Franklin
Full-Rigged Ship · United States · Lost 1849 · Cape Cod & Nantucket Shoals
A Boston-owned ship from England was lost near Wellfleet in 1849 under circumstances a federal court later linked to an insurance fraud scheme.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
The full-rigged ship Franklin, sailing from Deal, England to Boston with passengers and cargo, struck and foundered near Newcomb's Hollow on Wellfleet's outer beach on March 1, 1849. Ten or eleven aboard drowned, including Capt. Charles Smith, when their lifeboat capsized in the surf. Wreckage recovered by a Wellfleet resident included correspondence revealing that the ship's owners, James W. Wilson and John W. Crafts, had conspired with the captain to lose the overinsured vessel. Wilson later pleaded guilty in federal court; Crafts was acquitted.
Vessel
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- Wood
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- Sail, full-rigged ship
- James W. Wilson and John W. Crafts, Boston
Loss
- March 1, 1849
- Intentional sinking
- Near Newcomb's Hollow, Wellfleet
- Atlantic Ocean, outer Cape Cod
- Deal, England → Boston, Massachusetts
- Wool, linseed oil, nutmegs, tow cloth, and nursery stock
- 33
- 11
- Charles Smith
The Wreck Today
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Position
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- Position not established
- Newcomb Hollow Beach, Wellfleet, Massachusetts
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (72/100)
The exact death toll is reported inconsistently across sources (roughly ten to eleven).
Wreck narrative and fraud scheme details.
Casualty figures, cargo, and Isaiah Hatch account.
