Great Isaac Light and the reefs around it – Gingerbread Shoals towards Great Stirrup Cay to the east and Moselle Shoals to the west toward Bimini, straddles the dividing line between Gulf Stream and The Bahamas, the Tongue of the Ocean, the Northwest Providence Channel leading east to Europe and points east, and west to Florida, which can be seen by glow at night, it’s that close. On these reefs many vessels have been saved and wrecked, crushed and rescued. This is a sampling of some of them…. Many more may hide their secrets in waters shallow and deep. After all, on any given day hundreds of ships and boats pass by…. Now it’s an abandoned derelict, just bones of its former self, a mummy for the curious, a bombing range during wartime…
The passenger ship Julia Howard was under command of Captain Patterson in December, 1856 ran aground at Gingerbread Shoals between Great Isaac Light and the Berry Islands. She sank in 50 feet of water, with all passengers and cargo saved. Adding loss upon sad loss, the ship Almaretta was voyaging from New England past Bimini South shoals with 765 marble tombstones for federal soldiers in New Orleans. On July 11 of 1875 she sank, off the Banks, taking these remembrances of fallen soldiers with her to the depths, where they were eventually sought by the US government, found, raised and shipped back to the right cemeteries. That same year the new steam ship Life Brigade of 1,512 tons ran aground at Great Isaac and was lost there.
The ship Florence L. Genover was observed on October 29, 1896 by another ship abandoned and a total wreck. A sailing schooner named E. I. White, of 410 tons grounded and wrecked at Great Isaac in 1901. In 1908 the 926-ton schooner Horace W. Macomber ran aground and wrecked on the banks north of Bimini. At the north tip of Alice Town, the yacht Inishowen also met its end, followed in 1942 by a 173-ton fishing trawler names Seminole, but in the deep water in the Gulf Stream.
The motor ship Monster met its end in the same ledge in 1955. The fishing vessel Coral Reef II which was on a voyage between Bimini and Orange Cay, west of Andros, in 1969 when it was lost in deep Bahamian waters. Another motorized fishing trawler, the Outbound, sank near Orange Cay. In 1974 a humble dredger – think a tractor on land – named Miami was working on Bimini Ocean Cay when it sank in deep water, probably sliding off a barge as had equipment during the establishment of the Morton salt works in Great Inagua.
In 1981 the sailing boat named Speaker met its fate west of Alice Town after it foundered in deep waters. A motor ship, the Aristeo of 240 tons, was lost in 1987 at Great Isaac Light, when it capsized. In 1990 the 181-ton diesel cargo ship Gallant Lady was wrecked just north of Alice Town. Then, there is the supernatural, as told by Steven Danforth Singer in Ghosts of Great Issac Light, the Elijah Swift Shipwreck. Singer relates how the 391-ton, Maine-built bark Elijah Swift of New York arrived at Great Isaac Light and anchored nearby in late October, 1849 while on a voyage to New Orleans. Commanded by D. S. Nye was responsible for 39 passengers and his crew. Then the ship began dragging its anchors in heavy weather until the sailing ship “…struck the rocks on the northwest end of the island and began to go to pieces.”
Even though they all managed to get to the rocky islet safely, “many were injured from the sharp rocks due to some having no shoes or little clothing. The storm was getting worse, and the waves were starting to wash over this section of the island. Fearing for their safety, they all started to make their way to the island’s high ground on the southeast side of the island. They only got about 50 yards when a great wave washed 20 of them into the ocean.” Many of the survivors were women and children, and just nine out of 20 avoided being drowned.
Singer relates how in the morning these wretched souls “searched the island for water and any items from the wreck…. To everyone’s amazement, they found a six-week-old baby that had been washed up onto the island who had miraculously survived 26 hours there with only minor cuts and bruises.” They learned that the baby was that of Mrs. N. A. Bailey, and since she was amongst the dead, “…surviving women immediately took the child into their care. They all remained on the island for another two and a half days until rescued by the passing ship Bangor.” The author adds that another ship named Louisiana is believed to have taken off two of the passengers.
Next, Singer tells of a cluster of ships in distress at Great Isaac Light, where they had gathered at anchor like the proverbial moths to light in early February, 1824. There were three sailing vessels, named Marathon (of New Bedford), a brig called Hector, and Perseverance, a sloop, the latter headed from Portsmouth to New Orleans with mixed dry cargoes. By afternoon the weather had swung to the north to the extent that a newcoming vessel “that came too close after dark went on shore first, all hands perished; she was loaded with eastern lumber.” Three hours after midnight two of the three which anchored in calm conditions were also smashed to bits at Great Isaac with Perseverance going first and losing all 15 persons aboard except one man. Realizing the danger, the men on the Hector desperately “….tried to save her as ‘she got her try sail, spanker and the top mast stay-sail on her to try and clear the land, but could not weather it.’”
Singer relates how although four survived, “…the captain, mate, Mr. Harris the owner, and four seamen [were] lost.” Thankfully one ship which was participant and witness, the Marathon under Captain C. H. Robinson brought his ship into order and managed, after the storm died down, to sail into the lee of the island and effectuate the rescue of survivors. (Steven Singer, anchorexplorations.com/great-issac). Great Isaacs and the surrounding shoals – Moselle, Gingerbread, and cays – bring a sense of safety, as well as shelter, salvation and destruction depending on the degree of readiness and harshness of conditions. For one baby Bailey, Isaac brought life and death.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Great Isaac Light. By Steve Singer, Anchor Explorations.
Training brigantine, or brig, for the Royal Navy, HMS Martin, launched 1950. Naval Heritage and History Command.
Great Isaac by drone today, Marinas.com.
The tower today, Facebook.