Alma A. E. Holmes
Schooner · United States · Lost 1914 · Cape Ann & the Gulf of Maine
A four-masted coal schooner sliced open by a steamer in fog off Marblehead, sinking in barely a minute with her whole crew saved.
Kevin Michael Cutlip
See Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Alma A. E. Holmes was a 1,200-ton, four-masted wooden schooner built in 1896 at Camden, Maine, and named for owner Joseph Holmes's daughter. On October 10, 1914, while hauling coal from Norfolk to Salem, she was struck broadside in dense fog off Marblehead by the steamer Belfast. The steamer's bow drove deep into the schooner's wooden hull, and her captain held position until every crew member had climbed aboard the Belfast. Once the crew was clear, the Belfast backed out and the Alma A. E. Holmes went down within about a minute.
Vessel
- 1896
- Not established
- Camden, Maine
- Wood
- 202 ft
- 41 ft
- 1200
- Sail, four-masted schooner rig
- Joseph Holmes
Loss
- October 10, 1914
- Collision
- Off Marblehead, Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Bay
- Norfolk, Virginia → Salem, Massachusetts
- Coal
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 160 ft
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 42.44° N 70.75° W
- Approximate position
- Marblehead, Massachusetts
Position as commonly cited for the wreck site off Marblehead.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (68/100)
Present condition of the wreck is not established in the sources reviewed beyond its reported depth and general position.
Wikipedia (vessel history, corroborated by standard shipping accounts of the period)
Build details, collision with steamer Belfast, date, cargo, survivors, depth and position.
