Lofthus (shipwreck)

The Lofthus (also known as the Cashmere) is a Norwegian shipwreck (which sank in 1898) near Boynton Beach, Florida, United States. Built in 1868 in Sunderland, England, the iron-hulled vessel was originally christened Cashmere and rigged as a three masted barque. She was equipped with false gun ports to ward off pirates. After a career in the East Indian trade Cashmere was sold to a Norwegian firm, renamed Lofthus, and used in the American trade. She was sunk in a terrible storm on February 4, 1898, en route to Buenos Aires. Her crew of 16 and the ship's cat and dog were rescued by the passing vessel Three Friends, which was smuggling guns to Cuba. The wreck of the Lofthus is located three-quarters of a mile north of Boynton Inlet, 175 yards offshore from Manalapan. On January 6, 2004, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It also became the eighth Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve the same year.

Lofthus (shipwreck)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve No. 8
Atlantic Ocean, looking towards site of shipwreck
Location	Palm Beach County, Florida, USA
Nearest city	Boynton Beach, Florida
Coordinates	26°33′46″N 80°02′18″W
NRHP reference No.	03001363
FUAP No.	8
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	January 6, 2004
Designated FUAP	2004

References

• Palm Beach County listings at National Register of Historic Places
• Lofthus at Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
• The Lofthus Wreck Site at Marine Archaeological Research & Conservation, Inc.
• Lofthus Shipwreck Named Palm Beach County's First Underwater Archaeological Preserve at Historical Society of Palm Beach County
• Local Diving - Ship Wrecks - Lofthus at Splashdown Divers
• Museums in the Sea Lofthus
• Dive Spot: The Wreck of the Lofthus
• National Park Service - Lofthus Shipwreck