Stephen Whitney

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Stephen-Whitney.jpg

Accident type : Ran Aground
Vessel involved: Stephen Whitney
Location: West Calf Island
Date : November 10, 1847
Casualties: 92 people

VESSEL INFO:

Name: Stephen Whitney
Type: Ocean liner
propulsion: Sailing ship
Tonnage: 1034 tons

Stephen Whitney was a passenger carrying sailing ship which was wrecked on West Calf Island off the southern coast of Ireland on 10 November 1847 with the loss of 92 of the 110 passengers and crew aboard.  She was a packet ship in Robert Kermit’s Red Star Line.  The ship was named after a Kermit investor, New York merchant Stephen Whitney.

The 1034 ton ship left New York on 18 October for Liverpool carrying passengers and a cargo which included corn, raw cotton, cheese, resin and 20 boxes of clocks. On 10 November in thick fog the captain, C.W. Popham, mistook the Crookhaven lighthouse for the one at the Old Head of Kinsale.  At around 10 pm the ship struck the western tip of West Calf Island, completely breaking up within about ten minutes.

The loss of the ship triggered the decision to replace the Cape Clear Island lighthouse with one on Fastnet Rock.

Source: Wikipedia