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Photo courtesy of Florida Keys
National Marine Sanctuary.
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Built in Bangor, Maine in 1863, the three-masted wooden bark originally was christened F. W. Carver before being sold to British shipowners who changed her name to Adelaide Baker. Loaded with sawn lumber and bound for Savannah, Georgia, the freighter accidentally ran across Coffins Patch Reef in the Middle Florida Keys at night in January, 1889, coming to rest 4 miles south-southeast of Duck Key in 20 feet of water. There was no loss of life and local salvors helped her crew to save portions of the cargo, but the ship could not be refloated. Today divers can visit two distinct clusters of wreckage that include several internal iron reinforcing frames in one area, and the ship’s iron mainmast, bilge pump, and hawse holes in another. Located at 24° 42.175’N and 80° 53.670’W, the remains of Adelaide Baker are part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Shipwreck Trail and are marked by a spar buoy for visitor access.
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