Angel Gabriel ( ship ) The Angel Gabriel was a 240 ton English passenger galleon . She was commissioned for Sir Walter Raleigh ' s last expedition to America in 1617 . She sank in a storm off Pemaquid Point , near the newly established town of Bristol , Maine , on August 15 , 1635 . The sinking occurred during the middle of the Great Migration . The ship was initially built as the " Starre " in 1615 and renamed the " Jason " by Sir Walter Raleigh for use in his second expedition to Guiana ( then under control of the Spanish ) in 1617 . Following Raleigh ' s return it was seized and became a merchant ship , renamed the " Angel Gabriel " . A stout ship designed and built to cope with combat , even as a merchant ship the " Angel Gabriel " was involved in many further skirmishes between 1618 and 1635 , including a notable engagement in 1627 off Cales where it was boarded several times but was able to clear its decks each time and eventually beat off three Spanish ships . This was possible because the defenders were able to retreat into the forecastle and sterncastle which had reinforced bulkheads fitted with gunports for small cannon and shoulder weapons . 1635 voyage . From England to Massachusetts in a fleet of five ships , the " Angel Gabriel " joined the " James " , the " Elizabeth " ( " Bess " ) , the " Mary " and the " Diligence " . As they approached New England , an unusually powerful early season hurricane struck , known as the " Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635 " , and the " James " and the " Angel Gabriel " were forced to ride it out just off the coast of modern - day Hampton , New Hampshire . According to the ship ' s log and the journal of Increase Mather , whose father Richard Mather and family were on the " James " , the following was recorded ; They tried to stand down during the storm just outside the Isles of Shoals , but the " James " lost all three anchors , as no canvas or rope would hold , but on Aug 13 , 1635 , torn to pieces , and not one death , all one hundred - plus passengers aboard the " James " managed to make it to Boston Harbor two days later . The " Angel Gabriel " was wrecked off the coast of Maine , but the smaller , faster ships , the " Mary " , the " Bess " , and the " Diligence " outran the storm , and landed in Newfoundland on August 15 , 1635 . A plaque commemorating the loss was dedicated August 8 , 1965 at Pemaquid Point , Maine . Some of the passengers survived the sinking . Passengers on the last voyage . The above list of passengers is apocryphal . The only passengers proven to be onboard were the Cogswells and their servants . The captain of the ship is unknown , since Robert Andrews can be proven to have been in Ipswich in 1634 . Note from a descendant : I believe the above comment about the passenger list being apocryphal is incorrect . Besides genealogy records / letters , there are other sources on the web that provide more information about the passengers . Note from a second descendant : The passenger list given may be currently unverified , but is likely not completely apochryphal . The Cogswells , Beck & Haines are known from many Cogswell sources to have been on this ship . Present - day , ongoing genealogical & historical research is constantly expanding upon & correcting earlier work . Note from a 3rd descendant : According to the 1869 published genealogical record of the Burnham family written by Roderick H Burnham , on page 309 it clearly states : Lt Thomas Burnham ( b 1623 - d 1694 aged 71 ) the emigrant arrived in 1635 on the ship Angel Gabriel .