AH-WR-0341

Peter Rickmers

Sailing Ship · Germany · Lost 1908 · Long Island & the New York Approaches

A German four-masted bark (or barque) loaded with 120,000 cases of oil grounded off Jones Beach in a gale, in a rescue effort that drew crowds and a burning shoreline.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Peter Rickmers was a German four-masted steel bark built in Scotland in 1889. Chartered by Standard Oil, she was carrying over 120,000 cases of kerosene and crude oil toward Burma when she ran aground near Zach's Inlet, Jones Beach, in a gale in late April 1908. More than thirty Life-Saving surfmen and a tug worked for over a day to reach her, while local residents gathered oil that washed ashore.

Vessel

Built: 1889
Builder: Not established
Yard: Scotland
Material: Steel
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: April 30, 1908
Cause: Storm
Location: Off Zach's Inlet, Jones Beach, Long Island, New York
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: New York → Burma
Cargo: Over 120,000 cases of kerosene and crude oil
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

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

Position

Coordinates: 40.58° N 73.52° W
Accuracy: Reported, unconfirmed
Nearest: Jones Beach, Long Island, New York
Region: Long Island & the New York Approaches

Wikidata lists a coordinate location (40°35'2"N, 73°31'16"W) for the Peter Rickmers wreck site off Jones Beach/Zach's Inlet; this is a crowd-compiled, unofficial position and is treated as reported/unconfirmed rather than a surveyed fix.