City of Salisbury (1938)

The SS City of Salisbury is broken in two on an uncharted part of Graves Ledge. Graves Light is seen in the upper left background.

The SS City of Salisbury is broken in two on an uncharted part of Graves Ledge. Graves Light is seen in the upper left background.

 

With a cargo of exotic animals (including 40 pythons, 40 cobras, 300 monkeys and 20 crates of rare birds), the City of Salisbury  broke its back on The Graves in April, 1938.

The SS City of Salisbury, at a British port. The pattern on the stack is different from when it would wreck in 1938.

The SS City of Salisbury, at a British port. The stack is painted differently from when it wrecked in 1938.

The British freighter, 419 feet long, was a steam-powered vessel enroute to Boston from India and Ceylon.

No human lives were lost aboard the “Zoo Ship,” and nearly all the animals were rescued safely.

An investigation found that the Boston pilot at the helm of the City of Salisbury was not to blame for the wreck.

The international crew of the City of Salisbury is evacuated by tugboat. Everyone aboard was safe.

The international crew of the City of Salisbury is evacuated by tugboat. Everyone aboard was safe. (Photo: Boston Traveler)

Coast Guard officials found that the government navigation chart was faulty, showing a safe depth of 33 feet when in reality there was an uncharted section of Graves Ledge.

The New York Times  reported that “as officers and men hurried to the afterdeck there was a crash from within the vessel, the forward portion rolled to starboard and, amid a swirl of the otherwise calm waters, disappeared from sight.”

A Boston tug offloads crew from the stricken City of Salisbury.

A Boston tug offloads crew from the stricken City of Salisbury. (Photo: Boston Traveler)

The freighter broke in two just forward of the stack. “The stern of the ship trembled and then rose high in the water, but settled back on the ledge.”

Boats help offload cargo from the City of Salisbury as it lists to starboard, prior to splitting in two atop Graves Ledge.

Tugboats help offload cargo from the City of Salisbury as it lists to starboard, prior to splitting in two atop Graves Ledge. A Coast Guard vessel observes. Graves Light is at right. (Photo: Massachusetts Historical Society)

The City of Salisbury   gradually broke completely apart in ensuing months, and by October had sunk to the bottom.

A news photographer shot an image of the City of Salisbury just as its stern was plunging below the waves (see photo).

Later the hull was dynamited as a navigation hazard (see photo), and ultimately sections would be raised and sold as scrap metal.

Still, much remains down below, including the bow, and divers report that it’s still possible to find artifacts, including pieces of bronze.

Tides and currents helped snap the SS City of Salisbury in two. The bow slid down one side of Graves Ledge, and the stern sank down the other side. (Photo: Boston Traveler)

Tides and currents helped snap the SS City of Salisbury in two. The bow slid down one side of Graves Ledge, and the stern sank down the other side. (Photo: Boston Traveler)

Most of the photos of the wreck and salvage operations are from the archives of the Boston Traveler  newspaper and the San Francisco Examiner, between April and October, 1938.

Those original photos from the Boston Traveler  and San Francisco Examiner archives are the property of GravesLightStation.com, which claims no copyright and welcomes the public to reproduce them.

'Storm administers coup de grace' is the news caption on this original 1938 photo from the archives of the San Francisco Examiner. We acquired the original from the Examiner archives.

‘Storm administers coup de grace’ is the news caption on this original 1938 photo from the archives of the San Francisco Examiner. We acquired the original from the Examiner archives.

CityofSalisbury_Salvage

Divers attempt to retrieve part of the sunken cargo of the City of Salisbury, whose mast protrudes from the water at left. The salvage boat appears at center. At right is a Coast Guard boat, observing operations. This photo is from the archives of the Boston Traveler, published September 30, 1938.

For more information

  • BostonShipwrecks.org, City of Salisbury page. With photos of the wreck and log entries.
  • Metro West Dive Club, City of Salisbury page. Contains a brief history, excellent diving information, and dive charts.
  • Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, City of Salisbury page. Contains a good and lively history, specifics on the location and condition of the wreck, and more.

    The Boston salvage crew that blew up the hull of the SS City of Salisbury after it sank in the fall of 1938. The hull was a navigation hazard. See the "Dynamite" and "Explosives" signs on the cabin at left. At right, the diver is seated in his white dive suit, with his companion, standing, holding the bronze diving helmet.

    The Boston salvage crew that blew up the hull of the SS City of Salisbury after it sank in the fall of 1938. The hull was a navigation hazard. See the “Dynamite” and “Explosives” signs on the cabin at left. At right, the diver is seated in his white dive suit, with his companion, standing, holding the bronze diving helmet. (Photo: Boston Traveler)

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4 Comments

  1. Pingback: Dug out of the archives: Dramatic news photo of Graves Light shipwreck Graves Light Station

  2. Pingback: 1938 shipwreck photos found

  3. Pingback: SS City of Salisbury wreck: A nice dive off Graves Light Graves Light Station

  4. My father is mentioned in Edward Rowe Snows book about shipwrecks in Boston Harbor He found some monkey bones on Snake Island from that wreck

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