Sibyl Marston (ship)

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The Sibyl Marston was a wooden schooner cargo ship built by W.A. Boole & Sons of Oakland CA and belonging to the Sibyl Marston Co.[1] The Sibyl Marston sank off of the coast of Lompoc, California on January 12, 1909.

Overview

On Jan. 12, 1909, the Sybil Marston, the largest steam schooner built on the west coast, struck the rocks near Surf Beach, California and ran aground in a storm. She was carrying 1.1 million feet of lumber. Two crew members were killed in the disaster.[2]

Shortly after the Sybil Marston disaster, Lompoc residents salvaged lumber and used it to begin a town lumberyard. Several houses built in Lompoc used lumber from the shipwreck.[3]

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The Sibyl Marston as of 24 FEB 2010 Photo by Josh McAdams.

Surf Beach and its adjoining coastal area was a dangerous place for ship travel in the time before radar navigational systems made seafaring safer.

There are about 30 recorded shipwrecks along the Surf Beach coast.

Location

Sibyl Marston is located at 34°39′13″N 120°37′03″W / 34.653474°N 120.61747°W / 34.653474; -120.61747 (accident site)Coordinates: 34°39′13″N 120°37′03″W / 34.653474°N 120.61747°W / 34.653474; -120.61747 (accident site).

The shipwreck is located 1 mile south of the Surf Amtrak Station in Lompoc, California.

Sources

References