Home / Disasters and Accidents / Historic Schooners Sink in Polluted NYC Canal
Historic Schooners Sink in Polluted NYC Canal
2 Sep
Summary
- Two historic schooners, the Pilot and Victory Chimes, sank in New York City.
- The vessels were owned by a company operating them as floating bars and restaurants.
- Maritime experts are concerned about the potential loss and the cause of the sinking.
Two historic schooners, the Pilot and the Victory Chimes, have sunk in an inlet near New York City's Gowanus Canal. The Pilot, over a century old, once served in wartime and hosted Jacques Cousteau. The Victory Chimes, dating to 1900, is recognized on the 2003 Maine quarter and is the last surviving Chesapeake ram.
These vessels, owned by a New York City-based company that converts historic ships into floating bars, sank around the time of strong squalls. The exact cause remains undetermined as the company works with insurers and salvage experts on a complex recovery operation.
The maritime community has expressed significant concern, calling for the ships' salvation and an accounting of the sinking. Brad Vogel described the potential loss as a "shame" and "unforgivable," while the Maine Historical Society lamented the impact on maritime heritage.
Restoring the wooden schooners presents immense challenges and high costs due to the scarcity of original building materials. Efforts to turn them into restaurants have been met with skepticism by some in the marine service industry, who question the company's true motives.
Both ships were docked in Brooklyn before their sinking. The Gowanus Canal area is a federal Superfund site, though a cleanup is ongoing. Officials from the Coast Guard, New York City, and Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the incident.
