AH-WR-1435

Charming Sally

Privateer Brig · United States · Lost 1779 · Penobscot Bay & Midcoast Maine

A 300-ton Massachusetts privateer brig burned by her own crew during the disastrous American retreat up the Penobscot River in 1779.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Charming Sally was a Massachusetts privateer brig under Captain Alexander Holmes that joined the ill-fated 1779 Penobscot Expedition against the British post at Majabigwaduce. When a British relief squadron under Sir George Collier arrived and routed the American fleet, Charming Sally was among dozens of vessels driven upriver and destroyed by their own crews rather than surrendered. Her loss was part of what became the United States' worst naval defeat prior to Pearl Harbor.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 300
Propulsion: Sail, brig rig
Owners: Massachusetts private owners

Loss

Date: August 14, 1779
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Penobscot River, near present-day Bangor, Maine
Water: Penobscot River
Voyage: Boston → Penobscot Bay, Maine
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Alexander Holmes

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: Bangor, Maine
Region: Penobscot Bay & Midcoast Maine

Believed to lie among the scuttled Penobscot Expedition fleet remains in the river above Bangor; exact wreck site not individually confirmed.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (62/100)

Her precise wreck location within the Penobscot River has not been individually confirmed by archaeological survey.

threedecks.org naval history database
Tonnage, armament, captain, and confirmation of destruction in the Penobscot River.
Naval History and Heritage Command / Penobscot Expedition Archaeological Project
Context on the scuttled Penobscot Expedition fleet and ongoing underwater survey work.