The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-06-04
CYCLOPS WITH The FLEET
IN The PORT OF MISSING men"
List of u S. Naval Vessels That Have Disappeared Dur
ing the Last Century Various Theories Advanced
Regarding the Disappearance of the Cyclops.

| seven seas abound in tragedy.
The ocean has taken its annual
heavy toll of human life from the time
of the modern ocean liner and float
ing steel fortress back to the days of
the ancient Phoenecians who braved
the wild seas of the Mediterranean in
their frail craft and picked their
way even to far-off England to barter
for Cornwall tin.
The loss of merchant shipping ever
has been great-particularly in these
| days OF the ruthless undersea rover
but fortunately the United States
navy has carried Americas flag over
the worlds waters for nearly a CEN
fury and half without particularly
severe losses, due to the elements.
From the records of the Navy De-
partment there has been compiled a
brief list of naval vessels which sail
ed and then went down in the oceans
nav without leaving soul to tell the
story. I.
The Saratoga, a ship of 1s guns,
commanded by Captain John Young,
was lost at sea with all on board, in
March, 1881
A few years later, the General
Gates, also ship of Is guns built in
1777 or 1878, was lost, without a
| trace.
The Pickering, a brig Of IA guns,
weighing 1877 tons and carrying a
crew of 80 men, sailed from New
castle, Del, on August 20, 1900, in
command of Lieut.. Hillar. Bound
for the Guadalupe station, she never
was heard from that date, it being
believed that she foundered in an
| equinoctial gale in September that
same year.
The 1nsurgent, which had been cap
! tured from the French in 1779 by the
U. S. s. Constellation, sailed from
Hampton Roads on August 8, 1900
for cruise in the West Indies. She
also is believed to have gone down
with her crew of $40 men in one of
the equinoctia1 gales that caused the
/ Pickering to go under.
The Wasp, with 40 men under
command of Commander Johnston
Blakely, engaged and captured on
Sept. 1, 1914, the British brig At
| lanta. A Swedish brig reported hav-
ing spoken to her three weeks after
that date, but no further news ever
was had about her. She is supposed
to have foundered in a gale.
The Hamilton, one of Commodore
Chauncey's squadron on Lake On
tario, capsized on the night of Aug,
10, 1913, while trying to weather the
enemys squadron. "A1l hands," says
the official chronicle, "are supposed
to have been at quarters"
The Epervier, a hip Of Is guns
and a complement of 12S, captured
from the British by the U. S. S. Pea
cock, sailed from Gibraltar for this
country on July 4, 1915. She last
was seen by a merchant vessel on
August A in mid-Atlantic.
The Lynx, a schooner Of 8 guns
with SO men on board, commanded by
Lieut. J. R. Madison, sailed from St..
Marys, Fla, for Jamaica on New
Years day, 1921. She last was sight
ed on January % that year.
The Wildcat, with 8 guns and 81
men, commanded by Lieut.. J. E. Lee
care, sailed from Cuba for Key West
in 1924. She is supposed to have
gone ashore on Carysfort reef, as an
armchest and other wreckage from
the vessel later were found there.
Armed with 1s guns and carrying a
crew of 140 men, the Hornet, with
Commander Ohio Norris as skipper,
foundered in a gale off Tampico on
September 10, 1929, with a loss of all
hands.
The Sylph, a small naval schooner,
also is believed to have foundered a
few years later as she never was
heard after her departure from port.
The Sea Gull, which left Orange
Harbor for Valparaiso in company
with the Flying Fish on April %,
1889, lost her consort one night and
is believed to have sunk in a severe
gale, from which the Flying Fish took
refuge under false Cape Horn.
The Grampus, a schooner of twelve
guns sailed from Charleston, S. c.,
about March IA, 1843 and was due
at Norfolk, Va, between the 9Th and
18th of April. In June, the Navy de-
partment abandoned all hope foG her
safety.
The jefferson, a steamer engaged
in the coast survey, was lost near
the Straits of Magellan in 1850.
The Albany. a sloop-of-war with
210 men under command Of Com
mander ]. T. Gerry. sailed from As
pinwa1 on September 20, 1854 for
New York. After a long wait, the
steamers Princeton and Fulton were
sent in search of her, but no trace
ever was discovered.
The Levant, also a sloop-of-war
with 210 men under Captain William
Hunt, departed from Hilo in the
Sandwich Islands on Sept. 1S. 1860
Vessels of the Pacific squadron
searched for her many months, but
the only traces ever found were an
oar and broken spar, believed to have
belonged to her.
The only case in recent years Of a
naval vessel, other than the Cyc1ops,
disappearing from the face of the sea
is the tug Nina, which officially was
declared lost by the Department on
March Is, 1910. She is believed to
have floundered with all hands in a
gale off the Atlantic Coast.
Naval annals also contain the
brief notation telling of the loss of
the Reprisa1 in 1777. This brig,
which was the first American war
vessel to visit Europe and which
carried across Benjamin Franklin
soon after the Declaration of indie
pendence, went down on the New
Ifoundland banks The cook proven