Edward Rich

Description: schooner, wood.
Dimensions: length 79.5 ft., width 22.6 ft., depth 7.8 ft.
Tonnage: gross 74, other.
Propulsion: sail.
Machinery:
Cargo: paving blocks.

The Shipwreck

Date Sunk: August 30, 1899.
Cause: stranded
Location: Sandy Bay Breakwater (eastern end), Cape Ann.
Coordinates: latitude 42° - 40' - 39" N; longitude 70° - 35' - 25" W.
Loran:

     It was a foggy evening when the coasting schooner Edward Rich finally left the Cape Ann Granite Company dock after loading a cargo of paving blocks for Boston purchasers. While exiting Pigeon Cove harbor, the vessel struck the eastern end of the Sandy Bay Breakwater. Hitting the rocks hard, its hull was badly crushed and soon filled with water. By morning, all but a small portion of the schooner's bow was completely submerged. Hopelessly damaged, the Edward Rich was abandoned to the wreckers.

Dive Site Conditions

Depth in feet:
Visibility in feet:

Historical Background

Constructed: in 1867 at Chelsea, Massachusetts.
Construction details: Oak; Iron & Copper Fastenings.
Crew: Master: John Paschal.
Owners: H.P. Halma.
Home or Hailing Port: Boston, Massachusetts.
Former Name(s) and date(s):
Official number: 7097 Country: U.S.A.
Other Comments:

Salvage

Initially wreckers removed the vessel's sails and rigging.

Sources:
Boston Globe; August 30, 1899
Merchant Vessels of the United States; 1899
The Record, "American Lloyds," American Bureau of Shipping; 1899