| Location |
24°42.14
80°53.56
4M S-SE of Duck Key
(Marathon) |
view
FKNMS
map |
Markers |
|
|
Depth |
to 25' |
Experience Level: Novice |
| History
& Present Condition |
The Adelaide Baker,
originally called the F.W. Carver, was built in 1863 in Bangor,
Maine. She measured 153 feet between perpendiculars, had a beam of
35 feet and a depth of hold of 21 feet. Her double-decked hull was
constructed of oak and hackmatack and two years after being built
she was sheathed with copper. After being sold to the British she
was renamed the Adelaide Baker. The wreck report documents that on
January 28, 1889, she was bound for Savannah with a load of sawn
timber when she wrecked on “Coffins Patches” Reef. The irregularly
shaped granite ballast concentrated along the edge of the reef marks
where she was first “holed”, spilling ballast and lower cargo. The
night of the shipwreck, wreckers in the area assisted the captain
and crew to safety. There was no loss of life.
The Adelaide Baker’s eroded remains are scattered
along a north-northwest path 1400 feet long. Most of the material is
clustered in two areas |
| Sea-Life |
Nurse sharks, lobster, morays, angelfish, and
occasional grouper. Several types of coral, sea fans, and
sponges |
Risks
Warnings |
|
|
Local Dive Shops |
Marathon,
Duck Key |
| Web Sources |
The Wreck of the Adelaide Baker |
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