Sibyl Marston (ship)

Sibyl Marston was a wooden schooner cargo ship built by W.A. Boole & Sons of Oakland, California and belonging to the Sibyl Marston Co.[1] Sibyl Marston sank off the coast of Lompoc, California on 12 January 1909.

Sibyl Marston
Sibyl Marston as of 24 February 2010.
History
Owner: Sibyl Marston Co.
Builder: W.A. Boole & Sons
Fate: Sank 12 January 1909
General characteristics
Tonnage: 1,020 GT (est.)
Length: 215 ft (66 m)
Installed power: Triple expansion steam

Overview

On 12 January 1909, Sybil Marston, the largest steam schooner built on the United States West Coast, struck the rocks near Surf Beach, California and ran aground in a storm. She was carrying 1,100,000 board feet (3,000 m3) of lumber. Two crew members were killed in the disaster.[2]

Shortly after the Sybil Marston disaster, Lompoc residents salvaged the lumber and used it to begin a town lumberyard. Several houses built in Lompoc used lumber from the shipwreck.[3]

Surf Beach and its adjoining coastal area was a dangerous place for ship travel in the time before radar navigational systems made seafaring safer. There are about 30 recorded shipwrecks along the Surf Beach coast.

Location

The shipwreck is located 1 mile (2 km) south of the Surf Amtrak Station in Lompoc.

Sources
  • "19th Century Shipbuilders on the Pacific Coast". Shipbuilding History. Retrieved 15 February 2010.

References
  1. "Merchant Work in Coast Yards". Marine review. Penton Publishing Company. 35 (1): 44. 3 January 1907.
  2. Ruhge, Justin M. (2000). Maritime Tragedies on the Santa Barbara Channel. Quantum Imaging Associates.
  3. Nisperos, Neil (29 January 2010). "Merchant steamer ship visible at Surf Beach". Lompoc Record.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.