AH-WR-1000

Pelican

Fishing Vessel · United States · Lost 1951 · Long Island & the New York Approaches

An overloaded Montauk party fishing boat capsized off Montauk Point in a sudden storm, killing 45 of the 64 people aboard, the worst fishing disaster in the port's history.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

The 42-foot party fishing boat Pelican, under Captain Eddie Carroll, left Montauk's Fishangri-la dock on the morning of September 1, 1951, carrying 64 passengers and crew, roughly double her safe capacity, on a Labor Day weekend fishing trip. A sudden storm with 15-foot seas struck as she rounded Montauk Point on the return, and when passengers crowded to one side to avoid the worst of the weather, the boat capsized. Forty-five people died, including Carroll; nineteen survived, some rescued by nearby private boats and one by the Coast Guard. Because Pelican weighed under 15 gross tons, she was exempt from Coast Guard inspection and passenger limits then in force, and the disaster helped prompt tighter small-vessel safety regulation.

Vessel

Built: 1940
Builder: Not established
Yard: Brooklyn, New York
Material: Wood
Length: 42 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 14
Propulsion: Twin 100-horsepower Chrysler gasoline engines
Owners: Eddie Carroll

Loss

Date: September 1, 1951
Cause: Storm
Location: About one nautical mile off Montauk Point Lighthouse
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Fishangri-la Dock, Fort Pond Bay, Montauk → Fishangri-la Dock, Fort Pond Bay, Montauk (returning from a day fishing trip)
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 64
Lives lost: 45
Master: Eddie Carroll

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: Montauk Point, New York
Region: Long Island & the New York Approaches

Reported as roughly one nautical mile off the Montauk Point Lighthouse; no surveyed wreck position is published in the sources reviewed.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)

New York State Police, "Pelican Marine Disaster: Montauk Point"
Official account of the disaster, numbers aboard, casualties, survivors, and rescue details.
Montauk Historical Society, "The F/V Pelican"
Vessel background, safety-regulation context, and casualty details.
Wikipedia, "FV Pelican"
Construction details (former name Bellboy III, builder location, tonnage, engines).