East Fort Massac

[Snowgoose-1]

Whilst also a bit slow at the moment, wonder if anyone can clarify the above 'Massac" re Harwich approach. There is a Fort Massac in the USA. Wonder if Massac has some relevance to Pilgrims.

 

[bob the ancient mariner]

It is the remains of a shipwreck, I believe from wartime, marked by east and west bouys good area for fishing but not for anchoring as bits of the wreck are above the seabed

 

[tillergirl]

There is a tide gauge on the beacon of the wreck

 

[MikeBz]

And an anemometer so it would seem.

 

[tillergirl]

Yeap. Really handy for conditions 'outside'. Nice display.

I tried to use the East Massac tide gauge when the Walton gauge failed for a while a year back.

 

[Leighb]

The Harwich gauge is on holiday at present.

 

[RivalRedwing]

This does seem a prime example of causing confusion for visitors. I'm sure most could understand 'Harwich Approach' as the slightly vague location for the site but I am puzzling over the benefit or justification for renaming it East Fort Massac... (or the approach to it...) does it appear on the charts, I don't have mine to hand.

 

[PaulRainbow]

This does seem a prime example of causing confusion for visitors. I'm sure most could understand 'Harwich Approach' as the slightly vague location for the site but I am puzzling over the benefit or justification for renaming it East Fort Massac... (or the approach to it...) does it appear on the charts, I don't have mine to hand.

Taken from VMH digital charts, obviously UKHO source material.

 

[bob the ancient mariner]

It is called Fort Massac ,as that is the name of the ship wrecked. Fort class ships were built in Canada for the British mercantile marine, as opposed the Liberty class ships built in the USA. Incidentally the same class built for the Canadians own fleets were called Park class. I cannot recall the actual date of when it was wrecked.

 

[bob the ancient mariner]

further to my above I meant to add that I moved to Harwich to work for HH Authority in 1976 ,and was marked on charts as the fort Massac wreck even then

 

[MikeBz]

The pic on HHA's website (Live Data | Weather, Tide, Sailing information - Harwich, Felixstowe, Ipswich | Harwich Haven Authority) shows its location as ENE of Landguard (6), which it isn't.

 

[RivalRedwing]

If they rustle up a new map with its location shown as opposed to a wishful '>' that would help

 

[14K478]

the FORT MASSAC was in collision with the steam coaster THORNABY and sank in early 1946:

Heritage Gateway - Results

 

[bob the ancient mariner]

That is a very interesting link, I did not realize remains of 2 other ships are there

 

[PaulRainbow]

That is a very interesting link, I did not realize remains of 2 other ships are there

Good fishing ground

 

[14K478]

Only one man lost. For a grim story, of arrogant bureaucratic incompetence, leading to massive loss of life, look up the sister ship FORT STIKINE.

 

[dogleg]

steamer Corcrest hit wreck in June 49 and sank .

 

[Snowgoose-1]

Have often thought if there were more ships about then to hit than there are now.

You would think so given the increase in size .

 

[14K478]

Have often thought if there were more ships about then to hit than there are now.

You would think so given the increase in size .

I have wondered about this; I think that almost certainly there were many more ships about. Even within my memory there were more -I can remember making my first crossing of the mouth of the Thames, from the Swin to the Medway, in 1973, and thinking that, in my 18 footer, under sail, at three or four knots, I was "trying to walk across the M1, in slow motion". I haven't thought that recently! ,

 

[ex-Gladys]

Have often thought if there were more ships about then to hit than there are now.

You would think so given the increase in size .

More to the point, there is better nav equipment available nowadays. As a kid living in Penzance, I seem to remember trawlers getting wrecked around Land's End and helicopters from Culdrose landing at the Cricket Field 200 yards up the road, and delivering casualties to waiting ambulances. Of course the Torrey Canyon was the big one, the day of the accident the smell of crude oil was all through the town some 35 miles away from the Seven Stones