H.P. Kirkham - January 20-22, 1892

Driven by the force of a raging Nor’easter, the HP Kirkham struck the Rose and Crown Shoal, one of the most dangerous shoals east of Nantucket. The violent seas began to slowly tear the ship apart.  The sailors set off distress flares, but as these ran out they resorted to burning mattresses in the rigging.  Unknown to them at the time, they were fifteen miles from land. 

As dawn approached on the 21st, the Kirkham’s masts were spotted by Joseph Remsen, keeper of the Sankaty Lighthouse.  He had seen the Kirkham’s distress signal during the night, but could not be certain whether the flashes of light he saw were the result of a wreck or a reflection of his own light against the water.  Remsen immediately called Captain Walter Chase at the Coskata Life-Saving Station.  Given Remsen’s description, Chase knew that the wreck was in a very dangerous location—there was a very good chance that both the sailors and the life-savers would not make it back to shore. 

When Chase and his crew reached the Kirkham, they found that all six sailors were still alive and clinging to the rigging.  After a line was secured, the panicked survivors almost swamped the surfboat—control was only restored when Chase threatened to cut the lines and leave the sailors to mercy of the sea. 

As the surfmen toiled towards home, twice during the night the tide and wind turned against them. The lifesavers and survivors anchored and waited for the tide to turn, continuously bailing water out of the surfboat.  Hours later they finally made landfall at Siasconset.

On January 8, 1893, Chase and his crew were awarded gold and silver medals respectively by the US Congress for heroism.  Sadly, surfman Roland Perkins’ medal was awarded posthumously—he was the only one who did not survive the twenty-six hour ordeal.