Arethusa
Schooner · United Kingdom · Lost Lost some years after her 1923 capture, in the later 1920s, reportedly on the Nova Scotia coast · Nova Scotia & Sable Island
Bill McCoy's famous Prohibition rum-running schooner, built in Scotland in 1907, later renamed Tomoka and wrecked on the Nova Scotia coast.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1907 at Troon, Scotland, the schooner Arethusa became one of the most celebrated rum-runners of Prohibition under Captain Bill McCoy, delivering unadulterated liquor from the Bahamas to Rum Row off the U.S. East Coast. In November 1923 she was overtaken and seized by the Coast Guard cutter Seneca after a lengthy chase; McCoy was arrested. The vessel, later renamed Tomoka, ended her days wrecked on the Nova Scotia shore, a fate recorded in a Mariners' Museum photograph caption describing "the end of the Arethusa."
Vessel
- 1907
- Ailsa Shipbuilding Company
- Troon, Scotland
- Wood
- 90 ft
- Not established
- 496
- Sail
- Captain William "Bill" McCoy
Loss
- Lost some years after her 1923 capture, in the later 1920s, reportedly on the Nova Scotia coast
- Grounding
- Nova Scotia shore
- Atlantic Ocean, Nova Scotia coast
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Nova Scotia shore (exact locality not established)
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (55/100)
The exact date and location of her final wrecking on the Nova Scotia coast are not established in the sources reviewed.
The Mariners' Museum Online Catalog
Vessel history, renaming to Tomoka, and final wrecking on the Nova Scotia coast
Sea History magazine, "It's the Real McCoy!"
Capture by USCGC Seneca and career as a rum-runner
