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‘Pitcher Wreck’ Recalls Memories of Old Bay Line
An Old Bay Line steamer pulls into dock Credit: National Archives
The company, better known as The Old Bay Line, operated for 122 years (1840-1962), making it the oldest and last overnight packet steamship passenger service in the country. Sailing the Chesapeake Bay, mainly between Baltimore, Maryland, and Norfolk, Virginia, the vessels carried packets of mail issued through government contracts. The major qualification for these 19th century “packet steamers’ was to sail on a fixed daily schedule between two or more cities. In addition to its Baltimore to Norfolk runs, the line occasionally provided passenger, freight and vehicle transport to Washington, DC, Richmond and Old Port Comfort, Virginia.
Molasses and syrup pitchers salvaged from the wreck, Credit: Don Shomette
Old Bay Line time table from the 1950s, Credit: Ellsworth Boyd Archives
Upon surfacing and examining the finds, they discovered an engraving on the pewter lid of one of the hobnail pitchers: “J.H. Hobbs & Co., Wheeling, W.Va., Pat. May 11, 1869.” Coupled with further research, this verified the wreck as the SS New Jersey, a steam packet vessel built in Baltimore in 1862. More evidence showed that it was engulfed in fire and sank while underway to Norfolk carrying 750 tons of freight. Fortunately, there were no passengers aboard and the captain and crew were rescued by an oysterman out on the Bay in his pungy.
The long tenure and history of the Old Bay Line steamers is impressive, especially the story of the Exodus. In 1942, during WWII, the line’s SS President Warfield became a transport ship for the British. After the war, in 1946, an underground Jewish organization in Palestine purchased it in an attempt to bring European refugees back to their Israel homeland (see the 1958 bestseller, Exodus by Leon Uris and the 1960 blockbuster film starring Paul Newman). Renamed SS Exodus—using the name in the Jews’ great biblical exodus from Egypt—the vessel reached shore off Palestine only to be turned away by the British. Although the effort failed, it was dubbed “the ship that launched a nation,” raising awareness of the Jews’ struggle for their homeland.
Wreck Site shown off Talbot County, Maryland Credit: Ellsworth Boyd Archives
Many factors contributed to the Old Bay Line’s demise: faster and cheaper transportation emerged; maintenance of the vessels and staff payroll increased; and the romance of early steamship travel diminished. In 1962, when the line’s future dimmed, many people hoped the company could still stay afloat (pun intended), but such was not to be the case.
Author: Ellsworth Boyd
Ellsworth Boyd, Professor Emeritus, College of Education, Towson University, Towson, Maryland, pursues an avocation of diving and writing. He has published articles and photo’s in every major dive magazine in the US., Canada, and half a dozen foreign countries. An authority on shipwrecks, Ellsworth has received thousands of letters and e-mails from divers throughout the world who responded to his Wreck Facts column in Sport Diver Magazine. When he’s not writing, or diving, Ellsworth appears as a featured speaker at maritime symposiums in Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Ft. Lauderdale, New York and Philadelphia. “Romance & Mystery: Sunken Treasures of the Lost Galleons,” is one of his most popular talks. A pioneer in the sport, Ellsworth was inducted into the International Legends of Diving in 2013.
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What an interesting article. I had no idea that Baltimore, my home town, had such a lovely steamboat going south to Norfolk, Virginia. I see the posted picture. What beautiful vessels they were. They stopped sailing in 1962. Do you by chance remember them?
I remember the City of Richmond, one of the Old Bay Line’s vessels, docked at Baltimore’s harbor. Best of all I love the story of how the late Jean Haviland met her husband, Ken, aboard the City of Richmond. She was experiencing difficulty opening her cabin door & he came along & helped. They dated, got married, and had a long, wonderful life together. They were ship & shipwreck experts. Read all about Jean on Numa.net, May 31, 2013. MY article is: The Wreck Lady: “She Will Have Shipwrecks Wherever She Goes.”
I sailed on both the City of Richmond and City of Norfolk and had the good fortune of knowing the captains on both ships. That got me into the wheelhouse as a youngster and the opportunity to handle the big wooden steering wheel and the whistle. Both steamers were classics and excellent examples of the types of steamers that operated on Chesapeake Bay. If only we had vessels like them today. Ken and Jean Haviland were very good friends and we had many good times together.
Jack: Thanks so much for sharing your fond memories of the City of Richmond and the City of Norfolk. And of our mutual friends, Jean and Ken Haviland. They were wonderful people and I miss them.I used to do research at their place in Roland Park. Jean and Ken loved the steamers of the Chesapeake,and like this wonderful couple, long gone but never forgotten. Ellsworth
Ellsworth, I used to correspond with Jean Haviland when doing wreck research. I still have her letters, written in long hand, in my files. A wonderful lady!
Rich: What a wonderful memory, learning that you still have Jean’s letters. She had a beautiful handwriting. She responded to all inquiries as long as the writer enclosed a stamp or stamped envelope. She was very helpful to many divers. She and Ken had the largest private maritime library/collection in the U.S. When they passed,everything was bequeathed to two maritime museums.
Mr. Boyd,
Thank you for your article. It was very informational. Do you have any idea where I might find a listing of the crew members from this steamship. Lore from a friend’s family indicates his 3x great grandfather may have been one of the crew.
Thank you.
Thank you for your nice comment. Try Jack Shaum. His email is: jmshaum@atlanticb
If he can’t help you, email me directly at: [email protected]. I have one more possible source. Let me know how you make out.
A friend I grew up with in the 1950’s and 60’s, his grandfather was a captain for Old Bay Lines. The captains last name was Willis, if my memory is correct. I would like to know if there are any articles about this gentleman
In my research, I never came across that name. But you can try writing to the Steamship Historical Society of America at: [email protected] or alternate email: [email protected]. The Society used to publish Steamboat Bill which became Power Ships. Steamboat Bill goes back 80 years and online there is a listing: Steamboat Bil Archives which you might try. There is also a booK: Great History of the Old Bay Line by Alexander Crosby Brown. I see one copy for sale on ebay. If you don’t have luck with any of these suggestion, contact me again and I shall see what else I can come up with. Good luck.
I grew up in Norfolk and my dad was an avid boater. As a kid I would frequently see these vessels in Norfolk Harbor and Hampton Roads. Dad liked to hit their wakes as they were pretty big. Living about three miles from the Old Bay Line docks in Norfolk when conditions were right you could hear the their steam whistles blow. At the time as a kid it was just normal to see them and never thought about them going away. At age eleven, I finally got to go onboard the CITY OF RICHMOND. It to me felt like a big ocean liner from my dads 37 footer. We had family that lived in Baltimore and Springfield, my Great Aunts, five of them regularly took the steamers. I was going to Springfield with my ten year cousin. What I remember is people waving go bye to the people on the dock, line handlers taking in the lines, the blast of the whistle, the heavy vibrations of the engine, (The whistle, I would like that to be ringer on my cell phone.), eating dinner in the restaurant with all the waiters dressed in white, hitting a storm, never felt her rock. At bed time which seemed early to us kids was not what we wanted to do. The thump of the Quadruple steam engine was pretty pronounced and could not go to sleep. My mom and Great Aunt left the room for the after deck to read. The window from I remember slide open and a sliding storm shutter on the outside of the bulkhead. We opened it and ventured out on the Portside deck heading forward. We were on the third level counting the freight deck. It was dark, not lite up light cruise ships of today. As we made our way forward two big hands crabbed us and mean big hands. He said quote “where are you boys going?” , I do not remember our response, we were scared, this was a big ships officer. He escorted us to the aft deck in search of our responsible parties and that was it.
My Mom and Great Aunt let us hang there for a while and I have lasting impressions of that to this day. The after deck had a large sitting area where most of the passengers read. It was lighted but not to the extinct of ships today. It was a warm night, gentle breeze and a full moon reflecting off the wake of the ship, it was peaceful. The next morning we ate breakfast onboard and disembarked to a large warehouse type building where they had a big scale model of the President Warfield, last steamer built for the Old Bay Line. She, the STATE of VIRGINIA and STATE of MARYLAND were all conscripted by the US government for WWII service.
I joined the Steamship Historical Society of America (SSHSA) back in the early nineties. Talking to Jack Shaum then Editor for Steamboat the society’s quarterly publication, I found that he and I had some common ground and became friends. He invited me to write an article on the Chesapeake Bay Ferries, which I have written two for SSHSA. Doing research I met three former captains and later with Jim Garrison (Grandson of the late Capt. L. H. Garrison manager of the Delaware River and the Virginia Ferry Corp.) did a video interview with Capt William Parks and Capt Richard Belote. They were asked questions and told stories of happenings during their career. One story was of a captain that came over to the Chesapeake Bay Ferry District after the closure of the Old Bay Line. I do not remember his name. Capt Parks said the Old Bay Line captain told “I came in with a glancing blow” , then Capt Belote said “there were splinters flying everywhere” Jim Garrison has posted these video’s on YouTube under the Virginia Ferry Corporation. He did a nice job with these videos and worth taking a look.
Owning an old single screw boat, I can not help but really admire the captains of the Old Bay Line vessels and their handling of. These vessels were single screw, no bow thrusters, delayed response time of engine commands, docking without the assistance of tugs in Norfolk and Old Point Comfort. With the currents and when the wind was up presented some real challenges to those captains. I cannot, help but admire their seamanship.
William: Thanks for sharing your personal story of this beautiful vessel. What a grand time you had. It’s an experience you shall never forget. I too remember seeing the City of Richmond at the dock. My brother was in the Navy and he was returning from our home to Norfolk. I remember waving goodbye to him. These are nice memories. Thanks for sharing. Best regards, Ellsworth