During the early twentieth century, sailing vessels were the lifelines for island residents. Below are the stories of some of them and their tragic fates. 📚 1912 – SYRIA 1916 – SPIDER 1920s – EAGLE 1923 – LA GRACIA 1930s – TO WINDWARD 1930s – FANCY ME The Courageous Captain Sewer The Danish sloop, Irma II carried mail, supplies, and passengers as far […]
USVI Boats
Here’s a Glimpse of an Ill-Fated Schooner Before She Sunk ~ 1921
The Schooner, Gaviota Today marks the 95th anniversary of the hauling of the ill-fated schooner, Gaviota at the Creque Marine Railway. This beautiful, three-masted, trading schooner was built in Cataño, Puerto Rico by Guillermo Valello in 1920. Designed for the inter-island trade, she was captained by Juan Cruz. On this day, she made the 100-mile voyage for repairs at Hassel Island. Gaviota’s Fate […]
How Pencil-Written Notes and Photographs Preserved Schooner’s History ~ 1920
The Meteor Today marks the 96th anniversary of the arrival of the vessel, Meteor, at the Creque Marine Railway. Sailing over one hundred miles, Captain Prince brought the schooner to Hassel Island to utilize its maritime facilities. As she has hoisted up the ramp, her dimensions were quickly recorded, 75 feet by 25 feet. Today, those pencil-written notes and rare photographs are the only evidence to her size […]
How One Brave Captain Touched the Hearts of Many As He Sailed Around the World ~ 1932
alt=”Sailing around the world! Captain Harry Pidgeon of the ISLANDER visits St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands ~ 1937 By Valerie Sims” width=”638″ height=”536″ /> Do you love old photographs? I’m fascinated by them and have spent a lifetime trying to figure out who was who in my ancestor’s albums. I was intrigued by this photograph […]
The Mail Schooner, VIRGINIA Visits ~ 1921
The mail schooner, Virginia was originally built in Curacao in the Dutch West Indies. She was one of the hundreds of vessels to visit the Creque Marine Railway for service and repairs. According to the railway’s surviving records, Virginia arrived on May 4, 1921. Herman Creque jotted down her dimensions as he spoke with her captain. She was 60 feet in […]
Big Job Pumping Out The Barge ~ 1930
In 1930, a potential client representing the United Sugar Company in Humacao, Puerto Rico, inquired about having the company’s barge hauled at the Creque Marine Railway. He spoke with Mr. Creque, who promptly responded with the price of hauling: 75 cents/gross ton, plus launching and each day on the rails. Repairing the Barge Three days after Christmas, […]
Sugarcane Laborers Return Home on a German Cargo Ship ~ 1912
During the summer of 1912, many seasonal sugarcane laborers from the British Virgin Islands, working in the Dominican Republic, returned by steamer to St. Thomas in the Danish West Indies. SS Prasident At the end of July, the German passenger-cargo ship, SS Prasident departed Kingston, Jamaica with eight passengers en route to Santo Domingo. She picked up at […]
Tortola Sloop Caught With Contraband! ~ 1933
From 1920 to 1933, the US Virgin Islands was included in the nationwide ban during prohibition. Despite the law, many inhabitants imported liquor secretly. Contraband Found! In November 1933, a Tortola sloop was found wrecked on White rock off St. Thomas. The owner reported to Harbormaster Simmons that he had no idea how the vessel came to be in St. […]