AH-WR-2016

Kraljevica

Bark (or Barque) · Lost 1886 · The New Jersey Coast

The Austrian salt bark Kraljevica wrecked on Barnegat Shoal in 1886; eight of her crew and three lifesaving surfmen died in the rescue attempt.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

The 152-foot Austrian bark Kraljevica, built in 1870 and registered at Fiume, was carrying salt from Marseille to New York when she wrecked on Barnegat Shoal on February 10, 1886. Life-Saving Service crews from Barnegat, Loveladies and Ship Bottom went to her aid. Eight of her fourteen crew died, and three surfmen were lost during the rescue.

Vessel

Built: 1870
Builder: Not established
Yard: Austria
Material: Wood
Length: 152.5 ft
Beam: 29.5 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: February 10, 1886
Cause: Grounding
Location: Barnegat Shoal
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Marseille, France → New York, New York
Cargo: Salt
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 8
Master: Sverljuga

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: Barnegat, New Jersey
Region: The New Jersey Coast

No pin: the museum describes its positions as approximations.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)

Based on the New Jersey Maritime Museum's shipwreck database, compiled from newspapers, Life-Saving Service reports and books; those original records were not independently inspected.

New Jersey Maritime Museum — Shipwreck Database
Museum's compiled data sheet for this loss (dimensions, owner, master, voyage, crew, cargo, cause, lives lost).
U.S. Office of the Historian — FRUS 1888, Austro-Hungarian legation on the Kraljevica rescue
Names the Forked River surfmen; John Soper, Samuel Perrine and Solomon Soper died attempting the rescue.