AH-WR-2021

Ajace

Bark (or Barque) · Lost 1881 · New York Harbor

The Italian bark Ajace stranded near Rockaway on March 4, 1881, carrying iron rails and barrels; fourteen of her 15 crew died.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built at Voltri, Italy in 1872, the 144-foot Italian bark Ajace was carrying iron rails and barrels from Antwerp, Belgium to New York, New York under Captain F. Morice. On March 4, 1881, she stranded on Rockaway Shoals, off Long Island. She was a total loss. Fourteen of her 15 crew died.

Vessel

Built: 1872
Builder: Not established
Yard: Voltri, Italy
Material: Wood
Length: 144 ft
Beam: 32 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: March 4, 1881
Cause: Grounding
Location: Rockaway Shoals, off Long Island
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Antwerp, Belgium → New York, New York
Cargo: Iron rails and barrels
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 14
Master: F Morice

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Rockaway, New York
Region: New York Harbor

No pin: the museum describes its positions as approximations.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)

Based on the New Jersey Maritime Museum's shipwreck database, compiled from newspapers, Life-Saving Service reports and books; those original records were not independently inspected.

New Jersey Maritime Museum — Shipwreck Database
Museum's compiled data sheet for this loss (dimensions, owner, master, voyage, crew, cargo, cause, lives lost).
New Jersey Scuba Diving — Ajace
Ran aground off Rockaway at 4 a.m. on 4 March 1881 with scrap rail iron; Peter Sala the sole survivor.