Times of the Islands Summer 2024

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
May 29, 1785 — DELIGHT
On June 17, 1785 the following appeared in Thomas
Allen’s Marine List, “Arrived at this port, brig Three
Brothers, Briggs, from Cape Francois and Turks Island
. . . who advises that the 29th May he took on board
the captain and crew of the sloop Delight, Mills, master,
belonging to New Haven, who was stranded on the reef
off Turks Island.”
March 6, 1786 — PORGEY
An extract from a letter from Charleston, SC written to
a friend of or to the editor of the Pennsylvania Packet
newspaper in Philadelphia reads, “March 6. The brig
Porgey, Captain Dickenson, which sailed from New York
for Jamaica, is lost on Turks Island. The crew were saved,
and are arrived at Bermuda.”
June 10, 1786 — EAGLE
The following is an extract of a letter dated June 14, 1786
from a passenger aboard the brig Eagle, when she was
lost, “On the 10th instant, going through the passage of
Turks Island with everything we could wish favorable for
that event, at about seven o’clock in the evening, without
any of the least appearance of ground, struck and the
vessel was dashed to pieces next morning.”
November 16, 1786 — SWALLOW
Two months after her loss, the following report appeared
in a Philadelphia newspaper early in 1787: “ . . . the ship
Swallow, Capt. Stephen Flandrin, from this port, bound
to [Cape Francois], was totally lost on the Boralla Banks,
a reef of rocks called the Square Handkerchief, about 15
leagues to the eastward of Turks Island, and 40 from the
Cape.”
January 23, 1787 — SALLY
A search of records has determined that the ship Sally
arrived in Kingston, Jamaica on or before September 26,
1786. She cleared from that port bound for Baltimore, MD
sometime between November 3 and 10 and was lost on
Turks Island soon after that.
November 23, 1789 — UNION
Captain Christopher Prince left New York in the brigantine
Union and turned southward for Port-au-Prince,
Haiti. Less than two weeks later, on November 23, she
ran aground at Turks Island while sailing at night. Exactly
where the vessel came ashore is not stated but it is possible
that she struck on the extensive reef off the northeast
end of Grand Turk.
January 30, 1790 — UNIDENTIFIED
A letter from Grand Caicos was sent to a gentleman in New
Providence [Nassau] dated January 30 which mentioned
the following information relative to an UNIDENTIFIED
wreck near Turks Island, “A sloop with lumber was lately
wrecked near Turks Island. The cargo was saved by people
from Turks Island . . . the crew must have perished.”
August 28, 1790 — HMS ENDYMION
The 5th rate ship HMS Endymion enroute from Jamaica
to Turks Island with cannon and other stores had bad
luck and good luck on her voyage. Passing through the
Windward Passage, north bound, she was travelling in
fair weather though the seas were reported high with a
moderate wind. Without warning she struck a rocky shoal
where the charts indicated there would be no problem.
This became a serious situation since the stranded ship
was seven miles from shore. But good fortune shined on
the crew as the schooner New Hope from Philadelphia
spotted her distress and in short order rescued all aboard
and brought them to Turks Island. The master stayed on
the island with a portion of the crew and attempted salvage
of the ship but to no avail.
September 27, 1790 — FAME
Sometime prior to September 27, 1790 a southbound
brig carrying cargo from St. John, New Brunswick to
Jamaica ran into trouble in the vicinity of the Turks &
Caicos Islands. A single news report reads as follows,
“The brig Fame, Bowden is totally lost on Turks Island on
her passage to Jamaica, from St. John’s, New Brunswick.”
October 25, 1791 — DARTMOUTH
On October 1, 1791, Captain Abraham Kimm advertised
in the New York Daily Gazette that his brig Darmouth
would sail on or before the 20th for Kingston, Jamaica. He
apparently already had his cargo planned and was looking
to attract some passengers. Whether or not any made
the trip is not known. His ship ran hard aground on the
northeast reef of Turks Island. It was reported that the
crew and at least part of the cargo was saved.
74 www.timespub.tc