The Ocean House

A landmark is one of those words that has a different meaning ashore than it does at sea. On land, it is mostly used to describe a historic or signature building that is often a popular attraction. When navigating however, the word still maintains its traditional usage: a structure or geographic feature that is easily recognized; a reference point. The Ocean House in Watch Hill fits both definitions.
On the 20-plus mile, harborless passage from Point Judith, it is this building I first spot as I make my way west towards Long Island Sound. There is a lighthouse nearby, but it is no match for the large yellow victorian with the mansard roof, rising high above the bluff.
Built in 1868, the Ocean House was one of many grand hotels that dotted the shoreline. While Block Island still boasts several of these grand old ladies, most others have been lost to fire, redevelopement, and plain old decay. In the past few decades, it seemed as if the Ocean House would meet a similar fate. Each time I saw her, she looked a little more rundown, and by the late 1990's large portions of the building were no longer in use. Unable to meet the fire-code, she closed in 2003. A new owner drew up plans to build 5 McMansions on the site.
Efforts were made to save the hotel, but it was not until New York investor Charles M Royce stepped in that it became a possibility. Hoping to restore the building, it was soon determined that the structure was too far gone and would need to be replaced. Rather than  restore, Royce would replicate. Thousand of items including fireplaces and moldings were salvaged before the original Ocean House met the wrecking ball in 2005.
The rebuilt Ocean House is now open, though after looking at their rates ($1700/weekend for 2-meals not included) I won't be staying there tonight. Yet when I am in Watch Hill, I will often walk  by and take a look. And when I am 7 miles from shore, I will be looking for her too. As with all good landmarks, I just like knowing she is there.

Art In Ruins: Original Ocean House (photos)
Hartford Courant: New Ocean House Opens
Ocean House.com
Centerbrook: To Save It We Had To Destroy It
Map

References: Summer By The Seaside: New England Coastal Resorts
photo credit: original Ocean House (bottom) Art In Ruins

Thomas Oyster House

On the grounds of Mystic Seaport, sits the former building of the Thomas Oyster Company. Constructed circa 1874, this house stood in the City Point (aka Oyster Pt) section of New Haven. According to the museum, New Haven was once the largest oyster distribution center in New England.

I haven't visited City Point in years, and a post about this unique neighborhood is long overdue. In the meantime, the links below provide some photos and history of the former oyster capital.

Mystic Seaport: Thomas Oyster House

City Point: Historic Photos

New Haven Preservation Trust: City Point 

A Brief History Of City Point  

Hometown Huntington

Trustee Park, Cold Spring Harbor, April 2010

To me, Huntington has always meant Huntington Harbor and nearby Huntington Station. The town of Huntington however, also includes Cold Spring Harbor, Centerport, Northport, along with Eatons and Lloyds Neck. The town is a diverse and attractive collection of harbors and villages that creates one of the more appealing stretches of Long Island Sound. It also has a large number of parks and beaches.

On Monday, June 7, WLIW will premier Hometown Huntington at 8 pm. The program looks at the town's maritime past, as well as the people who live there today. WLIW asked me to put this post together, and although I have not seen the program, I agreed without hesitation. Their Shoreline Sonata and Leisurama programs were both excellent pieces of work. If Hometown Huntington was made with the same quality and detail, then it is certainly worth viewing.

WLIW: Hometown Huntington 

Morgan Point Lighthouse

Morgan Point Lighthouse, Noank

First Lit: 1868

Decommissioned: 1919

New England Lightnouses

Lighthouse Friends (map included)

Soundbounder: Sandra & Michelle

Soundbounder: Morgan Point

Sara Elizabeth

Sarah Elizabeth departs Stonington in heavy fog. May 2010

Soundbounder: Fog Happens

Soundbounder: Stonington Fishing Fleet

CT Coastal Access Guide: Stonington Town Dock & Memorial

The Battle Of Point Judith

It was May 5, 1945. Adolph Hitler was dead, and the European campaign of the second World War was drawing to a close.  The Nazi government had issued a cease-fire for all U-boats patrolling the North Atlantic. German submarine U-853 never received the order.

Twelve days earlier, U-853 had fatally torpedoed PE-56, a patrol boat working off Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Only 13 of the 67 crewmembers survived*. To avoid detection, U-853 moved south and remained submerged as often as possible, with no communication. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. collier Black Point was transporting 7500 tons of coal from Norfolk to Boston. Built in 1918, the 369 foot ship had left her convoy in New York Harbor, and proceeded eastward through Long Island and Block Island Sound.  At approximately 5:40 pm, 3 miles south of Point Judith, a torpedo ripped into her stern, sending her to the bottom within minutes. Twelve crewman lost their lives.

An SOS signal was immediately sent out by the Pt Judith lightkeeper, and the Yugoslavian freighter Kamen, which had witnessed the explosion. The anti-submarine warships USS Ericsson, Amick, Atherton, and Moberly had just left New York, bound for Charleston, and were redirected to Pt Judith. On the morning of May 6, two blimps arrived from Lakehurst, New Jersey to assist in the pursuit.

After a 16 hour attack of hedgehogs and depth charges, a liferaft, chart table and officers cap floated to the surface, seven miles east of Block Island.

The wreck sits in 130 feet of water, with its periscope still extended, and the remains of the 55 crewmembers  aboard.

On May 7, less than 48 hours after the sinking of the Black Point, Germany surrendered. 

Ralph DiCarpio: Battle Of Pt Judith (well researched)

USMM.org: Black Point; The Last U-Boat Victim

Providence Journal: Nazi Sub Sunk Off Block Island

Providence Journal: Vets Honor Merchant Ship Crew

BNET: The Last U-Boat Battle

Wreckhunter (go to Wrecks Of Rhode Island)

AquaExplorers: U-853 & Black Point

Wikipedia: Battle of the Atlantic 1939-1945

* The sinking of PE-56 is an entire story unto itself. For decades, the US Navy denied that she had been torpedoed. Only in 2001 were the crewmembers awarded Purple Hearts.

Boston Globe: The Truth About PE-56

photo credits: USS Moberly launching hedgehogs (top) Wikipedia

U-Boat 853 (middle) AquaExplorers

USS Black Point (bottom) Ahoy-Mac's Weblog

Back From Cuba II

Here are some more photos of the Amistad in New London. I have been taking many of my photos early in the morning recently, with good results. Yesterday however, there was fog, and it was not the spooky, mysterious, and photogenic kind. Instead, it was  just a heavy haze that burned off later. These are not my best pictures, but the Amistad is  attractive  enough that I decided to post them regardless.

One of these days, it would be nice to catch her under sail, with clear skies. 

Soundbounder: Back From Cuba I

Cuban Daily News: Museum of Slave Route Preserves Legacy

Ficklin Media: In Cuban Port, A Living Lesson

VarnishMonkey: Amistad Crewmember Blog