AH-WR-0108

Louis V. Place

Schooner · United States · Lost 1895 · Long Island & the New York Approaches

A coal schooner turned into a drifting iceberg by a winter gale, stranding off Fire Island with tragic loss of life.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Launched in 1890 in Kennebunkport, Maine, the three-masted schooner Louis V. Place was carrying coal from Baltimore to New York when a severe winter storm struck in early February 1895. Ice built up on her sails and rigging until the ship became, in witnesses' words, a drifting iceberg, and she stranded on a sand bar off Fire Island. Life-Saving Service crews from three nearby stations struggled for nearly two days against ice and surf to reach her. Six of the eight-man crew, including the captain, died before rescue was completed.

Vessel

Built: 1890
Builder: George Christenson
Yard: Kennebunkport, Maine
Material: Wood
Length: 163 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 735
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: February 8, 1895
Cause: Ice
Location: Sand bar off Fire Island, near the Lone Hill Life-Saving Station
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Baltimore, Maryland → New York, New York
Cargo: Coal
Aboard: 8
Lives lost: 7
Master: William H. Squires

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 40.65° N 73.15° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Fire Island, New York
Region: Long Island & the New York Approaches

General area only: coordinate of Fire Island (near the former Lone Hill Life-Saving Station) from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (82/100)

The wreck's precise resting position and present condition are not established in the sources reviewed.

Fire Island National Seashore, National Park Service
Voyage details, storm conditions, rescue timeline, and casualty count.
Van R. Field, Wrecks and Rescues on Long Island
Narrative detail on the rescue and crew.
USGS Geographic Names Information System (via TopoZone) — Fire Island
coordinate of the named place of loss (sandbar off Fire Island near Lone Hill station)