The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-11-04

NAVAL SHIPS LOST AT SEA.

Six American Vessels That Were "Nev-
err Heard From''-Mystery of the
Deep-No Tidings Have Ever Come
to Reveal the Fate That Overlook the
Glorious Old Sloop-of- War Wasp
The "Saratoga's" Loss
The navy department has many in
teresting records of its ships that have
men with sad endings, but none more
SO than the brief accounts of six differ
ent ones summed up tersely in these
words: Never heard from" This la
comic expression is familiar to all sea
followers, and it contains world of
meaning if rightly understood There
have been ships that have gone down
in battle with the flags flying defiantly
at the masthead, and others that have
battled bravely against the adverse ell
ements until, waterlogged, they have
sunk within sight of land; but to be
lost at sea, with no mention of the dis
aster because of lack of all detail, Is to
meet fate hardly deserved.
Early In the history of our navy such
a mystery closed about one of the first
vessels flying the new stars and stripes.
The Inflated Saratoga, an eighteen gun
ship, after performing a brilliant SER
vice on the high seas sailed forth upon
the great ocean and disappeared for
ever from all human knowledge. What
we know of her is briefly summed up in
few sentences. After capturing three
English prizes she was intercepted on
her way to Philadelphia with them by
the British seventy-four- gun ship Of
the line Intrepid, and after a long fight
she escaped from her heavier adverse
ry No further word from the Sarato
ga was ever received, and no signs of
her wreckage were ever discovered.
She probably foundered at sea in a
gale, but she never left any one behind
to tell the tale.
i This was in 1880, and the next loss of
q similar character occurred twenty
| years later The thirty-six gun frigate
Insurgent. commanded by Captain Pat
rick Fletcher, was originally under the
French flag, but after she was captured
/ by the Constellation, off the island of
Nevis she sailed under the American
| flag until the end of her short career.
She had sealed orders to sail from the
| Chesapeake capes out to sea, but after
|
word from any ship brought tidings of
the Insurgent. She disappeared COM
pletely. No one on board of her was
ever saved to give official confirmation
of the story of her loss.
The fourteen-gun brig Pickering met
with a similar fate. She was cruising
off Guadalupe, with Master Com
mandant Benjamin Hitler in charge,
when severe storm arose and swept
the seas, 1t is generally supposed that
the vessel which was an unseaworthy
tub, foundered with all on board.
Pieces of wreckage were picked up
along the coast, but as SO many vessels
were lost during this gale there was no
certainty of identifying them 1t is
thought also that the same storm might
have caused the loss of the Insurgent,
although as to this no trustworthy ac-
count can be found
The next vessel in our navy to disap-
pear in this mysterious fashion was
known as gunboat No. Z, commanded
by Lieutenant Ogilvie. She sailed from
New York May IA, 1905, to increase our
| naval force then engaged in the war
with Tripoli She returned to this port
alter UelIlS OUT LOT IL Lew udyS, dliu
then sailed on June 20 the second time,
But she never reached her destination.
Although nine other boats left about
the same time for the Mediterranean
service, and all reached their points in
time, gunboat No. was lost, and no
word was ever received from any of her
officers or crew.
The loss of the Wasp followed this
disaster. The mystery about this
handsome naval fighter is generally ia
Emiliar to all readers of American histo-
Try Her exploits on the water after her
first launching until the time of her
strange disappearance were about
them. Within period of five months
the Wasp took fifteen English mer-
chantmen, valued at nearly two hun
dred and fifty thousand dollars, and
fought several stubborn battles with
naval vessels of her own size and
strength. On October 1, 1914 the WASP
hailed the Swedish bark Adonis and
took on board two of the surviving of
fcers of the old Essex after her de-
struction in Valparaiso harbor, and
then passed on into the dark mystery
which has never been solved. THAI
was the last intelligence ever brought
to port by any ship concerning the vet
eran fighter and victor. Her fate viii
ever remain an unexplained puzzle.
The last vessel of the series to be los
at sea without leaving any sign behtnt
to explain matters, was the brig Eper-
vier, commanded by Lieutenant Johr
Shubrick. When the terms Of the trea