Two Historic Schooners Sink in Brooklyn Canal, Raising Heritage Concerns
Two historic schooners, including one on the Maine quarter, sank in a Brooklyn canal; salvage efforts are uncertain.
Two storied schooners, the Pilot and the Victory Chimes, have sunk in an inlet off the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, New York City, prompting concern among maritime heritage advocates. The vessels, which together have served in wartime, hosted Jacques Cousteau, and appeared on a US state quarter, went down in early July while docked on the Brooklyn waterfront.
The 121-foot Pilot, over a century old, once ferried pilots in Boston Harbor and later served as an educational vessel. The 128-foot Victory Chimes, built in 1900, is the ship depicted on the 2003 Maine state quarter and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Both are owned by Crew, a New York City-based company that converts historic vessels into floating bars and restaurants.
The exact cause of the sinkings remains undetermined, though strong squalls occurred around that time. Crew's CEO, Alex Pincus, said the company is working with insurers and salvage experts to assess options. Raising wooden vessels of this size is highly complex, he noted, and the boats remain submerged while planning continues.
Maritime community members have called for accountability and a commitment to salvage. Brad Vogel of the Gowanus Dredgers canoe club called the potential loss "a shame" and "in some ways unforgivable," adding that people in Maine and New York want answers. Steve Bromage of the Maine Historical Society described the loss as "heartbreaking" because the Victory Chimes is the last surviving Chesapeake ram, a type of flat-bottomed schooner.
Salvage and restoration would be difficult and costly, partly because the original timber is no longer readily available, said Charlie Weidman of Charlie's Marine Service in Rockland, Maine. He was critical of the owners' motives, suggesting they were more interested in profit than preservation. Amanda Pleau of the Maine Maritime Museum noted that such old schooners are rare, making their loss especially significant.
The vessels had been relocated from Brooklyn Bridge Park to Henry Street Basin near the Gowanus Canal, a federal Superfund site. Officials from the Coast Guard, New York City, and the park corporation did not respond to requests for comment.