Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-29
NAVAL SHIPS LOST AT SEA.
SIX American Vessels Tint Were
Never Heard From

never Heard From.
| From the Detroit Free Press
The Navy Department has many interest
ing records OF Its ships that have met with
| sad endings but none more so than the
| brief accounts of six different ones sum
med up terscly in these words: Meyer
! heard from." This laconic expression IS
familiar 10 all sea followers. ard il con-
! tains ID world of meaning If rightfully am
delstooG. There have been ships thai have
| some down ia battle with the flags flying
! deiantly at the masthead, and Others that
| nave baltied bravely against the adverse
! elements until. waierloggcd they have
sunk within sight Of land; but to be lost
at sea. with no mention of the disaster be-
cause OF lack of all detail, is to meet a fa3e
! hardly deserved.
Early in the history Of our navy such a
mystery closed about one Of the first yes
sells flying the new stars and stripes. The
Hi-lated Saratoga, an eighte-n-g'In snip,
alter performing a brilliant service on the
nigh seas, sailed forth upon the great
ocean and disappeared forever from All
h man knowledge. What know of her
! Is briefly summed up IN a few sentences.
After capturing three English prizes she
was Intercepted on her way 10 Philadci-
phia with them by the British seventy
! iCur-gun ship Of the line Intrepid. and al
/ ter a long tight she escaped from her
heavier adversary. No further word from
! the Saratoga Was ever received. and no
! signs OF her Tfccka4-c We're ever discover
! ed She probably foundered at sea in a
| gale but she lever let any one behind 10
| tell the tale.
! This was in 1880, and the next loss of IA
| similar character oc urred twenty years
later. The Thirty-siX- Eun fr.gate lnSur-
gent. commanded by Capt. Pairic * Flet"h-
/ er, WAS originally under The French fiaE,
but after she was captured by The CCGzt"l-
| idtion OF the Island OF Nevis snc sailed
under the American fag Unit! the end Of
! he's Shor; career. She had sailed orders
! to sail from Ike Chesapeake caprs out -
sea, nut after Sh. Started on her csSter.y
! course no word from any ship brought
tGlngs OF IN, InSGrGcnt. She disappeared
completely. No one on board OF her Was
eyer saved TO give official oonirma ZION OF
! the story Of Ter loss.
! The lpu.'iccll-G}m brig Pickering mot
! with similar fate. She was cruising "f
/ GtaGa!Cupe. with Master tommandant
Br!i jaTlin Hitler IN charge. waen severe
storm arose and swept the seas. d - gen
! orally supposed ;hat III. vessel, which was
/ an trustworthy lUb lOund-ro'i WA al on
| board. Pieces of Wrcckagc were picked W
along the coaSt. bun as 50 many vessels
were lost during this gale there was ~
! certainty of identifying them. Ii IL thought
! also that the same storm might have cau~-
! eli the loss OF the InSuIgDut, alth 1ugE
| to tits no Trustworthy account can he
! fcunG.
The rsxt vessel in our navy To disappear
! in tEis mysterious fashion was known as
} gunkC at No =. commanded by Lieut.. ogeI-
! vie. She sailed from New York Nav ~.
/ lSil5, to increase cur naval force then "a
gagged in the war with Tripu.I. She
| turned TO THIS port after hrlHE oJt foT
few DAYS, ana tEen she sailed on June -
( the second dime. Bat she never reached
her destination. Although nine other boats
left about the same time for the Ncdijer-
ranean service, ami all reached their
/ points in time. Sna."at No. q was lost, ami
! no word Mas ever received from any of heC
officers or crew.
! The loss of tho Wasp followed this dis
aster. The mystery about this handsome
! naval fighter is generally familiar To ali
leaders Of American history. H"r exploits
en- the water after her first launching until
tie time OF her stIalg" disappearance :.
50 brilliant that every school boy knows
/ about them. Within period OF five months
! the Wasp took fifteen English merchant
men. valued at nearly $2:ri.'r0. and fought
/ several stubborn battles with naval vessels
! OF her own size and strength. ON October
| ], 1914. the Wasp hailed the Swedish bark
Adonis and took on board two OF the ar
WING officers of thc old Essex after her
destruction in Valparaiso harlor, ard then
| PASSED on into the dark mystery which has
leNer been solve L. That was thu lost il
| teiilgence ever brought 10 port by any ship
! concerning the veteran fighter and victor.
! Her late Viii ever remain an unexplained
puzzle.
The last vessel of the series to toe lost al
sea Without leaving any sign behind to ex-
plain matters WAS the brig Eperyiar corn
manded toy Lieut.. John Shubrick When
the terms of the treaty between the United
States and AlgferS were. dictated 10 tn.
| dey at the point OF the cannon by Decat ar
IN iNi' copy OF the paper was sent home
| by the EDcrVier. Thu brig PASSED Inc
| Straits of Gibraltar on July IL 1915, and
from that time all trace Of her was lost
| She sailed out upon the ocean and yas
! swallowed up by the SEA that has wrecked
| the hopes and ambitions of 50 rnany.
| IN modern times the loss Of naval vessels
| AZ sea has been comparatively limited The
mt" states navy has been siugularly for
! tGn"te IN t'lis respect during tbs past half
| century. but this may be Attributed "a
| much TO the limited number of shiys in
| commission IS to any skill CT saf,{Igri
! The mod IN navy is built upon such .i,T.r
| ent lines from the Old class of var vessals
| ih:t 1t Is difficult To compare the two. hun
| II Is = fc TO assume that the cruisers ~ tn
! day could stand the clements rn,,., -
! H. an their prototypes of fifty years acr
| ihe mysterious disappearance of a r,..t,,I,. p
OF the white squadron would undouht,lIy
| cduHe more general sorrow ard comment
! IMAM the loss of TIE WASP Insur.-.r,t ar
| Saratoga did in their DAYS
"A nay al vessel of our modern feet carries
! a muth ldl ger complement of mon and ba.
| cost Is "cVcrai times as great 'rh, NJ.
! Department probably Exercises more mr.
cautions Than amy private company in sur
! rounding the war vessels with every SAT-
! guard known to science and il is Lsra,,.,
| o. the discipline that our war vessels are so
| seldom lost. The mysteiious loss of only
| SIX War vessels during period OF lp, Yea -.
ot acuNe national existence is 4 record that
the navy department of any nation mirbf
, wen be proud OF, and when il is ren.u-
btred mat some Of the strange tisapp.,r-
| ar es recorded were only ordinary m,.-
! chant vessels fitted up as warsh!ns. m,
cause for pride is increased
| Great britain and France have a mura
longer list Of warShipS that have sailed
| upon the ocean to go down before some
heavy storm without leaving any message
! behind. Great Britain leads the list in mi,
| respect. which is only natural. consiIr.pfr
| the size OF her navy, and France cnn,.S
| second. with Spain following as a close
third. ON the naval LISTS Of each nation
there is written over against the name Of
the unfortunate vessel these oinincus
words: Never heard from"