Historical Record

1886-1911

three masted coastal lumber schooner

Gross Tonnage 429

Net Tonnage 368*

Length 144.6

Beam 35.2

Depth 11.4

Decks one

Masts three

Construction wood

Historical Record

Hall Brothers, Puget Sound, Washington, built the Comet for the Hooper Brothers of San Francisco, who remained owners throughout her life. Fortunately the contract under which she was built has survived and is reproduced as Appendix X. Comet is one of three vessels built by the Hall Brothers which wrecked within the park, the others being the J M Colman and the Dora Bluhm. The vessel carried three anchors of 1800, 1550, and 400 pounds, 60 fathoms each of 1 3/8" and 1 1/4 " chain, wire rigging, custom made blocks, and cotton sails. "Forward house to be adapted for donkey engine" suggests that she carried this useful appliance, as well as "diamond cut screw steering gear", "#3 capstan and patent traveler for spanker", with a "water-closet and stationary wash-bowl complete." Caulking was cement below the water line and white lead above. All fastenings are iron, ranging in size from 7/8" to 1 1/4". 1 1/4" treenails were specified for fastening of the planking. Like others of her trade, Comet possessed bow and stern ports for easier loading of long lengths of timber.

A partial list of Comet's voyages shows her active in the coastal lumber trade, picking up cargo at Port Ludlow, Port Blakely, Aberdeen, and Grays Harbor, and delivering to San Diego, San Pedro, and Santa Barbara. Only five times in eight years did Comet call in San Francisco, her home port. Several pictures show Comet in active service.

Comet struck Wilson Rock at 8 PM 30 August, 1911 while sailing in fog. The disabled vessel then stranded on San Miguel Island at Simonton Cove. In contrast to the good fortune of other crews whose ships wrecked in the park, one of the Comet's crew of eight, a hand from Germany, perished. Captain Borgenson stated that a faulty chronometer, borrowed while the ship's regular instrument was being adjusted, put the vessel eight miles out of her course.

Heavy surf in the area rendered salvage of the cargo impossible. It seems highly probable that at least some of the 500,000 board feet carried by the Comet ended up in the new ranch buildings constructed during this period on San Miguel Island by Captain Waters.

Archeological Record

For several years a large anchor has been exposed on the upper beach at Simonton Cove, just north of the range poles denoting the boundary of the San Miguel Danger Zone. In 1977 and 1984 the beach around this anchor lost enough sand to expose the numerous items associated with it. These include a large capstan and a great deal of timber from the bow. The series of photographs taken just after the wreck conclusively identify this wreck as that of the Comet. A great deal of material, especially wooden timbers, probably lies in the vicinity, concealed by sand and iceplant. Only cursory probing of the sands at the wreck site of the Comet had occurred until Matthew Russell began work there in 1993 in an attempt to locate the capstan and other major pieces of wreckage shown in the 1977 and 1984 photographs.

NOTE:

In April of this year (1999), after this assessment was published, winter storms and currents exposed an extensive amount of new wreckage. Knowing the local conditions can very quickly take away what they give, Park Archaeologist (and co-author of this assessment) Don Morris put together a quick response team to document this new find. This team, consisting of people from the Channel Islands National Park, the national Park Service, Submerged Cultural Resource Unit (SCRU) and Coastal Maritime Archaeology Resources (CMAR), flew out to San Miguel Island and spent seven days photographing, sketching and measuring the site.