Stephen Whitney (ship)
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | Stephen Whitney |
| Owner: | Robert Kermit Red Star Line |
| Fate: | Wrecked 1847 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 1034 tons |
Stephen Whitney was a passenger carrying sailing ship which was wrecked on West Calf Island off the southern coast of Ireland on 10 November 1847 with the loss of 92 of the 110 passengers and crew aboard. She was a packet ship in Robert Kermit's Red Star Line. The ship was named after a Kermit investor, New York merchant Stephen Whitney.
The 1034 ton ship left New York on 18 October for Liverpool[1] carrying passengers and a cargo which included corn, raw cotton, cheese, resin, and 20 boxes of clocks. On 10 November in thick fog the captain, C.W. Popham, mistook the Crookhaven lighthouse for the one at the Old Head of Kinsale. At around 10 pm the ship struck the western tip of West Calf Island, completely breaking up within about ten minutes.
The loss of the ship triggered the decision to replace the Cape Clear Island lighthouse with one on Fastnet Rock.
References
- "GGGrandPa's Scrapbook pt 1". The Ships List. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- "Wrecks off Cork (B)". Irish Wrecks Online. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
- Wilson, TG (April 2003). "Fastnet Rock Lighthouse". Beam (The Commissioners of Irish Lights) 32. Retrieved 2013-09-22.