Gifford
Date
2008
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Texas Tech University Libraries
Abstract
Ship Name:Gifford; Sailed: 1892-1903; Type: Steel 4-masted bark; Built by: Greenock, Scotland by Scott & Co.; Dimensions: 281.6' x 42.3' x 24.6'; Tonnage: 2245 tons.
Description
Built during the last boom in deepwater sail, the bark Gifford was a typical freighter of the period. The bark hauled grain from California, coal from Australia, and lumber from the Pacific Northwest. The photograph depicts Gifford ashore south of San Francisco near Mussel Rock (very possibly on 26 September), south of the Golden Gate and almost parallel to Daly City. Mussel Rock is starboard of Gifford, just out of the picture. Returning from Newcastle, NSW with coal, the Gifford approached the coast in a dense fog. While Captain Robert Michie shortened sail, he took no soundings and obviously knew not where he and his ship were. Around 6 p.m. the evening of 25 September 1903, Gifford grounded. The crew got off safely that evening, but tugs could not tow the holed and waterlogged ship off the beach. Abandoned, Gifford became the subject of salvors’ frenzy to get as much gear and cargo ashore as possible before the next storm. After two weeks, the Gifford had virtually disappeared into the surf.
Rights
Availability
Unrestricted.
Keywords
Merchant Ships, Ships