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Sibyl Marston (ship)

Coordinates: 34°39′13″N 120°37′03″W / 34.653474°N 120.61747°W / 34.653474; -120.61747
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Sibyl Marston
Sibyle Marston 101 years after the crash.
Sibyl Marston as of 24 February 2010.
History
OwnerSibyl Marston Co.
BuilderW. A. Boole & Son
Launched29 June 1907
FateSank 12 January 1909
General characteristics
Tonnage1,020 GRT (est.)
Length215 ft (66 m)
Propulsion800hp oil burning triple expansion

Sibyl Marston was a wooden schooner cargo ship built by W. A. Boole & Son of Oakland, California and belonging to the Sibyl Marston Co.[1] Sibyl Marston sank off the coast of Lompoc, California on 12 January 1909.

Overview

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On 12 January 1909, Sybil Marston, the largest steam schooner built on the West Coast of the United States, struck the rocks near Surf Beach, California and ran aground in a storm. She was carrying 1,100,000 board feet (3,000 m3) of lumber. Two crew members were killed in the disaster.[2]

Shortly after the Sybil Marston disaster, Lompoc residents salvaged the lumber and used it to begin a town lumberyard. Several houses built in Lompoc used lumber from the shipwreck.[3]

Surf Beach and its adjoining coastal area was a dangerous place for ship travel in the time before radar navigational systems made seafaring safer. There are about 30 recorded shipwrecks along the Surf Beach coast.

Location

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The shipwreck is located 1 mile (2 km) south of the Surf Amtrak Station in Lompoc.

Sources

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  • "19th Century Shipbuilders on the Pacific Coast". Shipbuilding History. Retrieved 15 February 2010.[permanent dead link]

References

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  1. ^ "Merchant Work in Coast Yards". Marine Review. 35 (1). Penton Publishing Company: 44. 3 January 1907.
  2. ^ Ruhge, Justin M. (2000). Maritime Tragedies on the Santa Barbara Channel. Quantum Imaging Associates.
  3. ^ Nisperos, Neil (29 January 2010). "Merchant steamer ship visible at Surf Beach". Lompoc Record.
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34°39′13″N 120°37′03″W / 34.653474°N 120.61747°W / 34.653474; -120.61747