View source for SS Winfield Scott

{{Short description|1850 sidewheel steamer}}
{{For|ships with a similar name|Winfield Scott (ship)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
|+SS ''Winfield Scott''
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:Winfield Scott Litho.jpg|center|300px]]
|Ship caption=''Winfield Scott'' color lithograph
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1850}}
|Ship name=
|Ship namesake=[[Winfield Scott]]
|Ship owner=
|Ship operator=[[Pacific Mail Steamship Company]]
|Ship registry=
|Ship route=[[Panama]]-[[San Francisco]]
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|Ship builder=[[Jacob Aaron Westervelt|Westervelt & MacKay]]
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|Ship launched=27 October 1850
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|Ship out of service=2 December 1853
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|Ship fate=Wrecked on [[Anacapa Island]]
|Ship notes=Set a record 49-day transit between New York and San Francisco in 1852
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}}
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|Ship type=Passenger
|Ship tonnage=1,291 gross tons
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|Ship length={{convert|225|ft|m}}
|Ship beam={{convert|34.6|ft|m}}
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|Ship depth={{convert|29.1|ft|m}}
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|Ship decks=3
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|Ship power=2 × [[Morgan Iron Works]] [[marine steam engine#Side-lever|side-lever steam engines]]
|Ship propulsion= 2 × paddle-wheels assisted by sail
|Ship sail plan=Three [[mast (sailing)|masts]], square sails
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|Ship capacity=*165 [[Cabin (ship)|cabin]]
*150 [[steerage]] passengers
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{{Infobox NRHP
| embed           = yes
| name            = SS ''Winfield Scott'' (Steamship)
| nrhp_type       =
| image           =
| caption         =
| location        = [[Anacapa Island]]
| nearest_city    =
| coordinates     = {{coord|34|01|00|N|119|23|00|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin        = California
| map_width       =
| area            = {{convert|0.7|acre}}
| built           =
| architect       = [[Jacob Aaron Westervelt|Westervelt & MacKay]]
| architecture    =
| added           = 12 September 1988
| visitation_num  =
| visitation_year =
| refnum          = 87002111<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
| mpsub           = 
}}
|}

'''SS ''Winfield Scott''''' was a [[Paddle steamer|sidewheel steamer]] that transported passengers and cargo between [[San Francisco, California]] and [[Panama]] in the early 1850s, during the [[California Gold Rush]].  After entering a heavy [[fog]] off the coast of Southern California on the evening of December 1, 1853, the ship crashed into [[Anacapa Island|Middle Anacapa Island]].  All 450 passengers and crew survived, but the ship was lost.

''Winfield Scott'' has been the object of numerous salvage operations since the crash, and currently rests underwater as part of the [[Channel Islands National Park]] and [[Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary|Marine Sanctuary]].  The ''Winfield Scott'' wreck site is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].

== History ==
=== California Gold Rush ===
The discovery of [[gold]] at [[Sutter's Mill]] in 1848 brought thousands of people to [[California]] in search of fortune until the late 1850s.  Since neither the [[Panama Canal]] nor the [[First transcontinental railroad]] had been constructed, people emigrating to California from the [[Eastern United States]] had three main routes of passage.  They could travel over land, which was expensive and dangerous, or they could sail the roughly {{convert|14000|mi|adj=on}} route around South America.  This was more attractive to some but no less dangerous, due in part to the rough waters of the [[Drake Passage]].  In addition to the inherent dangers of either route, the journey often took as long as six months to complete.

The third route involved traversing the [[jungle]]s of the [[Isthmus of Panama]], then departing via the southern coast of Panama.  While this cut the length of the sea journey in half, ships to ferry passengers from Panama to San Francisco were not commonplace.  As a result, many had to wait months to complete the second half of their journey.<ref name="journey">[https://pbskids.org/ "The Gold Rush: The Journey"]. PBS.org.  Retrieved June 10, 2006.</ref>  To fill this growing need for swift passage from Panama to California, shipbuilding activities increased dramatically.

=== Construction and service ===
''Winfield Scott'' (originally to be named ''Placer'') was constructed by the [[shipbuilding]] company Westervelt and MacKay of New York, and was completed in March 1850.  The ship was named for the celebrated [[United States Army]] general [[Winfield Scott]] (the [[stern]] was built with a [[bust (sculpture)|bust]] in his likeness), and she was launched on 27 October 1850.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7a00AAAAIAAJ |page=457 |title=Early American Steamers, Volume 1 |first=Erik |last=Heyl |author-link= Erik Heyl |year=1953}}</ref> An announcement in the October 20 edition of the ''[[New York Herald]]'' stated that "We understand that no expense has been spared to secure strength, safety and speed..."<ref name="vesselhistory">[http://channelislands.noaa.gov/shipwreck/dbase/cinms/winfieldscott1.html ''Winfield Scott'' Vessel History]. ''Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary''. Retrieved June 8, 2006</ref><!-- Shipwrecks database currently unavailable, but new database in preparation at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/shipwrecks/ --> Her hull was wooden with double [[iron]] bracing and was made from [[White oak]], [[Live oak]], [[Locust]], [[Thuja plicata|Redcedar]] and [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] [[Pinus classification|yellow pine]].

The steamer, owned by Davis, Brooks and Company, initially transported passengers on the New York-[[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]] route.  In 1852, the ship's ownership was transferred to the New York and San Francisco Steamship Company Line, and she arrived in San Francisco on April 28, 1852.  Once there, she began taking gold seekers, nicknamed argonauts, on the Panama Route (between San Francisco and Panama).  After the demise of the New York and San Francisco Steamship Company Line (which had been renamed as the New York and California Steamship Company in May 1853), the ship's ownership was again transferred on July 8, 1853, this time to the [[Pacific Mail Steamship Company]].<ref name="vesselhistory"/>

=== Last voyage ===
''Winfield Scott'', bound for Panama, departed from San Francisco on the morning of 1 December 1853.  In addition to her complement of passengers and crew, the ship was transporting a shipment of [[Precious metal|gold bullion]] worth an estimated US$2 million.<ref name="explore">[http://www.rain.org/campinternet/channelhistory/expedition2/shipwrecks/shipwreckwinfieldscott.html "Winfield Scott Shipwreck"]. ''RAIN.org''. Retrieved June 11, 2006.</ref> The ship's progress was slowed in the afternoon when repairs had to be made to a leaking boiler, but she had resumed course at full speed. Later that evening, Captain [[Simon F. Blunt]] navigated the ship into the [[Santa Barbara Channel]] in an effort to save time.  Captain Blunt knew the channel well, having helped survey the area a few years previously.<ref name="goldrush">{{cite web|url=http://www.boemre.gov/omm/pacific/kids/goldwrecks.htm |title=Gold Rush Shipwrecks |publisher=Minerals Management Service |access-date=9 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725132547/http://www.boemre.gov/omm/pacific/kids/goldwrecks.htm |archive-date=July 25, 2010 }}</ref>

At approximately 11 PM, the ship encountered a heavy fog, and ran aground into Middle Anacapa Island (approximately 400 miles from port).  Her speed at the time of the wreck was estimated at {{convert|10|kn|lk=in}}.  She struck the island [[bow (ship)|bow]] first, and when Capt. Blunt attempted to back away the stern was struck, removing the ship's [[rudder]].  With the ship taking on massive amounts of water and unable to steer, all aboard, perhaps as many as 500 people, began scrambling for land.<ref name="goldrush"/>{{sfn|CINMS (NOAA)|2011}} The ship was completely evacuated in approximately two hours, and the survivors spent the first night camped on a pinnacle of rock that measured {{convert|50|by|25|yards}}.  The next day they moved to a larger piece of land on the island.<ref name="diary">[http://www.riverboatdaves.com/diary/acall.html Diary of Asa Call]. ''From the Diaries of Asa C. Call''. Retrieved June 11, 2006.</ref>

One of the passengers, Asa Cyrus Call, recalled "a terrible jar and crashing of timbers...I hurried out on deck, where my attention was fixed on a wall of towering cliffs, the tops of which were hidden by the fog and darkness and appeared about to fall and crush us. All round was the loud booming of angry breakers surging about invisible rocks."<ref name="vesselhistory"/>

On 2 December, the steamship SS ''California'', returning to San Francisco from Panama, was alerted to the presence of the wreck survivors by the smoke of a gun they had fired.<ref name="particulars">[http://www.pt5dome.com/wswreck.htm ''Wreck of the Winfield Scott'']. ''pt5dome.com''. Retrieved June 22, 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929155349/http://www.pt5dome.com/wswreck.htm |date=September 29, 2007 }}</ref>   ''California'' rescued the women and children, as well as ''Winfield Scott''{{'s}} complement of gold bullion.  On 9 December ''California'' returned to rescue the remaining passengers.<ref name="vesselhistory"/>  The crew stayed behind to recover as much of the mail and passenger luggage as possible.  ''Winfield Scott'', however, had sustained too much damage and was left in the waters of the channel.

== Wreckage and salvage ==
[[File:SS Winfield Scott wreck.PNG|thumb|A [[Underwater diving|diver]] investigates the wreck of ''Winfield&nbsp;Scott''.]]
[[Image:Winfield Scott Scatter Map.png|thumb|200px|Scatter map of the wreck site]]
The remains of ''Winfield Scott'' are located under {{convert|25|–|30|ft|m}} of water in the [[Channel Islands National Park]] and [[Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary|Marine Sanctuary]].  The wreckage site was verified in 1981<ref name="symposium">[http://www.mahhi.org/Abstracts_2005.htm ''2005 Symposium on Maritime Archaeology and History of Hawaii and the Pacific'']. ''Maritime Archaeology and History of the Hawaiian Islands Foundation (MAHHI)''. Retrieved June 24, 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050404025926/http://www.mahhi.org/Abstracts_2005.htm |date=April 4, 2005 }}</ref> and was registered with the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1988.  The site is protected by California and United States law, which prohibits divers from removing any part of the wreckage.

A [[Marine salvage|salvage]] operation was undertaken in 1894, utilizing ''San Pedro''.  Much of the iron machinery, as well as hundreds of copper bolts, were recovered.  An additional salvage operation during [[World War II]] recovered additional iron and brass for the [[war effort]].<ref name="CINMS">[http://channelislands.noaa.gov/shipwreck/dbase/cinms/winfieldscott.html The Winfield Scott at the CINMS Shipwreck Database]. ''Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary''. Retrieved June 9, 2006.</ref>

The remaining wreckage is considered important from an historical perspective, as it represents a tangible example of mid-19th century shipbuilding.  Although much of the wooden hull has long since disintegrated, some of the machinery is still relatively intact.<ref name="pdf">
{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.ecu.edu/cs-cas/maritime/upload/s2s01.pdf
 |title       = Archaeological Investigation of the Gold Rush Steamship ''Winfield Scott''
 |last        = Marx
 |first       = Deborah
 |publisher   = [[East Carolina University]]
 |work        = Stem to Stern
 |access-date  = 2006-06-24
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130614174222/http://www.ecu.edu/cs-cas/maritime/upload/s2s01.pdf
 |archive-date = 2013-06-14
 |df          = 
}}</ref>

Between 1853 and 1980, more than 140 shipwrecks were documented in the Channel Islands National Park Marine Sanctuary.  As of December 2000, twenty sites had been located.  The prevailing currents and weather conditions of the area make it a dangerous place for navigation.<ref name="data2000">[http://www.vims.edu/bridge/channelislands.html "Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Data Exercise"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060913141424/http://www.vims.edu/bridge/channelislands.html |date=2006-09-13 }}. ''Virginia Institute of Marine Science''. Retrieved June 24, 2006.</ref>

In 1987, the California Wreck Divers Club was the subject of a sting operation to discourage salvage divers from bringing up artifacts from the Winfeld Scott and other ships in the Santa Barbara Channel.  A coin was brought up from the Winfield Scott that was the major target of the subsequent legal case.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1990-12-27 |title=The Wreck and the Reckoning: U.S. Park Service Wins Its Case Against Undersea Treasure Hunters in the Country's Largest-Ever Archeological Protection Venture |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-27-vl-9918-story.html |access-date=2023-11-15 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
=== Light beacon ===
Shortly after the wreck, the [[United States Coast and Geodetic Survey|United States Coast Survey]] recommended that a permanent [[lighthouse]] facility be built on Anacapa Island.  Due to a lack of funding, the installation (an unmanned [[beacon|acetylene beacon]] on a fifty-foot tower) was not constructed until 1912. The tower was replaced by [[Anacapa Island Light|a lighthouse]] in 1932.<ref name="history">[http://www.west.net/~scifmail/anahist.html "History of Anacapa Island"]. ''Santa Cruz Island Foundation''. Retrieved June 24, 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060417083804/http://www.west.net/~scifmail/anahist.html |date=April 17, 2006 }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Ventura County, California]]
* [[List of shipwrecks]]

== Notes and references ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
*{{Citation |url=http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/shipwrecks/pdfs/shipwreck_final.pdf |title=Channel Islands Shipwrecks |publisher=[[Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary]], [[NOAA]] |year=2011 |ref={{harvid|CINMS (NOAA)|2011}} }}
*{{Citation |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2013-mar-07-la-me-0308-rats-anacapa-20130308-story.html |date=March 7, 2013 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |title=Anacapa Island thrives after rat eradication |first=Steve |last=Chawkins |access-date=November 25, 2015 }}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Winfield Scott (ship, 1850)}}
* [http://channelislands.noaa.gov/focus/av_gallery.html Video gallery with a clip of a diver exploring the ''Winfield Scott'' wreck]

{{Ships built by Westervelt & Co.}}
{{1853 shipwrecks}}
{{NRHP in Channel Islands NP}}
{{Registered Historic Places}}

{{Good article}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winfield Scott}}
[[Category:1850 ships]]
[[Category:Paddle steamers of the United States]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the California coast]]
[[Category:Passenger ships of the United States]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in December 1853]]
[[Category:Ships built by Westervelt & MacKay]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in California]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Ventura County, California]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Channel Islands National Park]]