CYLDE LINER MOHAWK

The Ward Line cruise ship, Mohawk, was built in October, 1926, at Newport News Ship Building & Drydock Co. She was 387.5 feet long, 54.3 feet wide, had 4,200 ihp turbine engines and displaced 5,896 gross tons.

Under the command of Captain J. E. Wood, the Mohawk left New York on January 24, 1935. She was carrying 53passengers, 110 crew members and a general cargo. Shortly after leaving port, and within one eighth of a mile of the freighter, Talisman, the Mohawk's automatic steering device went haywire. At the time, she was steaming at her full speed of 14 knots. Although this alone would not explain why the Norwegian freighter, Talisman, smashed through her port side, some say the Mohawk's lights also failed.  Almost immediately after the collision the Mohawk started to  list heavily to her  port side. At least two survivors report they saw Captain J. E. Wood still on the bridge of the sinking ship during her last moments. Within an hour she was on the bottom, leaving her survivors to endure the bitter cold water.

The rescue ships, Algonquin and Limon, picked up a total of six life boats with just over 100 survivors. A total of 46 people were killed, 16 passengers and 30 crew, mostly due to exposure to the near freezing temperature.

In July of 1935, for navigational reasons the Army Corp's of Engineers blasted and wire dragged the wreck to a depth of 50 feet.

Today, the Mohawk lies in 80 feet of water, eight miles east of Manasquan Inlet. Her structure rises 20 feet off the bottom and supplies a home for all kinds of aquatic life. This wreck is massive with her hull plates twisted into unrecognizable patterns. Bow provides the highest relief.

Photo by Herb Segars: An ocean sunfish, Mola mola, swims over the Mohawk which lies off the coast of New Jersey, USA in 75' of water.

This creamer was recovered from the Mohawk wreck by the late Ronald J. Bailey, Sr., of Tuckerton, New Jersey. His daughter sent it to me for inclusion on this page.

Image below: Mohawk's bow. Photo courtesy Brandon http://downtoolong.com
 

Mohawk Shipwreck. Courtesy Dan Berg Wreck Valley Collection	George Hoffmans artifacts from Mohawk Wreck. Photo by Dan Berg	Capt. Ed Slater with a silver cup from the Mohawk Shipwreck. Photo by Dan Berg	George Hoffman and crew with dishes from the Mohawk Shipwreck.
Diversion II crew with china recovered from the Mohawk wreck.		Artifacts from the Mohawk shipwreck. Photo by Dan Berg

 

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