Gipsy
Steam Schooner · United States · Lost 1905 · San Francisco & the Northern California Coast
Known as 'Old Perpetual Motion' for 36 years of coastal service, this steam schooner wrecked in fog at Monterey's McAbee Beach in 1905.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
The steam schooner Gipsy hauled freight and passengers along the California coast for the Pacific Coast Steamship Company for 36 years. On a foggy night in September 1905, an inexperienced relief captain mistook a shore light for the Monterey wharf marker, running the vessel onto the rocks at McAbee Beach. She broke apart quickly and was a total loss, though the crew survived. Wreckage remains draw scuba divers to this day.
Vessel
- 1868
- Official number 10982
- Middlemas & Boole
- San Francisco, California
- Wood
- 102 ft
- 28.3 ft
- 293
- Steam, single screw, auxiliary sail
- Pacific Coast Steamship Company
Loss
- September 27, 1905
- Navigational error
- McAbee Beach, Monterey, California
- Monterey Bay
- San Francisco, California → Monterey, California
- General freight, grain, beer
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Broken up in breakers and rocks; scattered remnants
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 36.61° N 121.90° W
- Approximate position
- McAbee Beach, Monterey, California
Approximate position of McAbee Beach casualty location as mapped by NOAA.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Build data, cause of loss, casualty location, ship statistics.
