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 The
Isaac Allerton was built in 1838 at Portsmouth,
New Hampshire by Master Carpenter George Raynes.
The ship was 137 feet long and weighed 594 tons.
The Isaac Allerton spent her years as a
merchant ship carrying cargoes throughout the
Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and the North Atlantic
Ocean.
On
the night of August 28, 1856, the Isaac Allerton
was caught in a hurricane off Saddlebunch Keys,
15 miles ESE of Key West. She road anchor for
several hours before the lines were cut and
she ground over Washer Woman Shoals, lost her
rudder and sank in Hawks Channel in five fathoms
of water. The crew and passengers spent the
night in longboats and were rescued the following
morning by Key West wreckers led by George Alderslade.
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Because
the ship had sunk in such deep water, the Key West wreckers
were unable to salvage all the cargo. But the cargo
they did salvage resulted in a payoff of over $50,000
making the Isaac Allerton the richest wreck in Key West
history.
Over 130
years later, in 1985, the wreck of the Isaac Allerton
was rediscovered by a group of local divers who had
been searching for the celebrated Atocha wreck.
Today you can relive the days of the Isaac Allerton
and see the original cargo from the ship at the Key
West Shipwreck Museum. |
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Home: Wreck
Ashore : August 1856:
Relive It:
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Key West Shipwreck Museum
1 Whitehead Street - Key West, Florida 33040
Telephone: (305) 292-8990 - FAX: (305) 292-1617
E-mail
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Historic Tours of America, Inc.
All rights reserved.
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