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Alma A. E. Holmes

Coordinates: 42°26′6″N 70°44′54″W / 42.43500°N 70.74833°W / 42.43500; -70.74833
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History
United States
NameAlma A. E. Holmes
OwnerJoseph Holmes
Launched1896
FateSunk after collision, October 10, 1914
General characteristics
TypeSchooner
Tonnage1,200 tons
Length202 ft (62 m)
Beam41 ft (12 m)
Draft18 ft (5.5 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship

The Alma A. E. Holmes was a four-masted schooner that was used to transport coal. She sank on October 10, 1914, following a collision with the steamer Belfast.

The ship

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The Alma Holmes was a 1,200-ton wooden-hulled ship built in 1896 in Camden, Maine, and named after the daughter of owner Joseph Holmes. She was 202 feet long, with a 41-foot beam and an 18-foot draft.

The wreck

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On October 10, 1914, the Alma Holmes carried coal from Norfolk, Virginia, intended for Lehigh Coal Yards in Salem, Massachusetts. While off the coast of Marblehead, Massachusetts, in thick fog, she was hit on the starboard side by the steamer Belfast which smashed straight through the wooden hull of the Holmes. The Belfast had dug so deep into the hull of the Alma Holmes that the captain decided not to reverse until the crew had disembarked. After all crew members had been rescued, the Belfast reversed and in one minute's time the Alma Holmes sank. No one was killed during the episode.

She lies in 160 feet (49 m) of water at approximately 42°26′6″N 70°44′54″W / 42.43500°N 70.74833°W / 42.43500; -70.74833.

[edit]
  • "Hunting New England Shipwrecks". wreckhunter.net.
  • "Alma EA Holmes". northernatlanticdive.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
  • "Wreck of the Alma A. E. Holmes". cptdave.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-07-24.