Adelaide Baker

Diver peering into the remains of the ship's large iron mast.
Diver enjoying the natural and archaeological beauty of the shipwreck. Photo: Nicole Grinnan/Florida Public Archaeology Network

In 20 feet of water, 4 miles south-southeast of Duck Key, lie the remains of a three-masted iron-rigged and iron-reinforced wooden-hull bark. The major features of this ship, locally known as Conrad and believed to be Adelaide Baker, are scattered over a square quarter-mile area. Today, the remaining parts of the ship host a diverse overgrowth of organisms such as gorgonians, sponges, and encrusting corals.

History

Adelaide Baker, originally named F. W. Carver, was built in 1863 in Bangor, Maine. It measured 153 feet between perpendiculars, had a beam of 35 feet and a depth of hold of 21 feet. Its double-decked hull was constructed of oak and hackmatack and then sheathed with copper.

Multiple divers swimming around a shipwreck on the seafloor
Divers viewing the scattered remains of the shipwreck. Photo: John Ireton, Florida Public Archaeology Network

After being sold to a British company in the early 1870s, it was renamed the Adelaide Baker. The wreck report documents that on January 28, 1889, the ship was bound for Savannah, Georgia, with a load of sawn timber when it wrecked on Coffins Patch Reef. The captain reportedly turned the ship prematurely north, thinking he was at a different location along the Keys. The irregularly shaped granite ballast concentrated along the edge of the reef marks where it was first "holed," spilling ballast and lower cargo. The night of the shipwreck, wreckers in the area assisted the captain and crew to safety. There was no loss of life.

Archaeology

Diver swimming alongside the mast of a shipwreck lying on the seafloor covered in sealife
An experienced diver can identify this object as Adelaide Baker's mast. Photo: Matthew Lawrence/NOAA

Adelaide Baker's remains are scattered along a north-northwest path 1,400 feet long. Most of the material is clustered in two areas. Cluster A is thought to be near the place where the ship went down. Large iron hold beam knee riders and deck beam hanging knees dominate this cluster. Nearby lie the lower portion of the mizzen mast and a metal water tank. Cluster B's most noticeable feature is a 77-foot long iron mast. The remains of a bilge pump, knee-riders, iron deck bit, hawse-hole frames, and miscellaneous rigging and tackle are also part of Cluster B. Other features, separate from these clusters, are two additional mast sections, a pile of rigging, and a second water tank.

Site Map: Site A

A hand-drawn map showing a scattering of objects on a wreck, including ballast stones and a ship's mast
Adelaide Baker sketch of Cluster A. Credit: Wes Hall/Mid Atlantic Technologies

Site Map: Site B

A hand-drawn map showing a scattering of objects on a wreck, including a ship's mast and rigging
Adelaide Baker sketch of Cluster B. Credit: Wes Hall/Mid Atlantic Technologies

Buoy Map

A map showing how a single mooring buoy is above a shipwreck
Image: NOAA