Sibyl Marston (ship)

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

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

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

Sources

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

References

  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.

34°39′13″N 120°37′03″W / 34.653474°N 120.61747°W / 34.653474; -120.61747