|
|
Photo courtesy of the
Florida Division of Historical Resources.
|
Built in England and launched in 1898, the steamship Copenhagen was registered in Glasgow, Scotland. The steel freighter was 325 feet in length, rigged as a schooner, and powered by three triple expansion steam engines. Her last voyage began in May, 1900, en route to Havana from Philadelphia with a full load of coal. Heading south close to the Florida coast to avoid the strong northerly Gulf Stream current, Copenhagen suddenly crashed at full speed in broad daylight into a reef offshore of present-day Pompano Beach. After five days of removing cargo and using pumps and anchors to try to pull her off, the crew left the ship. Salvage efforts continued for a month before she was abandoned. Her captain was found to be at fault for improper navigation. Today, Copenhagen’s remains lie in 15 - 35 feet of water, supporting an amazing variety of marine life, just outside the second reef on the Pompano Drop Off at 26° 12.349’N and 80° 05.108’W. The site is adjacent to mooring buoys #3 and #4 and is easily accessed by boat. Nominated by a local charter boat captain, Copenhagen became Florida’s fifth Underwater Archaeological Preserve in 1994.
|
