shipwreck
A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...
off the town of
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States, situated 33 miles north of Miami, Florida, Miami. The town is part of the South Florida metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the populati ...
, United States. She was a cargo
steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
, built in England in 1898. She was wrecked on a reef south of Hillsboro Inlet in 1900.
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
, England, built ''Copenhagen'' as yard number 72. She was launched on 24 February 1898 and completed that March. She was built to a standard design that Priestman sold to various shipowners. Between 1896 and 1899, Priestman built yard numbers 56, 58, 59, 65, 66, 72, 75 and 78 all to the same dimensions, and all with engines of the same size and power.
''Copenhagen''s registered length was , her beam was and her depth was . Her
tonnage
Tonnage is a measure of the capacity of a ship, and is commonly used to assess fees on commercial shipping. The term derives from the taxation paid on '' tuns'' or casks of wine. In modern maritime usage, "tonnage" specifically refers to a cal ...
s were and . She had a single
screw
A screw is an externally helical threaded fastener capable of being tightened or released by a twisting force (torque) to the screw head, head. The most common uses of screws are to hold objects together and there are many forms for a variety ...
, driven by a three-cylinder
triple-expansion engine
A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages.
A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure (HP) Cylinder (engine), cylinder, then ha ...
built by William Allan and Company of Sunderland, that was rated at 312 NHP and gave her a speed of . She also had masts, rigged as a
schooner
A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...
for sailing.
''Copenhagen'' was completed for the Glasgow Shipowners' Company, Ltd, who appointed Glen and Company to manage her. She was registered at
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, Scotland. Her
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
official number
Official numbers are ship identifier numbers assigned to merchant ships by their flag state, country of registration. Each country developed its own official numbering system, some on a national and some on a port-by-port basis, and the formats hav ...
was 108711 and her
code letters
Code letters or ship's call sign (or callsign) Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853"> SHIPSPOTTING.COM >> Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853/ref> were a method of identifying ships before the introduction of modern navigation aids. Later, with the introduction of ...
were QBNL.
Loss
On 20 May 1900 ''Copenhagen'' left
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
carrying almost 5,000 tons of coal for
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...
as far as Florida. On the night of 25–26 May she passed the Jupiter Inlet Light, and her
Master
Master, master's or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
In education:
*Master (college), head of a college
*Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline
*Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...
,
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
William Jones, estimated her to be about offshore. He ordered a course change to south-southeast to keep the ship at least offshore. At about 04:20 hrs Jones retired, leaving his Chief Officer on watch.
At about 09:00 hrs on 26 May, ''Copenhagen'' struck Pompano Dropoff reef south of Hillsboro Inlet. Her engine was immediately stopped, and Jones ordered full astern, but she didn't move.
Two days later, a salvage vessel came to discharge ''Copenhagen''s cargo to help float her off. Local people from ashore were employed to speed up transhipment of the coal. ''Copenhagen'', however, stayed stuck on the reef. Her loss was estimated at $250,000, and her remaining cargo $12,500.
An inquiry found Jones at fault for failing to employ proper navigation, and for not taking soundings with his lead and line. However, due to his excellent record of service, and his co-operation with the investigation, the inquiry decided not to suspend his certificate.
Hillsboro Inlet Light
A
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Ligh ...
for Hillsboro Inlet had been requested every year since 1884. In 1901, the year after ''Copenhagen'' foundered,
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
finally authorised it to be built. Funding was not fully appropriated until 1903. Hillsboro Inlet Light was completed in 1907.
Wreck
''Copenhagen''s wreck is on Pompano Dropoff at a depth varying from . During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
,
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
fighter aircraft used it for
target practice
Target practice is a key part of both military training and shooting sports. It involves exercises where people shoot weapons at specific targets. The main goal is to improve the shooter's accuracy and skill with firearms. Through repeated pra ...
. Spent
50 caliber
This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the to range.
*''Length'' refers to the cartridge case
Case or CASE may refer to:
Instances
* Instantiation (disambiguation), a realization of a concept, theme, or design
* Specia ...
bullets can still be found at the site.
In June 1994 it was declared a Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve. There is a plaque to this effect at the south end of the wreck. On 31 May 2001 it was added to the US
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...