Lewis A. King
Schooner · United States · Lost 1887 · Long Island & the New York Approaches
A Maine schooner's captain mistook the Montauk light for one in Rhode Island and ran his ship of clay and dates ashore at Turtle Cove.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
The two-masted schooner Lewis A. King, carrying pipe clay and sacks of dates from Boston to New York, ran aground about a mile and a half southwest of Montauk Point on December 18, 1887, after her captain mistook the Montauk Lighthouse for the light at Watch Hill, Rhode Island. All seven people aboard, including the captain and his sister, made it ashore on their own. The vessel sat largely intact on the beach for nearly two years while salvage terms were disputed, becoming a familiar local landmark before she was finally lost.
Vessel
- Not established
- Not established
- Maine
- Wood
- Not established
- Not established
- 142
- Sail, two-masted schooner
- Not established
Loss
- December 18, 1887
- Navigational error
- About a mile and a half southwest of Montauk Point, in Turtle Cove
- Atlantic Ocean
- Boston, Massachusetts → New York, New York
- Pipe clay and 300-pound sacks of dates
- 7
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Remained resting on the beach for roughly two years, still largely intact, before finally breaking up; a wrecking company from New London attempted salvage but terms were not agreed.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Turtle Cove, Montauk Point, New York
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (76/100)
The vessel's final breakup date and any coordinates for the wreck site are not established in the sources reviewed.
Montauk Library, "Throwback Thursday - Schooner at Rest"
Date, tonnage, cargo, cause of wreck, and salvage saga.
Cargo and rescue confirmation.
