Contributed by Maine Historical Society
- MMN #5739
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Description
This collier ship went aground off the coast near Cape Elizabeth on March 3, 1947. The U.S. Coast Guard mounted a rescue of the crew.
An observer wrote: "I WAS THERE, as a 'witness to history.' Back in 1947 a storm of 80 MPH was simply not severe enough to cancel school that day or any day for that matter. I was a student at Pond Cove Elementary School.
"Bertha Storey, Principal, deemed it important enough to do a 'field trip' to see the wreck out to Two Lights three miles south of the school.
"Our School Bus driver was old Mr. Phinney, he also ran the poor farm. We arrived at about 9 a.m. and a breeches buoy had already been shot from the rocks to the upper bridge deck of the crippled hulk; evacuation had begun.
"It was strange to see each crew member as he swung back and forth like a bag of clothes on a line. The trip from the deck to the rocks must have seemed interminable. Volunteers from the Cape Elizabeth Fire Department and Coast Guard grabbed each grateful soul as his feet hit solid rock, wrapped him in blankets and hurried him to warmth."
About This Item
- Title: Oakey L. Alexander aground, Cape Elizabeth, 1947
- Creation Date: 1947-03-03
- Subject Date: 1947-03-03
- Location: Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland County, ME
- Media: Photographic print
- Dimensions: 21 cm x 25 cm
- Local Code: Photographs--Vessels--Shipwrecks
- Object Type: Image
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- United States. Coast Guard--Rescues
- Rescues--Maine--Cape Elizabeth
- Storms--Maine--Cape Elizabeth--Photographs
- Shipwrecks--Maine--Cape Elizabeth
- Two Lights State Park (Me.)
- Pond Cove Elementary School (Me.)
- Cape Elizabeth Fire Department (Me.)
- Schools--Maine--Field trips
- Fire Departments--Maine--Cape Elizabeth
- Ships--Maine
- Oakey L. Alexander (Ship)--Photographs
- Marine accidents--Maine
People
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website
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