Shipwrecks
Is anyone else fascinated by shipwrecks, Like I am?
When I was in high school I used to walk down that street that runs between the high school and the college to the water. From there I could climb down to the beach, and I would walk west a little ways. There was an abandoned boat up there. Her name was Ked and I would just sit there and look at her. My friend Josh said once, I think the name was Fucked and then the FUC fell off. She was definitely falling apart. When it rained and the water level rose, she would leak a ribbon of oil that would head east, running under the warren avenue bridge. She just sat there for years and years. Who owned her? Why did they abandon her? What did this boat do, when it had a purpose?
There's been some good coverage about her by the Kitsap Sun, including a video from the day they finally towed her away to be scrapped. I have notes about her somewhere. I think they are scribbled on the back of a print photo of her I bought from a now-defunct cafe (chaiwalla, god I loved that place).
Will the Ked rest easy in Bremerton?
Derelict boat secured for clean up
Declared a “Derelict”, WW2 tanker makes it’s final voyage
If I remember right, her name was Originally Fletcher J and she was an oil tanker. She has a twin- tHe Wizard, from the deadliest catch.
and of course, once Ked was towed away and scrapped, another mysterious boat showed up just a little to the west. You can catch a view of it from Lion’s field.
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anyway, all of this is to say I've been ruminating on abandoned boats and shipwrecks again. There's a map I fell in love with at the JeffCo history museum called “Pacific Northwest Shipwrecks”. It has shipwreck sites marked all over the puget sound, including one down in sinclair inlet. Here’s an auction listing for the map that I found online so you can see for yourself.
I want to find a copy of it for myself but that’s unlikely. Digital will have to suffice. The museum originally thought they had some for sale but couldnt find me one. the truth is, they probably sold out 20 years ago and I'm not getting that map. Haha.
This year I also tracked down the copyright owner the map is watermarked with- Kent Barnard. I sent him a facebook message. Though, with the way facebook hides messages, who knows if he will see it. Facebook decided to show me a messenger from last week that was originally sent in 2020. what a mess!
If anyone knows where I can buy a copy of this map for a reasonable price (vs the “rare vintage unique map” prices out there, let me know. If this is a topic you’d like to hear more about on the show, let me know and I will be happy to oblige!
-D.