''Benjamin F. Packard'' was an American Down Easter ship constructed in 1883. She was the last surviving Down Easter until her

scuttling Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel ...

in 1939.

History

Maritime career

''Benjamin F. Packard'' was launched in

Bath, Maine Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. Bath is included in the Brunswick, Maine, Brunswick Micropolitan statistical area, micropolitan area. Bath has a 2024 population of 8,870. It is also the county seat of Sagadahoc County ...

on November 15, 1883. She was named for her shipwright. She was primarily used as a cargo ship during her career. She held a reputation as a " hell-ship." On April 17, 1911, she was one of three ships that blew ashore in

Chignik, Alaska Chignik (Alutiiq: ) is a city in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. It is two hundred and fifty miles southwest of Kodiak. At the 2020 census the population was 97, up from 91 in 2010. History On April 17, 1911, a gale blew a ...

. She was repaired and returned to service. The ''Benjamin F. Packard'' declined in use in the 1920s, undergoing a final voyage as a barge in 1927. The historic value of the ship was noted at the time, and the press called for her to be saved. She was ultimately sold as an "antique" in 1929.

Playland

''Benjamin F. Packard'' was brought to Playland in 1930, where she was repurposed into an attraction. Among other things, she was depicted as a pirate ship and used as a dancing area.

Scuttling

The

1938 New England hurricane The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great Long Island - New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike the United States. The storm formed near th ...

seriously damaged the ''Benjamin F. Packard''. It was determined that the ship could not be saved. She was scuttled off of

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...

on May 18, 1939. Parts of her can still be seen at Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary in

Rye, New York Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, within the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. It received its charter as a city in 1942, making it the most recent such charter in the state. Its area of ...

at low tide.

Legacy

The cabin and its furnishings were saved and were taken by

Mystic Seaport Mystic Seaport Museum (founded as Marine Historical Association) is a maritime museum in Mystic, Connecticut, and the largest in the United States. Its site holds a collection of ships and boats and a re-creation of a 19th-century seaport vill ...

, where they remain to this day. They are used to teach the history of the New England cargo trade. Some artifacts are also at the

Maine Maritime Museum Maine Maritime Museum, formerly the Bath Marine Museum, offers some exhibits about Maine's maritime heritage, culture and the role Maine has played in regional and global maritime activities. Maine Maritime Museum has a large and diverse collecti ...

. The home of her namesake in Bath, Maine was turned into a bed and breakfast. The decision to scuttle rather than save the final Down Easter is used as a case study on why vessels are or are not preserved.

References

External links

*
Benjamin F. Packard
' cabin at

Benjamin F. Packard history
at Benjamin F. Packard House * '' Voyages of the Ship Benjamin F. Packard, 1892–1916'' at the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

{{Authority control Ships built in Bath, Maine 1883 ships Maritime incidents in 1938 Maritime incidents in 1939