Posted on 03/23/2016 1:25:55 PM PDT by NRx
The USS Conestoga left the Navy yard at Mare Island, Calif., on Good Friday, 1921, bound for Pearl Harbor, with a complement of 56 sailors.
It cleared the Golden Gate at 3:25 p.m. and steamed into the Gulf of the Farallones in heavy seas. Conestoga was a rugged oceangoing tug that had once hauled coal barges for a Pennsylvania railroad.
But 17 years after its launch in Baltimore, it had undergone hard use and had a reputation as a “wet boat,” one that shipped water easily.
At 4 p.m. that day, as the San Francisco light ship recorded big waves and gale-force winds, Conestoga passed Point Bonita and was not heard from again.
Wednesday, 95 years later, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Navy announced that the wreck has been found a few miles from Southeast Farallon Island, just off the California coast.
The announcement came at a morning ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, attended by relatives of the lost sailors.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Good post..........
I have some too. It’s difficult to believe I was ever that young.
And the island they sank by is Great White central.
The article didn’t say......Did they find any survivors?
Soooo, the USS Indianapolis' demise wasn't unique.No one recognized that the vessel was missing until more than a month had passed and it failed to show up at Pearl Harbor.
It was only in the aftermath of the 15 April 1912 sinking of the Titanic that systematic monitoring of wireless communications was instituted. This was nine years later, and one might think that all ocean going vessels would been equipped for sending out an SOS by then. But, maybe an oceangoing tug seemed like it would not spend much time on a long cruise, and therefore retrofitting a radio transmitter on an existing tug was not a priority. Or else the captain was just not willing to call SOS until he got in over his head and the radio operator did not get the word out. Pretty clear that the crew was done for in any event.The case of the Indianapolis was different in that there was tremendous overshadowing news in the dropping of the A-bombs and the surrender of Japan.
“The article didn’t say......Did they find any survivors?”
Read the title... carefully... :-)
I would say it is not swimmable. The currents are unbelievable. The Golden Gate is one of the worst spots. I have seen large boats at full throttle make little headway against the current.
Thanks, good nugget, although I find cookies useful at times.
Same here ... and I haven't clicked on a WP article in weeks.
Same with NYTimes ... once every once in awhile I'll click on a Maureen Dowd piece to read her latest rant about Dubya ... she has permanent GWB derangement syndrome. Poor girl.
Nike made missiles? Kool!
43 foot Columbia fin keel, blue water boat with 7’ draft, all
sails set and the diesel running, we spent a half an hour directly below the Gate running against the tide.
It would be funny if it wasn’t so frustrating and sometimes scary.
There are a surprising number of warships that have just vanished with all hands not to mention a tremendous amount of civilian vessels. Most in the sailing era of course.
The Continental Navy/ US Navy has quite a few, the Cyclops being the most famous.
WP is a rag.
You have to be kidding!
Very interesting!
Yep, We hit the patch with an out going tide and an off shore wind, mainsail and 7/8 genny full out, Changed undies when
we docked.
Seagoing tugs haul drilling rigs all over the world.
Navy ping.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.