- Maritime accidents and mishaps were discovered to have occurred over the past 100-plus years in the waters on the Groton side of the Thames River.
- Documenting and describing all of the incidents discovered would be impossible to cover in this article so here are the more unusual and remarkable ones.
While researching the subject of relating to ships going aground at Eastern Point’s Black Rock ledge, many other interesting and “newsworthy” maritime accidents and mishaps were discovered to have occurred over the past 100-plus years in the waters on the Groton side of the Thames River, reports The Day.
Aground Ships Story
Shortly after the article about the ships going aground on Black Rock at Eastern Point was published, my good friend Bill Scarano relayed that sometime in the spring of 1949, while he and his father were painting a house at Eastern Point Beach, they heard a loud crash and immediately observed that the large steel ferry boat Orient, a converted World War II military landing craft, had run aground on the rocks in back of the present beach’s Tyler House.
An Evening Day newspaper article dated May 18, 1949, reported that the ferry, which was not carrying any passengers, went aground at the beach about 1 p.m. as it was enroute, in a heavy fog, from Long Island to New London. The report indicated that the ship was only about eight yards offshore in about two and a half feet of water and “the bow struck practically in the front door of the beach house at the park.”
Damages & Accidents
The ferry, which was only slightly damaged, remained on the rocks for only a few hours and refloated after being towed off at high tide. Fortunately, at the time of this mishap, the weather was foggy and attendance at the beach was small, as it was not officially open for the season.
Over the years several of the accidents and mishaps on the Thames River involved U.S. Navy ships. Two of the more visible incidents involved large vessels.
Navy Destroyer’s Grounding
On Oct. 10, 1948, at about 7:30 in the morning, the 300-foot Navy Destroyer Roper (designated 147), while maneuvering from anchorage in the river, traveled to the east shore and became grounded in the riverbed just north of the Electric Boat Company. Fortunately, the ship grounded in the mud and came to rest just short of the ship’s bow striking a large pile of rocks lining the shoreline.
It was said that the destroyer’s bow was so close to shore that a person could slide down a rope tied to the bow to shore without touching the water.
By all indications it appeared that the cause of the grounding was a “stuck throttle” or “personnel error” wherein someone mistakenly powered the vessel forward instead of reverse, after a signal to power astern had been given.
Vessel Set Free
Several unsuccessful attempts were made to free the ship from the bottom by tugboats from the Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corp. and the Thames Shipyard, Inc. The Navy’s submarine rescue vessel Falcon, from Groton’s Submarine Base, responded to the scene and divers placed lines on the destroyer to assist pulling it free when the tide became full. A small tanker also responded to the scene and removed fuel from the ship to make her lighter.
Shortly after 3 p.m., almost eight hours after grounding, the ship was made free from the bottom.
Navy Craft Incident
The second spectacular accident involving a Navy craft occurred on March 4, 1947, when the 103-foot Navy transport ship APC-87, carrying a crew of 16, went aground on rocks just off the [old] Griswold Hotel wharf in Groton.
The ship was being towed by a Navy tugboat from Newport, RI to the Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn, N.Y., for overhaul, when it encountered a late winter storm producing ice, rain and snow, driven by winds reaching close to hurricane strength.
Transport Ship Aground
Upon reaching Fishers Island Sound and, in an effort to escape the fury of the storm, the tug, with the transport ship in tow, decided to take overnight refuge from the storm in the Thames River harbor. After anchoring for 10 hours, the boats raised anchor and began to continue their voyage to New York. As the ship began to depart the harbor, the towline between the tug and the APC-87 parted. Fortunately, the tug was able to secure the 103-foot transport and both ships returned to anchorage in the harbor. Both ships remained at anchor until the following day, when again an attempt was made to continue their trip. Unfortunately, and ironically, shortly after taking up anchor, with the winds still blowing a gale, the towline between the tug and transport ship again separated. This time the tug was unable to secure the transport ship and high winds pushed the ship ashore where she rammed the Griswold Hotel wharf and then went aground on a large rock ledge nearby.
Remove from Struck
The task of removing the transport from the rocks was no easy feat. First, repairs had to be made to several puncture holes in the bow, caused when the ship struck pilings at the Griswold wharf and the ship being pounded by waves on the rocks.
It was then necessary to remove all unnecessary cargo and equipment to make the ship lighter. Finally, five days after going aground, the tug Resolute out of New York was able to pull the cargo ship free from the rock island.
Once free, additional repairs to the ship were made and she was towed to her original destination.
Another Thames Ship Accident
Another ship accident caused by adverse weather conditions occurred on the Groton side of the Thames River on Oct. 14, 1927 when heavy winds and extraordinary high-water tides tore the privately owned 46-foot, 12-ton steam ferry Coryell from her moorings near the New London Ship & Engine Company (now the Electric Boat Corporation). After breaking away from her mooring, the winds carried the boat upriver where it crashed and sank on the rocky area near the Groton Water and Light Company building on Thames Street. The boat was subsequently patched and refloated.
It is interesting to note that less than four months earlier, the Coryell had been damaged in another marine accident when she struck a high-speed Sea Sled craft that shot across her bow at an estimated 20 mph. Fortunately no one was injured.
Marine Accidents – Then vs Now
As indicated earlier, stories of shipwrecks and marine accidents having occurred in and around the Thames River during the past 100-plus years are endless. As discussed in the article, Groton has certainly experienced its share of these maritime incidents. Fortunately, over the past 50 years or so, there have been numerous technological advancements, including sophisticated radar and advanced weather forecasting equipment. These advancements have contributed to a drastic reduction in the number of marine accidents and mishaps.
Much of Groton history involves maritime traffic and activities on the Thames River. It is hoped that the future history of our community will involve a much lower number of incidents of marine accidents and mishaps.
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Source : The Day
