Interim Research Report November 12, 2000
New Wreck in Long Island Sound May be Light Vessel # 51, Cornfield Point Lightship
During work with the Connecticut steering committee on shipwreck legislation, I became aware of the wrecking of the Lightship #51, Cornfield Point off of Cornfield Point CT, in 1919. At that time I started research within the sport/wreck diving community and historical records. Research in the 1998-2000 time frame reviled that although the wreck is located south of the Connecticut River in Long Island Sound, it had not been positively located and there were no known dives on the wreck.
Specifics of Light vessel #51
First of class of 4 ships (51, 52, 53, 54)
Built: 1892 Launch date unknown, first trials July 2, 1892
Builder: F.W. Wheeler & Co. West Bay City, Michigan
Cost: $53,325 ($213,300 for 4 ships together)
Dimensions
Length: 118'10"
Beam: 26'9"
Depth of hold: 14'6"
Height of mast: 67' (iron mast 16" dia.)
Displacement: 375 tons
Speed: 6 Knots
Draft: 12'
Construction Details
Hull constructed of 8/16" plate
Bilge Keels 55' long
5 water tight compartments extending to the main deck
3 anchors: 5,000 lb. mushroom, 2,500 lb. bower, 2,000 lb. Harbor
250 fathom of 2" stud link chain
Anchor windless: #6 windless manufactured by American Ship Windless Co. Providence RI
Main Engine
Engine manufactured by F.W. Wheeler & Co. West Bay City, Michigan
Fore and Aft Compound
14" & 24" Bores X 16" Stroke
6' iron propeller
Boilers
2 Cylindrical Single ended 8' dia. x 9' long
Single 36" corrugated furnace in each boiler
Donkey Boilers for windless and fog horn
Electrical Plant (as built)
2 Horizontal 8 Hp steam engines
2 Compound wound Thomson-Houston dynamos each 60 amp @ 110 volts (70 psi steam)
8 100 candle power lamps on the masts (Lens magnification to 1000 candle power)
20 16 candle power lamps for ship task lighting
Notable Firsts
1st ship with an iron hull for the light service
1st Lightship built on the Great Lakes for coast service
1st Lightship to be self propelled
1st Lightship to be electrically powered
1st Lightship to have a Hawse pipe located on the centerline (45° angle)
Other Notes
Coal Bunker: 52 tons
Equipped with a submarine signal bell in 1906 (see photos & a story)
Light Vessel #51 was the subject of a one page article in American Scientific, vol. 67, No. 7, Aug. 13, 1892, page 102
Station Assignments:
1892-1894: Cornfield Point (CT)
1894-1908: Sandy Hook (NY)
1908-1919: Relief, 3d district
Fate
Sunk on 4/24/1919 after being struck by the Secony Oil Co. barge #58 while under tow by the Standard Oil Co. Tug Standard. Lightship #51 sank within 8 minutes.
Standard Oil Co. Paid compensation for the loss which was used for construction of Light vessel #111.
Search
On November 8, 2000 a search team was assembled for the search for the wreck. The team consisted of local wreck divers, representatives from Klein Associates, The Connecticut State Archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni, and a camera crew from the local NBC affiliate WVIT Channel 30 Hartford.
The search was conducted with a Klein System 2000 digital sonar connected with a Trimble NT300D differential GPS. The search area included three positions that might have been the position of the lightship at the time of sinking.
The search consisted of east-to west scans with the sonar sweeping 200 meters each side per sweep. The wreck was located after a full day. A detailed scan of the wreck was obtained and is included on the next page with a photo.
Dives
On November 12th a two-man dive team (Peter Venoutsos & Peter Johnson) dove the wreck. The team tied into the wreck on the extreme stern and investigated along the port side for approximately 40'. In that distance the team located what appeared to be two large kerosene or gasoline engines and what is assumed to be a boom support for the aft sail rig. Records for two-sister ship record the replacement of the steam electrical generator engines with kerosene engines and all 4 ships in this class retained their backup sail rigging into the 1920's.
Diving Conditions
The currents in the area require diving at only slack water. Visibility on the day of the only dive conducted was 5-8' with no light other then the lights carried by the divers. This wreck is beyond the recommended depth for sport diving and should only be conducted by properly trained and equipped divers.
Future work
It is hoped that during the 2001 dive season the wreck can be documented with still photos and video and the process initiated to place this shipwreck on the list of historic places. In light of this, the exact location of the wreck will not be disclosed until proper protections can be established.
Acknowledgments
I would like to personally thank the following, without whose help the search for this wreck would not have been possible.
Klein Associates - G. Kozak and V. Horan
Boat Captain and diver - Wayne Gordon
Connecticut State Archaeologist - Nick Bellantoni
Divers - Pete Venoutsos, G. Reem
Peter Johnson
Photos
