1705 — Dec 19-21, Privateer Castle Del Rey, Grounds/Breaks-up, Sandy Hook, NJ — 132

–132  Hester. “Here’s a Scary Tale of a New Jersey Christmas-time Blizzard…” Dec 27, 2010.

–132  Nash. “Major Marine Disasters.” Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 676.

–132  Weeks and Bacon. An Historical Digest of the Provincial Press (Vol. 1). 1911, p. 282.

 

Narrative Information

 

Ludlum: “A Winter Tragedy in New York Bay. The Boston News-Letter

 

“New-York, December 24, [The rest of the entry is the same as in Weeks and Bacon below.]

 

Nash: “1704. Castle del Rey. 132 [deaths]. The 18-gun, 300-ton privateer smashed into the shoals off Sandy Hook on a voyage from Manhattan.” (Nash. Darkest Hours. 1977, p. 676.)

 

Weeks and Bacon: “On the 19th. instant, The Private Ship of War call’d the Castle Del Key [sic. Rey]of 130 Tons, 18 Guns, Capt. Otto Van Tyle Commander, Sailed from Jackques Bay (about 10 Miles from hence) and in going down towards Sandyhook with an easy Gale of Wind, She struck upon the East bank and stuck there; They sent some of their men on Shoar in their Canoo for boats to assist them, but that night a hard Gale of Wind Sprung up between W. & N. W. and Froze very hard, the Ship began to fill with Water: A Sloop and large Boat was sent down, but it Friezing and blowing so hard, they would not venture to relieve them, for fear of running the same fate of being a ground, and so Froze or Drowned: The next Morning the Gale continued hard all day, and the men were all alive upon the Deck and in the Shrowds [shrouds] the Sea beating over them: And on Fryday Morning the Wind abating, a Boat went on board and found but 4 of the men alive; The Captain and all the rest being Froze and Drowned, there was 145 men, on board when She Sailed, who all perished but 13, & 132 died in this deplorable manner. Here are Widows Lamenting the loss of their Husbands, and Parents their Children: Tis said about 80 or 90 of the men were English, Scotch and Irish, and the rest of Dutch Parentage, most born in this Country.”  (Weeks and Bacon, quoting from The Boston News-Letter, Jan 7, 1705.[1])

 

Sources

 

Hester, Tom, Sr. “Here’s a Scary Tale of a New Jersey Christmas-time Blizzard and Privateers.” NewsroomJersey. Dec 27, 2010.  Accessed 7-25-2011 at:  http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/style/heres-a-scary-tale-of-a-new-jersey-christmas-time-blizzard-and-privateers

 

Ludlum, David M. Early American Winters 1604-1820. Boston: American Meteorological Society, 1966.

 

Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages.

 

Weeks, Lyman Horace and Edwin M. Bacon (Eds.). An Historical Digest of the Provincial Press, Massachusetts Series Volume One 1704-1707.  Boston: The Society for Americana, Inc. 1911. Digitized by Google at:  http://books.google.com/books?id=3pQLAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

 

[1] Note Ludlum reproduces the same article but presents his source as: The Boston News-Letter, Dec. 31 to Jan. 7, 1705/06, 6, No. 90.