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Winfield Scott (ship)

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Air & Sea transport

   Winfield Scott color lithograph
   Enlarge
   Winfield Scott colour lithograph

   The Winfield Scott was a sidewheel steamer that transported passengers
   and cargo between San Francisco, California and Panama 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.

History

California Gold Rush

   The discovery of gold 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 jungles 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.

Construction and service

   The Winfield Scott (originally to be named Placer) was constructed by
   the shipbuilding company Westervelt and Mackey 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 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. Its duties, however, did not change
   after this transfer.

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
   bullion 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 previous.

   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. They 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 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 Scott's complement of gold bullion.
   On December 9, the California returned to resuce 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

   Scatter map of the wreckage site
   Enlarge
   Scatter map of the wreckage site

   The remains of the Winfield Scott are located under 25-30 feet of water
   in the Channel Islands National Park 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 made it a dangerous place for navigation.

Legacy

Light beacon

   Shortly after the wreck, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey 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.

Impact on local ecosystem

   One of the lingering effects of the Winfield Scott's wreck was the
   introduction of black rats 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 are 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.

Specifications

     * Three masts, four decks
     * 1,291 gross tons
     * 225 foot overall length, 34 ft. 8 in. beam
     * 29 ft. 2 in. hold depth
     * Hull–Wooden with double iron bracing. Wooden hull was comprised of
       White oak, Live oak, Locust, Redcedar and Georgia yellow pine.
     * Propulsion–Two side-lever steam engines (manufactured by Morgan
       Iron Works) driving two paddle-wheels, assisted by square sails on
       the foremast.
     * Accommodations for 165 cabin and 150 steerage passengers.

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