AH-WR-0629

Moosabee

Wooden Steam Cargo Ship · United States · Lost Present at Mallows Bay since 1929; migrated between 1952 and 1986 · Chesapeake Bay

A one-time transatlantic timber carrier, her well-preserved bow now lodged just feet from the bluffs of Mallows Bay.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Moosabee was completed in 1918 by the G.M. Standifer Construction Corporation of Vancouver, Washington, as a wooden Ferris-type cargo steamship for the United States Shipping Board. After the war she carried timber logs to Europe between 1919 and 1922 before being retired and sold for scrap. Brought to the Potomac River, she has rested at Mallows Bay since 1929, though records show she migrated to her present position sometime between 1952 and 1986, now grouped with two neighboring wrecks known as the 'Three Sisters.'

Vessel

Built: 1918
Registry: Maryland archaeological site 18CH551
Builder: G.M. Standifer Construction Corporation
Yard: Vancouver, Washington
Material: Wood
Length: 281.8 ft
Beam: 45.2 ft
Tonnage: 3500
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: United States Shipping Board; later timber trade to Europe

Loss

Date: Present at Mallows Bay since 1929; migrated between 1952 and 1986
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Mallows Bay, Potomac River
Water: Potomac River, Chesapeake Bay watershed
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Bow in excellent preservation only 3 feet from the bluff shoreline; extensive fire damage through the forward half; resting on its keel.
Orientation: Bow near shoreline bluff
Discovered: 1929 (documented at site)
Protection: Within Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary and the Mallows Bay-Widewater National Register Historic District