 14,000-mile route around South America. This was more attractive to some but no less dangerous, due in part to the rough waters of the Drake Passage
. In addition to the inherent dangers of either route, the journey often took as long as six months to complete.
The third route involved traversing the jungle
s of the Isthmus of Panama
, then departing via the southern coast of Panama. While this cut the length of the sea journey in half, ships to ferry passengers from Panama to San Francisco were not commonplace. As a result, many had to wait months to complete the second half of their journey. To fill this growing need for swift passage from Panama to California, shipbuilding activities increased dramatically.
company Westervelt and MacKay of New York, and was completed in March 1850. The ship was named for the celebrated United States Army
general Winfield Scott
(the stern
was built with a bust
in his likeness), and it was launched on October 22, 1850. An announcement in the October 20 edition of the New York Herald
stated that "We understand that no expense has been spared to secure strength, safety and speed..."
The steamer, owned by Davis, Brooks and Company, initially transported passengers on the New York-New Orleans
route. In 1852, the ship's ownership was transferred to the New York and San Francisco Steamship Company Line, and it arrived in San Francisco on April 28, 1852. Once there, it began taking gold seekers, nicknamed argonauts, on the Panama Route (between San Francisco and Panama). After the demise of the New York and San Francisco Steamship Company Line (which had been renamed as the New York and California Steamship Company in May 1853), the ship's ownership was again transferred on July 8, 1853, this time to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company
.
worth an estimated US $2 million. The ship's progress was slowed in the afternoon when repairs had to be made to a leaking boiler, but it had resumed course at full speed. Later that evening, Captain Simon F. Blunt navigated the ship into the Santa Barbara Channel
in an effort to save time. Captain Blunt knew the channel well, having helped survey the area a few years previously.
At approximately 11 PM, the ship encountered a heavy fog, and ran aground into Middle Anacapa Island (approximately 400 miles from port). Its speed at the time of the wreck was estimated at 10 knots. It struck the island bow
first, and when Capt. Blunt attempted to back away the stern was struck, removing the ship's rudder
. With the ship taking on massive amounts of water and unable to steer, all aboard began scrambling for land. The ship was completely evacuated in approximately two hours, and the survivors spent the first night camped on a pinnacle of rock that measured 50 yards long by 25 yards wide. The next day they moved to a larger piece of land on the island.
One of the passengers, Asa Cyrus Call, recalled "a terrible jar and crashing of timbers...I hurried out on deck, where my attention was fixed on a wall of towering cliffs, the tops of which were hidden by the fog and darkness and appeared about to fall and crush us. All round was the loud booming of angry breakers surging about invisible rocks."
On December 2, the steamship SS California, returning to San Francisco from Panama, was alerted to the presence of the wreck survivors by the smoke of a gun they had fired. The California rescued the women and children, as well as the Winfield Scotts complement of gold bullion. On December 9, the California returned to rescue the remaining passengers. The crew stayed behind to recover as much of the mail and passenger luggage as possible. The Winfield Scott, however, had sustained too much damage and was left in the waters of the channel.
and Marine Sanctuary
. The wreckage site was verified in 1981 and was registered with the National Register of Historic Places
in 1988. The site is protected by California and United States law, which prohibits divers from removing any part of the wreckage.
A salvage
operation was undertaken in 1894, utilizing the San Pedro. Much of the iron machinery, as well as hundreds of copper bolts, were recovered. An additional salvage operation during World War II
recovered additional iron and brass for the war effort
.
The remaining wreckage is considered important from an historical perspective, as it represents a tangible example of mid-19th century shipbuilding. Although much of the wooden hull has long since disintegrated, some of the machinery is still relatively intact.
Between 1853 and 1980, more than 140 shipwrecks were documented in the Channel Islands National Park Marine Sanctuary. As of December 2000, twenty sites had been located. The prevailing currents and weather conditions of the area make it a dangerous place for navigation.
recommended that a permanent lighthouse
facility be built on Anacapa Island. Due to a lack of funding, the installation (an unmanned acetylene beacon
on a fifty-foot tower) was not constructed until 1912. The tower was replaced by a lighthouse in 1932.
s to the local ecosystem
of the Channel Islands
. The black rats were a major disruption to the local wildlife on Anacapa Island and are still a problem on San Miguel Island
. The black rats were successfully eradicated from Anacapa Island by 2003, with a controversial program that involved an aerial application of the rodenticide brodifacoum
, the first such eradication in the United States. The program cost nearly $1 million US.
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
that transported passengers and cargo between San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
in the early 1850s, during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. After entering a heavy fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
off the coast of Southern California on the evening of December 1, 1853, the ship crashed into Middle Anacapa Island
Anacapa Island
Anacapa Island is a small volcanic island located about off the coast of Port Hueneme, California, in Ventura County. The Island is composed of a series of narrow islets six miles long, running in a mostly east-west orientation, five miles east of Santa Cruz Island...
. All 450 passengers and crew survived, but the ship was lost.
The Winfield Scott has been the object of numerous salvage operations since the crash, and currently rests underwater as part of the Channel Islands National Park
Channel Islands National Park
- External links :* Official site: * *...
and Marine Sanctuary
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is a reserve area off the Pacific coast of the United States, near California.Established in 1980, the sanctuary in the Santa Barbara Channel is an area of national significance because of its exceptional natural beauty and resources. It has an area of...
. The wreck site of the Winfield Scott is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
California Gold Rush
The discovery of goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
at Sutter's Mill
Sutter's Mill
Sutter's Mill was a sawmill owned by 19th century pioneer John Sutter in partnership with James W. Marshall. It was located in Coloma, California, at the bank of the South Fork American River...
in 1848 brought thousands of people to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in search of fortune until the late 1850s. Since neither the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
nor the First Transcontinental Railroad
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
had been constructed, people emigrating to California from the Eastern United States
Eastern United States
The Eastern United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The first two tiers of states west of the Mississippi have traditionally been considered part of the West, but can be included in the East today; usually in...
had three main routes of passage. They could travel over land, which was expensive and dangerous, or they could sail the roughly 14,000-mile route around South America. This was more attractive to some but no less dangerous, due in part to the rough waters of the Drake Passage
Drake Passage
The Drake Passage or Mar de Hoces—Sea of Hoces—is the body of water between the southern tip of South America at Cape Horn, Chile and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica...
. In addition to the inherent dangers of either route, the journey often took as long as six months to complete.
The third route involved traversing the jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
s of the Isthmus of Panama
Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal...
, then departing via the southern coast of Panama. While this cut the length of the sea journey in half, ships to ferry passengers from Panama to San Francisco were not commonplace. As a result, many had to wait months to complete the second half of their journey. To fill this growing need for swift passage from Panama to California, shipbuilding activities increased dramatically.
Construction and service
The Winfield Scott (originally to be named Placer) was constructed by the shipbuildingShipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
company Westervelt and MacKay of New York, and was completed in March 1850. The ship was named for the celebrated United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
general Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
(the stern
Stern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
was built with a bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
in his likeness), and it was launched on October 22, 1850. An announcement in the October 20 edition of the New York Herald
New York Herald
The New York Herald was a large distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between May 6, 1835, and 1924.-History:The first issue of the paper was published by James Gordon Bennett, Sr., on May 6, 1835. By 1845 it was the most popular and profitable daily newspaper in the UnitedStates...
stated that "We understand that no expense has been spared to secure strength, safety and speed..."
The steamer, owned by Davis, Brooks and Company, initially transported passengers on the New York-New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
route. In 1852, the ship's ownership was transferred to the New York and San Francisco Steamship Company Line, and it arrived in San Francisco on April 28, 1852. Once there, it began taking gold seekers, nicknamed argonauts, on the Panama Route (between San Francisco and Panama). After the demise of the New York and San Francisco Steamship Company Line (which had been renamed as the New York and California Steamship Company in May 1853), the ship's ownership was again transferred on July 8, 1853, this time to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company
Pacific Mail Steamship Company
The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was founded April 18, 1848 as a joint stock company under the laws of the State of New York by a group of New York City merchants, William H. Aspinwall, Edwin Bartlett, Henry Chauncey, Mr. Alsop, G.G. Howland and S.S. Howland...
.
Last voyage
The Winfield Scott, bound for Panama, departed from San Francisco on the morning of December 1, 1853. In addition to its complement of passengers and crew, the ship was transporting a shipment of gold bullionPrecious metal
A precious metal is a rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical element of high economic value.Chemically, the precious metals are less reactive than most elements, have high lustre, are softer or more ductile, and have higher melting points than other metals...
worth an estimated US $2 million. The ship's progress was slowed in the afternoon when repairs had to be made to a leaking boiler, but it had resumed course at full speed. Later that evening, Captain Simon F. Blunt navigated the ship into the Santa Barbara Channel
Santa Barbara Channel
The Santa Barbara Channel is a portion of the Pacific Ocean which separates the mainland of California from the northern Channel Islands. It is generally south of the city of Santa Barbara, and west of the city of Ventura....
in an effort to save time. Captain Blunt knew the channel well, having helped survey the area a few years previously.
At approximately 11 PM, the ship encountered a heavy fog, and ran aground into Middle Anacapa Island (approximately 400 miles from port). Its speed at the time of the wreck was estimated at 10 knots. It struck the island bow
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
first, and when Capt. Blunt attempted to back away the stern was struck, removing the ship's rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
. With the ship taking on massive amounts of water and unable to steer, all aboard began scrambling for land. The ship was completely evacuated in approximately two hours, and the survivors spent the first night camped on a pinnacle of rock that measured 50 yards long by 25 yards wide. The next day they moved to a larger piece of land on the island.
One of the passengers, Asa Cyrus Call, recalled "a terrible jar and crashing of timbers...I hurried out on deck, where my attention was fixed on a wall of towering cliffs, the tops of which were hidden by the fog and darkness and appeared about to fall and crush us. All round was the loud booming of angry breakers surging about invisible rocks."
On December 2, the steamship SS California, returning to San Francisco from Panama, was alerted to the presence of the wreck survivors by the smoke of a gun they had fired. The California rescued the women and children, as well as the Winfield Scotts complement of gold bullion. On December 9, the California returned to rescue the remaining passengers. The crew stayed behind to recover as much of the mail and passenger luggage as possible. The Winfield Scott, however, had sustained too much damage and was left in the waters of the channel.
Wreckage and salvage
The remains of the Winfield Scott are located under 25–30 feet of water in the Channel Islands National ParkChannel Islands National Park
- External links :* Official site: * *...
and Marine Sanctuary
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is a reserve area off the Pacific coast of the United States, near California.Established in 1980, the sanctuary in the Santa Barbara Channel is an area of national significance because of its exceptional natural beauty and resources. It has an area of...
. The wreckage site was verified in 1981 and was registered with the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1988. The site is protected by California and United States law, which prohibits divers from removing any part of the wreckage.
A salvage
Marine salvage
Marine salvage is the process of rescuing a ship, its cargo, or other property from peril. Salvage encompasses rescue towing, refloating a sunken or grounded vessel, or patching or repairing a ship...
operation was undertaken in 1894, utilizing the San Pedro. Much of the iron machinery, as well as hundreds of copper bolts, were recovered. An additional salvage operation during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
recovered additional iron and brass for the war effort
War effort
In politics and military planning, a war effort refers to a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and human—towards the support of a military force...
.
The remaining wreckage is considered important from an historical perspective, as it represents a tangible example of mid-19th century shipbuilding. Although much of the wooden hull has long since disintegrated, some of the machinery is still relatively intact.
Between 1853 and 1980, more than 140 shipwrecks were documented in the Channel Islands National Park Marine Sanctuary. As of December 2000, twenty sites had been located. The prevailing currents and weather conditions of the area make it a dangerous place for navigation.
Light beacon
Shortly after the wreck, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic SurveyU.S. National Geodetic Survey
National Geodetic Survey, formerly called the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey , is a United States federal agency that defines and manages a national coordinate system, providing the foundation for transportation and communication; mapping and charting; and a large number of applications of science...
recommended that a permanent lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
facility be built on Anacapa Island. Due to a lack of funding, the installation (an unmanned acetylene beacon
Beacon
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location.Beacons can also be combined with semaphoric or other indicators to provide important information, such as the status of an airport, by the colour and rotational pattern of its airport beacon, or of...
on a fifty-foot tower) was not constructed until 1912. The tower was replaced by a lighthouse in 1932.
Impact on local ecosystem
One of the lingering effects of the Winfield Scotts wreck was the introduction of black ratBlack Rat
The black rat is a common long-tailed rodent of the genus Rattus in the subfamily Murinae . The species originated in tropical Asia and spread through the Near East in Roman times before reaching Europe by the 1st century and spreading with Europeans across the world.-Taxonomy:The black rat was...
s to the local ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
of the Channel Islands
Channel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
. The black rats were a major disruption to the local wildlife on Anacapa Island and are still a problem on San Miguel Island
San Miguel Island
San Miguel Island is the westernmost of California's Channel Islands, located across the Santa Barbara Channel in the Pacific Ocean, within Santa Barbara County, California. San Miguel is the sixth-largest of the eight Channel Islands at , including offshore islands and rocks. Prince Island, off...
. The black rats were successfully eradicated from Anacapa Island by 2003, with a controversial program that involved an aerial application of the rodenticide brodifacoum
Brodifacoum
Brodifacoum is a highly lethal vitamin K antagonist anticoagulant poison. In recent years, it has become one of the world's most widely used pesticides...
, the first such eradication in the United States. The program cost nearly $1 million US.
Specifications
- Three mastMast (sailing)The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
s, four deckDeck (ship)A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
s - 1,291 gross tons
- 225 foot overall length, 34 ft. 8 in. beam
- 29 ft. 2 in. holdHold (ship)thumb|right|120px|View of the hold of a container shipA ship's hold is a space for carrying cargo. Cargo in holds may be either packaged in crates, bales, etc., or unpackaged . Access to holds is by a large hatch at the top...
depth - Hull–Wooden with double ironIronIron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
bracing. Wooden hull was made of White oakWhite oakQuercus alba, the white oak, is one of the pre-eminent hardwoods of eastern North America. It is a long-lived oak of the Fagaceae family, native to eastern North America and found from southern Quebec west to eastern Minnesota and south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Specimens have been...
, Live oakLive oakLive oak , also known as the southern live oak, is a normally evergreen oak tree native to the southeastern United States...
, LocustLocustLocusts are the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. These are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory...
, RedcedarThuja plicataThuja plicata, commonly called Western or pacific red cedar, giant or western arborvitae, giant cedar, or shinglewood, is a species of Thuja, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae native to western North America...
and GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
yellow pinePinus classificationThere are three main subgenera of Pinus, the subgenus Strobus , the subgenus Ducampopinus , and the subgenus Pinus...
. - Propulsion–Two side-lever steam engines (manufactured by the Morgan Iron WorksMorgan iron worksThe Morgan Iron Works was a 19th century manufacturing plant for marine steam engines located in New York City, United States. Originally founded as T. F...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
), driving two paddle-wheels, assisted by square sails on the foremast. - Accommodations for 165 cabinCabin (ship)A cabin or berthing is an enclosed space generally on a ship or an aircraft. A cabin which protrudes above the level of a ship's deck may be referred to as a "deckhouse."-Sailing ships:...
and 150 steerageSteerageSteerage is the act of steering a ship. "Steerage" also refers to the lowest decks of a ship.-Steerage and steerage way:The rudder of a vessel can only steer the ship when water is passing over it...
passengers.
External links
- Video gallery with a clip of a diver exploring the Winfield Scott wreck
- Excerpts from passenger Asa Cyrus Call's diary
- Navigating the Channel Islands - Features an interactive game allowing the player to assume command of the Winfield Scott.