The ''Joseph H Scammell'' was a Canadian

sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships c ...

that was built at

Eatonville, Nova Scotia Eatonville is a former lumber and shipbuilding village in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. It includes a large tidal harbour at the mouth of the Eatonville Brook beside several dramatic sea stacks known as the "Three Sisters". It was founded in 1 ...

in 1884 and

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

ed at Point Danger,

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

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in 1891. Her wreck triggered a large scale episode of shipwreck pilfering and smuggling.

Construction

''Joseph H Scammell'' was built at

Eatonville Eatonville may refer to: * Eatonville, Florida, United States * Eatonville, Minnesota, United States, an alternative name for the former Dakota village Ḣeyate Otuŋwe * Eatonville, Mississippi, United States * Eatonville, Ontario, a neighbourhood ...

a small village in

Cumberland County, Nova Scotia Cumberland County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. History The name Cumberland was applied by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Monckton to the captured Fort Beauséjour on June 18, 1755 in honour of the third son of King George II ...

. Today the village is a vanished ghost town in the middle of

Cape Chignecto Provincial Park Cape Chignecto Provincial Park is a Canadian provincial park located in Nova Scotia. A wilderness park, it derives its name from Cape Chignecto, a prominent headland which divides the Bay of Fundy with Chignecto Bay to the north and the Minas Cha ...

but in 1884 it was the centre of a large lumbering operation and a substantial shipyard. In 1884 the yard was run by the Scammell Brothers who named the ship after one of the family patriarchs. The ship was launched in September 1884 and registered at

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of Ki ...

, the nearest large port. She would sail under a

Canadian flag The national flag of Canada (french: le Drapeau national du Canada), often simply referred to as the Canadian flag or, unofficially, as the Maple Leaf or ' (; ), consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the ratio of , in ...

for her entire career.

Wrecking

On May 7, 1891, when the vessel was on its 114th day of its voyage from

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, the Scammell had set a course for

Port Phillip Heads The Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park is a marine protected area located in the vicinity of the bay of Port Phillip, between the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas, in Victoria, Australia. The marine national park comprises six separate s ...

when bad weather and rough seas dragged the ship towards shores where it ran aground on a reef near Point Danger of Torquay. There were 22 people aboard the Scammell, including the wife and daughter of Captain J A Chapman. The ship's dangerous position was first noticed by local fisherman at approximately 11 am. One of the fisherman, Felix Rosser, attempted to row out to the ship to provide assistance but was forced back to shore by strong seas. The following day after the seas had settled, the crew of the ship were able to lower a boat and evacuate all on board. Due to the incident, Captain J A Chapman had his master’s certificate suspended for 12 months for careless navigation and negligence.

Pilfering

In the following days, the cargo of the ship was washed ashore and an estimated 2,000 locals began looting various merchandise which included tobacco, buggy sides, leather, clothing and kerosene. By the time customs officials and police arrived most of the $120,000 cargo had already been looted. Within a week a man from

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

had purchased the Ship and its remaining cargo for $2628 from an auction held on the beach. The ship's deckhouse was bought and incorporated into the second floor of a house at 24 Pride street, Torquay.

Culture

In late 2014, a performance outlining the ''Joseph H. Scammells history was provided by several locals on the Torquay front beach.

References

''Josehph H. Scammell'' Registry Information, Parks Canada, Ship Information DatabasePlaque telling the story of the shipwreck
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph H. Scammell Shipwrecks of Victoria (Australia) Maritime history of Canada Transport in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia Tall ships of Canada Individual sailing vessels Ships built in Nova Scotia Victorian-era merchant ships of Canada Sailing ships of Canada 1884 ships Full-rigged ships