Dorothy Palmer
Schooner · United States · Lost 1923 · Cape Cod & Nantucket Shoals
The last of William F. Palmer's ill-fated 'Unlucky Fleet' of five-masted schooners, lost off Monomoy in 1923 and rediscovered by divers in 2010.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
The five-masted schooner Dorothy Palmer was one of fourteen large wooden schooners built for Boston shipowner William F. Palmer's coal-carrying fleet, all of which were eventually lost and became known as the 'Unlucky Fleet.' She sank off Monomoy Island, Chatham, in 1923. Her broken wreck lay undisturbed until divers Chuck Carey and Don Ferris located it using side-scan sonar in 2010.
Vessel
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- Wood
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- Sail, five-masted schooner rig
- William F. Palmer, Boston (Palmer Fleet)
Loss
- January 1, 1923
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- Off Monomoy Island, Chatham
- Atlantic Ocean, off Monomoy
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The Wreck Today
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- Broken wreck located on the sea floor off Monomoy.
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- 2010
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Position
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- Position not established
- Monomoy Island, Chatham, Massachusetts
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (55/100)
The precise date, cause of loss, cargo, and casualties are not established in the sources reviewed.
2010 wreck discovery, fleet identity, general loss location.
Graves Light Station (Davis Palmer history page)
Palmer Fleet history, 'Unlucky Fleet' nickname, loss year confirmation.
