War put civilian merchant ships at risk as the opposing side sought to disrupt commerce. The Confederate raiders terrorized Yankee shipping on the high seas. The JOSEPH PARK of Searsport was burned by the Confederate privateer SUMTER. A sister ship from Searsport,...
As shipping traffic increased in the 1800s, the number of collisions between ships rose. The reason? “The other guy wasn’t paying attention and hit me” or “I had the right of way!” The rules of the road (sailing vessels with less...
As one can imagine, wooden ships and fire do not make for a good day at sea. Cargoes of case oil, charcoal, guano, and lime were prone to catching fire, spontaneously combusting or smoldering. Numerous vessels met their demise carrying these cargos. The ship...
