Forest Queen
Full-Rigged Ship · United States · Lost 1853 · Boston Harbor & Massachusetts Bay
A China-trade ship carrying silver bullion broke up just off a Scituate beach in an 1853 storm, spawning a local treasure hunt that continues today.
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The Vessel and Her Loss
Forest Queen was a full-rigged cargo ship built in 1850 at Richmond, Maine. Returning from China with general cargo that reportedly included about 12 tons of silver ingots, she grounded in a storm off Third Cliff, Scituate, on February 28, 1853, and broke apart close to shore. Immigrants and crew aboard were brought safely ashore, and the wreck was heavily salvaged in the weeks that followed. Local divers have since recovered concretions of artifacts from the site under a state permit.
Vessel
- 1850
- Not established
- Richmond, Maine
- Wood
- 158 ft
- Not established
- Not established
- Sail
- Not established
Loss
- February 28, 1853
- Storm
- Off Third Cliff, near Peggotty Beach, Scituate, Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Bay
- China → Boston, Massachusetts
- General cargo including roughly 12 tons of silver ingots
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 20-30
- No structure remains; scattered concretions containing artifacts
- Not established
- Not established
- Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources permitted site
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Scituate, Massachusetts
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (62/100)
Exact tonnage, cargo value, and precise coordinates are not established in the sources reviewed.
Wreckhunter.net (Hunting New England Shipwrecks)
Vessel dimensions, build location, loss date, cargo, and wreck condition
Wicked Local / Scituate Mariner
Loss narrative, rescue of immigrants, ongoing excavation and artifact recovery
