Graves Lighthouse, with its unique dovetail construction in Boston Harbor.
Wreck of the Zoo Ship, the City of Salisbury
Due to a Charting Mistake, Near Graves Lighthouse in Boston Harbor
Graves Lighthouse is located on a small group of rock ledges called the “Graves” that wreaked havoc with mariners just outside Boston Harbor, eleven miles from the Boston shoreline. During the spring, the area can often be quickly engulfed in thick fog with frequent changes in New England weather. At 113 feet, it is the tallest lighthouse in Boston Harbor.
Captain Owen Morris was guiding the City of Salisbury toward the outer harbor of Boston. The vessel was bound for New York from Calcutta, India, with a cargo of exotic animals (including 40 pythons, 40 cobras, 300 monkeys, and 20 crates of rare birds) estimated at a cost of nearly $2,000,000. The 419-foot steamer was nearing completion of a 10,000-mile voyage from Calcutta, India, to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and now Boston. It had been an arduous journey as a Himalayan bear had escaped before they left port in Calcutta; a king cobra cannibalized its mate while at sea, and in Halifax, twenty-five monkeys escaped. A thick fog engulfed the East Coast from Maine to Massachusetts.
On Saturday, April 23rd, 1938, Captain Owen Morris approached Boston Harbor on what appeared to be a break of sunny weather, but a thick fog suddenly engulfed the area again. Using the government-issued charts, the harbor pilot, Captain Lewis, headed the ship just northeast of Graves Light, as the charts showed there should be 33 feet of water over which the steamer could easily pass. Captain Morris had his crew try to listen for the Graves Light whistle buoy, but not long thereafter, he heard the lookout cry, “Breakers ahead!” Lewis, who was at the wheel, looked over the deck, and through the fog, he saw the breakers.
As he rang the bell to signal the engineers to head at full speed, he tried to swing the wheel hard to avoid the collision, but it was too late, as the steamer lurched to a grinding halt. The vessel had lodged in an uncharted area near the outer section of Graves Ledge, less than half a mile from Graves Lighthouse. The somewhat flattened rocky outcrop was sloped like a ramp facing eastward as the ship rode up the surface and punctured her hull about amidship. It started listing to starboard (to the right side) and settled on the ledge.
Graves Lighthouse as fog lifts from Boston Harbor.
A distress call was sent out as tugboats were sent from the mainland to remove the crew and their cargo of animals. The tugboats spent most of the day safely removing passengers and crew members. A skeleton crew remained aboard to see if anything could be done to lift the vessel off the ledge, but decided it would be too risky with its location on the rocks. In their assessment, they decided to make it more of a salvage operation with the remainder of the cargo. By morning, the steamer had been rotated slightly, pointing from its original northwest position to the northeast, as the ledge acted as a pivot. However, the tide was heading out as the ship lay perched on the reef.
Later that morning, when the tide was at its lowest point, around 11:30 a.m., eight officials were taking a break and discussing plans for the ship below the front of the deck in one of the rooms. Suddenly, they heard what sounded like an explosion, followed by a rattling like a machine gun, as rivets in the central section of the ship started popping out as if they were shot from a cannon. The men raced up to the deck to see a crack appearing across the deck in front of the smokestack. They quickly jumped across towards the stern as the crack continued to widen. When the last man had jumped, the crack had widened to four feet. The ship’s bow started to break away as the gap widened to a seven-foot crevice as it slid forward underwater, settling further over the ledge, but with the pilot house still showing above the water. None of the eight men who escaped were harmed. One of the tugboats stationed nearby tempted fate and evacuated everyone on the wreck as a precaution until it was evident the ship would remain intact.
Graves Lighthouse unique tower.
As the vessel lay on the ledge, it became a local tourist attraction. As the tides and currents continued to pound the wreck in the following days and weeks, the SS City of Salisbury broke in two in front of its smoke stack. By the end of that summer, the forward section had slipped off the ledge into deep water, and then, during an October nor’easter storm, the stern sank the other side of the ledge.
Later, the Coast Guard investigation would clear Captain Morris and his Boston pilot, Captain Lewis at the helm, of any wrongdoing. It found that “Government Chart #246 was incorrect” in indicating over thirty feet of water available, and a portion of the ledge was not mapped correctly.
Exploring Boat Tours to the Graves Lighthouse
The lighthouse is not accessible to the public. However, the Boston Harbor Island Park Service passes close to it on its two-hour narrated Boston Harbor Lighthouse Cruise. Its unique diamond-shaped lantern exterior and stone tower make it one of the more exciting beacons in the area.
Books to Explore
New England’s Haunted Lighthouses: Ghostly Legends and Maritime Mysteries
New England’s Haunted Lighthouses:
Ghostly Legends and Maritime Mysteries
Discover the mysteries of the haunted lighthouses of New England! Uncover ghostly tales of lingering keepers, victims of misfortune or local shipwrecks, lost souls, ghost ships, and more. Many of these accounts begin with actual historical events that later lead to unexplained incidents.
Immerse yourself in the tales associated with these iconic beacons!
The Rise and Demise of the Largest Sailing Ships
The Rise and Demise of the Largest Sailing Ships:
Stories of the Six and Seven-Masted Coal Schooners of New England
In the early 1900s, New England shipbuilders constructed the world’s largest sailing ships amid social and political reforms. These giants were the ten original six-masted coal schooners and one colossal seven-masted vessel, built to carry massive quantities of coal and building supplies and measured longer than a football field! This self-published book, balanced with plenty of color and vintage images, showcases the historical accounts that followed these mighty ships.
Available also from bookstores in paperback, hardcover, and as an eBook for all devices.
Book – Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions in Southern New England: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts
Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions of Southern New England:
Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
This 300-page book provides memorable human interest stories from each of the 92 lighthouses, like the rescue of the zoo ship, the Salisbury. You can explore plenty of indoor and outdoor coastal attractions, including whale-watching excursions, lighthouse tours, windjammer sailing tours, parks, museums, and even lighthouses where you can stay overnight. You’ll also find plenty of stories of hauntings around lighthouses.
Book – Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions in Northern New England: New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont
Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions of Northern New England:
New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont.
This 300-page book provides memorable human interest stories from each of the 76 lighthouses. It also describes and provides contact info for plenty of indoor and outdoor coastal attractions and tours. These include whale watching, lighthouse tours, unique parks, museums, and lighthouses where you can stay overnight. There are also stories of haunted lighthouses in these regions.
Copyright © Allan Wood Photography; do not reproduce without permission. All rights reserved.
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