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 east 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. Most of what divers swim around is her cargo of massive cut granite blocks. 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.  

A few years ago winter storms uncovered the wrecks west side. Moving sand revealed a variety of artifacts including quite a few dead eyes. Because we found both cable and strap mounted dead eyes it can be determined that this little schooner was fully rigged rather than a schooner barge at the time of her sinking.

Cornelia Soule Shipwreck. Photo courtesy Wreck Valley Collection	Capt. Phil Senk and Capt. Dan Berg with Dead Eyes recovered from the wreck in 2003	Capt. Dan Berg and Capt. Ed Slater with small single hole dead eyes from the Cornelia Soule. Photo by Aaron Hirsh	Side scan sonar image of the Cornelia Soule wreck area. Courtesy Capt. Dan Berg
Sketch of the Cornelia Soule shipwreck by Dan Berg	Capt. Berg recovered this dead eye from the Cornelia Soule in 2005. Photo by Ed Slater.

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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