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 The
Cornelia Soule was a 306 ton three-masted schooner. She was bound from Maine to
Philadelphia, heavily loaded with a cargo of cut granite jetty stones at the
time of her demise.
On
April 26, 1902, during a heavy sea and gale force wind, the vessel ran aground
on Rockaway Shoals. Because of the heavy sea, lifesavers could not reach the
schooner until the next morning. At that time, Captain Bennett and his entire
crew of five men were rescued and treated for exposure ailments.
Because
of the cargo she was carrying, this wreck is better known as the Granite Wreck.
She lies inshore and west of the Black Warrior Wreck in 25 feet of water. Most of her
wood hull has become deteriorated or buried, but some ribs and planking can be
seen on the west side of the wreck. The stern can be distinguished by some
remaining steering machinery, but most of the wreck left to be explored is her
cargo of granite slabs. This little wreck has become a good spot for spear
fishing, especially black fish. She has also been a
fairly productive, shallow water site for lobsters.
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Cornelia Soule Shipwreck. Photo courtesy Wreck Valley Collection
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Capt. Phil Senk and Capt. Dan Berg with Dead Eyes recovered from the wreck in 2003
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Capt. Dan Berg and Capt. Ed Slater with small single hole dead eyes from the Cornelia Soule. Photo by Aaron Hirsh
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Side scan sonar image of the Cornelia Soule wreck area. Courtesy Capt. Dan Berg
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Sketch of the Cornelia Soule shipwreck by Dan Berg
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Capt. Berg recovered this dead eye from the Cornelia Soule in 2005. Photo by Ed Slater.
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Photos: Top: Mel Brenner recovered
this beautiful three hole dead eye from the wreck in October 2006. Bottom: Mel
and Capt. Ed Slater display a dead eye, block and tackle and unidentified
artifact after a dive to the Cornelia Soule Shipwreck
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