The Wreck of the Schooner "WYOMING", the Largest Wooden Ship in History

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The monstrous coal-hauling Schooner "Wyoming", built by Percy and Small in Bath, Maine, was the biggest wooden ship to sail the seas. On a routine voyage bringing coal to Saint John, New Brunswick, she disappeared.
The Maine Maritime Museum has an excellent exhibit on the vessel, showing artifacts, models, and photographs of her.

[@eljuano28]

"..no more than four people who live in Wyoming..." Your wit is a jewel, sir.

[@ryanp246]

Coal and coal accessories? That was GOLD. You even potentially look like a younger Hank Hill!

[@dorianrustik6880]

Yup

[@Nilewhite411]

We should give him a nickname, hank the tank eeeerrrrrrr

[@samborambobo]

(*hank hill voice) "Baaaaaaaa"

[@Malorkus]

I can only imagine how haunting and surreal it was for the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter to see the masts sticking out of the water like that after she sank. Love your channel!

[@jamesm3471]

I understand why a really good ship’s cook could be invaluable to its crew, but for an African American cook, at this particular time in history, to be the ship’s second best paid crewman, must have been one hell of a cook. I’d love to learn more about him!

[@Cured_Ham]

Or people really weren't as racist as you've been led to believe. Not saying it didn't exist but it wasn't to the magnitude people nowadays make it seem.

[@carlwest859]

> Keeping plenty of coffee, salt, red and black pepper and cocoa for life support. Then plenty of lard and sourdough for baking bread and frying meats and fish. Then plenty of canned fruits and vegetables to balance out the sacks of potatoes and onions normally used. And finally willing to bake cookies, cakes and pies and being a good barber and first aid technician, including pulling teeth would pull in a good salary.

[@jamesm3471]

@@carlwest859 Absolutely, excellent comment! In this case, one could actually state “but wait, there’s more!” & really mean it. Ships’ crews constantly changed, & when in port they certainly talked. If a cook could do all those things & do them well, it’s not hard to imagine an occasional bidding war breaking out between masters, each wanting to procure the services of an exceptional cook to keep their crewmen happy & productive.

[@cuprunnethover2509]

I would like to know to. Curious??

[@cavemanlovesmoke4394]

@@carlwest859 so a hardworker? 😉

[@northerncaptain855]

Absolutely remarkable how small a crew could operate such a massive sailing vessel. The schooner rigged ships with a small steam engine for operating the winches for sail management were an amazing efficient development.

[@whyjnot420]

tbh, unless you are talking galleys and thus the need for a ton of people rowing, merchant vessels never have a lot of people on them. Really there are only 4 main categories to put a ship into: Military, leisure, scientific & merchant (there can be some overlap, esp with scientific, and if you go back in time, ships tend to pull double duty as merchantmen during peace and warships during war, even in modern times this happens to some degree with ships being pressed into military service). Leisure as is obvious tend to be the smallest of the bunch and even the biggest really only have a handful of people on them. Merchant ships just have enough people to do what needs to be done, sometimes less.... as few people means fewer paychecks to hand out. (I would put fishing vessels in this category as well, since at the end of the day, they are about making money). Military are, well, military. You know the drill, they have tons of people in comparison to other vessels of similar size. Hell, a Nimitz class carrier has about 1/7 the population of my city during peacetime and around 1/5 of the population when conducting combat operations. (city has around 35k people) Scientific is likely the most variable in terms of crew size (not counting peace/war crew differences here). The can be pretty small, little more than a glorified cabin cruiser. Or they can be the 8,900 ton displacement Octopus (the one Paul Allen funded). All in all, aside from military ships, where something like an Arleigh Burke class destroyer, which is only a little heavier than Octopus, has something like 5x the crew, this being a microcosm of military vessels. Most ships only have a handful of people. Even Octopus only has a crew of around 60. And merchant vessels in particular are highly incentivized to have as few people on board as possible due to profit margins. You are right to marvel at how small those crews are though. At least I think we are right to do so. Through design of the ship (including the tech & toys it gets, also upgrades) along with revising operations, and simply getting people better at their jobs, a well built, well run and well crewed ship is a masterclass in efficiency. caveat: I used Octopus as an example for scientific stuff because she is massive and thus represents, more or less a top end for that kind of civilian owned/run scientific ship. When talking military scientific ships, well just what do you call a ship like the Glomar Explorer during its original intended purpose (that being the theft of a Soviet suibmarine)? Military run specialist ships like that are a wildcard.

[@bellakaldera3305]

Schooners were designed to sail with less crew than square riggers, which is why schooners eventually replaced clipper ships. They were cheaper to operate.

[@geraldvanwilgen]

Check out the Stad Amsterdam, they operate her with a crew of 12.

[@mebeasensei]

@@bellakaldera3305 The last commercial sailing ships were square riggers. They ran the Australian Grain Trade around Cape Horn and they were almost all barques with four masts. The first three were rigged with square sails. 3000 tons and they carried a crew of about 25. But they were built mostly all before 1910. THey couldn't match the schooner for low crew numbers but they could run in front of the wind

[@Itapirkanmaa2]

​@@mebeasensei The Finnish crew was cheap labour, and the owner was a legendary cost-cutter.

[@stevennickerson162]

My father, before he passed away, like to claim that he was perhaps the last person alive who saw the Wyoming before she was lost. His story was that when he was six years old, living in North Chatham, Massachusetts he remembered his uncle coming by the house excited that two big vessels were to be seen anchored near Pollock Rip Lightship. He was allowed to take a car ride with his father and uncle to the Chatham Lighthouse overlook where the Cora Cressy and the Wyoming were visible anchored up a few miles offshore. Unfortunately, later that night the storm increased. The Cora Cressy was able to work its way into deeper water and safety where the Wyoming either parted or dragged its anchor forcing it into the shoal water where it was pounded to pieces and all hands lost. My father never forgot the sight of those two huge sailing vessels anchored up together and the fact that a few hours later the Wyoming and all her people were lost forever.

[@JohnnyMichigan313]

Thx for sharing. Interesting

[@shaynewheeler9249]

Titanic Radioactive ☣️☢️

[@PRH123]

Makes no sense that a ship would drop anchor in the ocean (!!!) to ride out a major storm. Either the story here is wrong, or there was some other unmentioned factor.

[@shaynewheeler9249]

Wooden ship

[@mariociaramellano7509]

@@PRH123 Perhaps meant a sea anchor, a fabric funnel device to keep the bow pointing to the current,

[@spikehofmann]

A compliment of just 13 could handle a sailing ship that size? Astonishing. Also surprised that wooden ship of such size would be built in 1909 when iron was surely the cheaper stronger material at that time. What beautiful models. Thanks for the very interesting video

[@shakes.dontknowwhatyergettin]

So I was reading about some of the other vessels built by Percy & Small. Of the 45 they built, only 4 *didn't* sink. I knew the clippers were death traps, but wasn't aware that the big schooners were also nearly guaranteed to sink under you a generation later.

[@ToreDL87]

It was risky business

[@rconger24]

.

[@Skidderoperator]

Probably always overloaded

[@mikemesser4326]

As I recall, the life of a wooden ship was about 10 years. This could be extended by plating the hull under the waterline with copper. Also, wooden ships will eventually sunrot. (I have personal experience with this. This first deep sea trip I took was in a wooden yacht that had been sunrotting for 25 years. It sank.)

[@squiglemcsquigle8414]

​@mikemesser4326 wooden ships are still sailing some as old as 250 years.

[@skeezicksz]

“Coal and coal accessories” completely dead pan straight face like you’re quoting an academic source. That got me off guard lol. Excellent work as usual!

[@laurenz2426]

Is this a reference to propane and propane accessories?

[@hannibalism2166]

“Butane is a bastards gas”

[@markmonaghan2309]

Same length as the arc , lol

[@mathewfines8727]

Amazing! Thank you so much for this excellent historical presentation. I had never heard of the Wyoming. Up here in Canada, we have all heard of the Bluenose, but now I know about another great schooner! I find it rather perplexing that the largest ever wooden schooner is not more well known.

[@will-el3fg]

I went to the museum in bath and they have a scale sculpture of the frame of the Wyoming and the size and scale of it is absolutely jaw dropping

[@joeyhudson4847]

I’ve grown up in Bath, and a few years ago had the opportunity to do some renovations on the Percy and Small workshop (the black roofed building on the left), which is now part of the Maine Maritime Museum. The history that’s been preserved there is amazing, and this video answered a lot of unanswered questions I’ve had for a long time about the Wyoming. Great work.

[@andrewhoward7200]

I used to regularly go shopping in Bath. Still elegant with it's 18 century crescent and 2000 year old Roman baths, but some way from Wyoming. All the best from England.

[@billswitzer2867]

great story.enjoyed it very much.

[@bis1254]

@@andrewhoward7200 I think you are confusing Bath England with its Roman Bath and the Crescent street with Bath, Maine USA.

[@lenmit8749]

@@bis1254 I think it's satire

[@bennettbt8864]

Pull the old bait and switch with the story of the maiden voyage lol. Great work as usual!

[@olliefoxx7165]

This guy has combined history, ships and storey telling in a wonderful package. What a delight. Just a pleasure to listen to and watch. Thanks internet...um...you to guy

[@MichaelBOverthinking]

I absolutely HOWLED with laughter at the comedic pause at around 5:44. Great video, and I absolutely love your channel. Sidebar, have you read “Dead Wake”?

[@pettytoni1955]

Dead Wake, about the Lusitania, is a great book. I've had the chance to read nearly all of Larsen's books.

[@buzzwilliams8387]

Excellent. And some say history is boring!! I love history and I want to thank you for providing it. And a sense of humor to boot...

[@matthewmoeller6766]

Can you imagine what it would've felt like to be under full sail in a beast like that?

[@AndyHappyGuy]

I imagine something like Mike Brady's "Sail fail" but bigger.

[@sillyoldbastard3280]

Hard work. I crewed on 200ft square rig for 8 days and was exhausted when I got off her.

[@ddd228]

Can you imagine the sound of creaking wood and crashing waves against the bow?

[@samuelluria4744]

@@ddd228 - I was imagining the creaking across the length of a 400' deck.....and the billow of 13,000 yards of sail....hard to imagine.

[@wmanadeau7860]

Imagine her "flexing" with every big roller! Yikes!. But yeah, imagine a boat that big hauling on a long reach, what a rush!

[@Bdub1952]

Very nice documentary, thank you, Tom. I actually had the opportunity to board the Acushnet back in '97 as she was my daughter's first assignment as a young ensign. She loved Alaska and today she is in command of USCG Sector Anchorage.

[@buckstrucks4476]

Different Acushnet kind sir.

[@josephpadula2283]

Well if it was to be the same ship the Coast Guard would be a good guess. The USCG Bluebell was made in WWII and is still in service on the Columbia River. She is Not the oldest ship in the Coast Guard and I do not mean the sailing ship Eagle the war prize from Germany.

[@buckstrucks4476]

@@josephpadula2283 Inland buoy work is much easier on the ships than open ocean work, two to three days at a time working buoys in fresh water is no comparison to the Bering in winter. The ship he was talking about was in USCG service from 1946 until 2011, and shared the name of the ship in the story.

[@davidweyant9356]

BW Bacon. I wish her well with smooth sailing and following seas. Served 1977 - 2002.

[@ender5817]

That is INSANE. I visited aboard the USCGC Acushnet before it was decommissioned in 2012 or 13. Onboard were two of my shipmstes from CG basic training. Beautiful ship. The bridge was all teak wood and had a no-shit wooden spoked helm. She was a throw back for sure. I think one of only two remaining cutters that had seen combat in WWII pacific theater.. She moored up next to the ship I served on. Crazy that it served as an active duty vessel that long

[@jhtsurvival]

The age of sail was amazing imo. Each ship was basically a small town self sufficient enough to support themselves through long voyages around the world. Amazing feats imo. Even today's modern ships are rather amazing....I am aware this wasn't the age of sail.

[@agairinc]

I don’t know what you do for an actual living, but I’m grateful for the time you take to publish these videos

[@shaynewheeler9249]

Titanic 2 engine cylinder engineering room

[@shaynewheeler9249]

Titanic 2 engine cylinder engineering room

[@mrbake6933]

Made it up to Maine last year and spent half a day at the Maritime Museum. Being land locked and knowing nothing of shipping I found it fascinating. I can grasp why place’s like New York, Boston and San Diego have a rich shipping heritage, after going to Bath, Maine I was able learn a little of theirs.

[@chaddersh3736]

Born and raised in Wyoming but this is the first time I've heard about this. Nice work!!!

[@wyomingadventures]

Me too

[@michaelholderegger645]

Me three.

[@CrazyLakla]

I must be the 4th one then!

[@williamscoggin1509]

Wow, great story about a historic ship that most of us have never known about. I would have never expected to ship to last as long as it did being as huge as it was. The technology of the day usually ends today usually ends in disaster much sooner when trying to go bigger and bolder. The designer was truly visionary in what he accomplished.

[@chicagogyrl4846]

If your only carrying 8 sailors, plus the few other crew, why in the world would you have two saloons??! And only 8 sailors were needed to sail this behemoth??!

[@zexufang4593]

Thank you. Great video and information.

[@chipersboy01]

13:18 Tom, I was gonna make this joke. Can't you let me have anything? Thanks for the consistently exceptional content. I love hearing these stories of nearly forgotten vessels with deceptively fascinating stories. And honestly the mundane-ish histories are pretty cool too. Thanks for everything!

[@old_guard2431]

She was just too long for a wooden ship, even with the bracing. That she lasted so long and it took a major storm to take her out is a testament to both her design and the skill of the shipyard workers who built her. Small crews, a major advantage of the schooner rig, work against survival in a shipwreck.

[@rconger24]

Yes, the five and six mast examples seem too long for their sections.

[@jerehada]

And made of pine..

[@fly4fun610]

As a Wyoming native, I was amazed to learn of this ship when I visited the Maine Maritime Museum decades ago. Only four people living in Wyoming? Come on now. I can tell you there are well over a dozen! 😂

[@Dwightstjohn-fo8ki]

Ok, five. But you don't count my hippie buddy in the park in Casper.

[@fly4fun610]

@@pwmvsi lol I left too, but hope to move back some day.

[@wyomingadventures]

We have more antelope than people living here.😁 I love Wyoming!

[@Madhouse_Media]

Well yeah... Now. Population was much lower back then. 😝

[@robertthompson4393]

We still only have less than most City's in Amarica

[@joshuanicely8722]

"On her maiden voyage the Wisconsin disappeared....." Haha you're killing me man!

[@arkansasboy45]

Theatrical pause.🤣🤣

[@mikehunt8375]

I lived in Maine, Bath as well. Never heard of this ship. Great story, great story teller.

[@slowandfidgety7200]

I grew up in Wyoming and still live here. I did my military service based in Massachusetts. And I love the sea. My wife and I travelled to New England last fall for the fall colors and stopped in Bath, Maine.

[@chloetaylor6796]

A wonderful channel with so much history. Being from Wyoming, and not ever hearing this story, I personally thank you. Your channel, time, effort and easy story telling is very much looked forward to, and appreciated. The voices of those who were lost, can be heard from their watery graves and it is powerful, to say the least...and of course, it's through all you do in your research. Thank you!

[@wyomingadventures]

Awesome video! Never knew about the Wyoming. I'm one of the four people living in Wyoming. I think every town in Wyoming has a street named Brooks. We have more antelope in Wyoming than people. True fact. 🤠

[@derekstocker6661]

Excellent documentary about this great sailer, well done for the descriptions and photos, and appreciation to Mark Wilkins for the fabulous model of the ship. Very well done story of a wonderful vessel, and what a totally sad end for a great ship and her crew. RIP Folks, gone but never forgotten.

[@connern5791]

Good work Tom Was the "Coal and coal accessories" line a reference to King of the Hill by any chance?

[@PartTimeExplorer]

Yesser it was

[@connern5791]

I had a feeling it was

[@SQUAREHEADSAM1912]

“That boy ain’t right” -Hank Hill

[@tomlindsay4629]

@@PartTimeExplorer, absolutely hilarious.😂

[@thecocktailian2091]

The Wyoming would have faired better if she was hauling propane.

[@runninggirl2765]

"........there are only 4 people in Wyoming." LOL (BTW: Your voice, cadence and delivery are easy-listening and your material fascinating. THANKS!)

[@DerpyPossum]

“On her maiden voyage, the Wyoming *disappeared…”* “…but then she arrived in port 3 weeks later”

[@Gamex99999]

I loved the little moment of silence.

[@AndyHappyGuy]

On her 106th (ish) voyage, the Wyoming disappeared… But then she was discovered on the sea floor 76 years later, damaged after having weathered a fierce gale!

[@blackjed]

My heart sank during that pause. It was well played

[@halnwheels]

Would have been a very short video then! Glad it wasn't.

[@SubvertTheState]

He got me. I was expecting roll credits

[@CyreneDuVent]

So many of the "film" photographs we see are simply bad copies - the level of detail and crispness in some of these images is just incredible. This was a great video, with an impeccable sense of deadpan humour Also anyone who doesn't live here knowing what New Brunswick is just feels wrong

[@awakeningfaith2290]

I had NO clue that I was so fascinated in shipwrecks until I came across your channel lol. Keep up the great work, I really enjoy watching

[@mageleader3699]

I work at Bath Iron Works, just down the road from Percy and Small. It's a museum now, and they have a 1:1 scale sculpture of Wyoming's structure there that I can see from the shipyard where we build Arleigh-Burke class destroyers. Really cool to see her covered here. Bit of a local legend.

[@jamesanderson3160]

So cool to learn about little known ships like these. Definitely history that deserves to be known! Thanks again for bringing her story to life Tom! Each video you put out just gets better and better! Looking forward to next weeks addition brother!

[@dwightlay5560]

Thanks!

[@PartTimeExplorer]

Thank you so much!

[@thomasconley3429]

I am an old boat nerd, but not a very good one, apparently. I had never heard of the Wyoming and I want to thank you for producing this great, informational video.

[@bobbysnow5478]

Thanks for the video!

[@brice5542]

Being a sailor this was A amazing ship and story, made her purchase price back in few months, un heard of anymore. Cant imagine the sail care and handling, 13 crew, she must have been rigged fantastic. Thank you from my sailboat in Fl.

[@deathharpproductions3094]

Thank you for your fantastic work on covering this story! Respect from Sheridan Wyoming 🇺🇸

[@johnwright291]

I've worked on the water my whole life on tug boats. I didn't know how long after 1900 that sailing ships still actually worked and competed with steam. You should do a video on the sailing ship adelana which sank suddenly on commencement bay in tacoma Washington in December 1898 in which all hands were lost.

[@PaulHarrell]

very interesting video.

[@offdeadeye88]

Love your work

[@kerbalnout1255]

Paul?

[@StoriedHistory1985]

Hey Tom... being originally from Maine I've appreciated the last few videos. You're very good at telling an engaging and informative story. However, a gentle thought... I would like to see you do more than shipwrecks. You've implied traveling all over the world, I'd like to see some more with that sometime!

[@tihspidtherekciltilc5469]

You would love the Outer Banks of North Carolina as it's named the Graveyard of the Atlantic for it's hundreds of wrecks. After storms my girlfriend and myself would ride the beaches between towns looking for wrecks while picking up trash. My yard was lined with pieces of wrecks that I'd kept track of in a notebook even though it was highly illegal but two pieces were pulled out of beach fires as my excuse so the NPS was cool with it especially knowing how much trash I collected. I wish more people would do that but most can't even put their shopping carts in the racks so yeah, lazy.

[@darrenhooper2207]

I second that I live here in kinnakeet the farthest part of island on outer banks called hatteras island I live this place plenty of wreck off beach lives here my whole life family goes back over 400 years here

[@deancarr4507]

My family ended up in America at the outset of the Revolution. Military aged males were taken from their Scot highlands village and pressed into royal navy service. My great(x7) grandfather and 2 others jumped ship in the night off the coast of the Outer Banks and swam to shore, eventually making their way inland and joining the war. Much of my dads extended family still live in North Carolina and east Tennessee. I can't imagine making that swim.

[@deancarr4507]

@@darrenhooper2207 Vacationed there a couple years ago, absolutely beautiful area.

[@darrenhooper2207]

@@deancarr4507 I love this place I call this my home I was born here I absolutely love it and a wonderful place for vacations

[@deancarr4507]

@@darrenhooper2207 Lucky man to live there, cheers!

[@gohibniugoh1668]

Excellent historical rendition!

[@AlanpittsS2b]

Thanks for the video man. I subbed back when you first started it’s good to see you gaining viewers. That ship is massive, I’m always impressed at how these were even built back then let alone sail around the world

[@mikelisejordanjaden]

seriously, your videos are amazing. thank you.

[@Dwightstjohn-fo8ki]

I was scratching my head about the ship being built of pine, then remembered this timber was probably FIRST GROWTH pine, where you needed a magnifying glass to count the growth rings!! Strong straight material; my homestead grandfather would split the pine at minus 40 below and he didn't need to saw much for railroad ties. It would split straight!!

[@SunnnyDay]

Indeed ! Brings back memories of the old cabin I renovated in Santa Cruz, CA...Sided in old growth Redwood having the tightest and straightest grain I've ever seen. I have a fair bit of American Chestnut here at home that was milled around 1890, similar grain.

[@royordway9157]

I live in Bath Maine just up the road from the MMM and across the street from the Bath Iron Works. I had been to the museum but have forgotten the history of the Wyoming although I drive by the sculpture almost every day. You video was very informative for me, I'm glad I found it. I was watching a video of Maine's First Ship launch that happened in the beginning of June of this year. The launching of a replica of "The Virgina of Sagadahoc" was built by mostly volunteers over the last 15 or 20 years. It is now resting at its pier in downtown Bath as the outfitting continues.

[@katbailey33]

I have it Tattooed on me twice 😊 Frank A Small was my great grandfather! I’ve always loved ships as a kid and the ones build at Percy and Small were truly impressive

[@erichanson3961]

Bant Hanson, the designer of the ship was my great grandfather.

[@katbailey33]

@@erichanson3961that’s so cool! I have some amazing prints/paintings and even a blueprint section view of the ship!

[@jasonberg6869]

Another win for the KZbin algorithm! I would never have sought this video out myself but thoroughly enjoyed. Instant subscribe.

[@Hcb37]

Great mini doc on the“Wyoming”, and a fitting tribute and memorial. It was interesting to hear about her successful involvement in Great War given the threat possessed to large sailing ships by German raiders and U-boats. Have you heard about the 281 ft long 2,556 grt Ferris ships and other attempts to mass produce wooden cargo ships in WW1? There wrecks of 90 of them are in Mallows Bay, Maryland.

[@PartTimeExplorer]

Had things panned out better, I actually would have been at Mallow's Bay today. It's definitely a future video. As I understand it, many of the Mallow's Bay ships were part of the Emergency Fleet, which also produced the concrete ships, such as the Atlantus that I did a video on a year ago

[@samuelluria4744]

@@PartTimeExplorer - Having been born in Cape May, N.J., I'm familiar with the concrete ships...

[@michaelminarik7468]

I stumbled upon this video by mistake, but I am glad I took the time to watch. I lived on Nantucket for many years and towards the end of this video it was said that the ship wrecked off the coast. That jogged my memory....a very dear friend of mine who still lives on the island told me a story of how their father gathered some shipwrecked pieces off the coast and saved them including some masts. Years later in the early 1970's they decided to incorporate many of the pieces in the construction of their home. I am convinced that it was this very ship.

[@mleeriley3977]

This video was extremely interesting. I'd never heard of the Wyoming. A great tribute to the great state of Wyoming. A most beautiful place. Your video editing and scripting as well as your very good enunciation made this video actually relaxing. I enjoyed hearing about St Johns as I am a retired IT professional and traveled there spent a great deal of time up there. Letting us know about the museums is great as I may one day return to Maine and New Brunswick to see these places. Well done mate. You're to be commended for your excellent work.

[@Stitchwitchstitch]

Love your vids, I’m a history nerd and fully appreciate the respect and attention to fact and detail, without making the subject bone-dry! And I love the dramatic pause at 05:46, dun dun dun oh all was fine! (Also the boulder bit about the montana(?) ghost town. Please keep it up!

[@D.L.Hunter.Palmer]

I laughed so loud and when with a completely straight face, you said “Further solidifying your theory there are no more than 4 people in the state of Wyoming.” Fantastic video overall

[@johnpaulgarrett1]

THAT WAS A FANTASTIC VIDEO! A great story. Well told. Thank you.

[@thelastjohnwayne]

The tall Wooden Ships are so beautiful.

[@PRH123]

Technically they're not tall shops as they're schooner rigged, not square rigged

[@williamtantillo4829]

Excellent narration!!! I really enjoy the teachings !!!!! Bravo for you to share your knowledge!!!

[@YellowStarLine]

I wish I had as much patiences to research ships as you, anyways amazing video Tom!

[@kickinghorse2405]

This man's story-telling cadence is impeccable. Well done and Cheers!

[@jeffersonchau7171]

I been to the museum that built the ship and they have a semi replica of the thing. They have 6 mast placed where the ship was built and still have most of the buildings that were used during the time period. And then down river is the fore river ship yard. There were three Arleigh Burke destroyers and one of the Zumwalts there. It’s a beautiful area and I would go back any time.

[@sethwarner2540]

Thanks for your detailed and informative report of this ship! I am a Mainiac from Kennebunkport, Me. I toured the ship-builder you named when attending Unity College, Unity, Me. I am now an avid woodworker in Durham, N.C.

[@jackknowitall]

Thoroughly enjoyable piece of historeo ...... history video ...looking for a name to describe this skillful enterprise. Telling the story of industrial developments and the impact on people, society, business, culture, technology. You have a fine hand for this work. Do more. It honors your subject material. So do more.

[@tcm4891]

Lovely production. We must never forget such craftmanship, and talents!

[@joblack-j6r]

Gosh. I’ve gone down these ship story “wormholes “. Still in there haha. You’re a fabulous teller of these stories, thank you.

[@SlumberBear2k]

Some of my favorite childhood memories are going up the Bath region of Maine to visit my grandparents. Back in the late 80s there were two schooners decaying in nearby Wiscasset harbor(called the Hesper and Luther Little). My grandather would take us in his boat and we would circle those old wrecks. Shipwrecks have always had a haunting quality to them. Its not the same as a haunted house, its something more frightful, perhaps. Like it is trying to pull you down with it. It must have something to do with the unconscious mind or something like that. Well they blew those old ships up in the late 90s since they had collapsed over the years. I was fortunate enough to see them while they still resembled ships.

[@John2801Walsh]

Thank you for sharing these stories, very well narrated!

[@YearsOfLeadPoisoning]

"Coal and coal accessories" Dang it Bobby

[@otlayr3030]

Never thought I'd see Chamberlain pop up in one of these videos. That's so damn cool!

[@Ofna211]

The quarterboard “WYOMING” can be seen at the lifesaving museum in nantucket and it must be 20’ wide…

[@randallreed9048]

Very nicely done! Lean and spare, with little manufactured drama. An excellent story well told!

[@benstrong4497]

"So Captain McCloud, what sort of things does your ship carry to be sold?" "We sell coal and coal accessories."

[@milosantosuosso4308]

I don’t know why but, the beginning part of the video before the disappearance it was really wholesome and was one of his most wholesome videos.

[@scurly0792]

5:43 THE PAUSE MADE ME WHEEZE

[@lifeuncommon1116]

I’ve just discovered this channel. Absolutely love it!!!! The quality of the story telling is superb. You could bring so much history alive that us forgotten. I live in the South of England near Southampton, an area rich in maritime history.

[@markkinsler4333]

As amazing as they were, nobody misses wooden ships much. They are floating repair/restoration jobs: a trip around Cape Horn to China required the replacement of a non-trivial fraction of the original ship. And they rotted. And they were devoured by shipworms. And they burned with great enthusiasm. But it's still fascinating how wood, wind-powered ships could travel the world as well as they did.

[@teatonaz]

“ ...with great enthusiasm. “. Absolutely perfect. Cheers LOL

[@olliefoxx7165]

Wooden sailing ships didn't pollute the environment or need expensive fuel to operate. They definitely have their good sides. Also, they're beautiful works of art and engineering. Wood has a character all it's own. Metal is a cold impersonal material. Wood is organic...like us.

[@sunnyland3952]

A friend of mine had, and spent decades restoring, a two mast schooner. Wooden ships have a beauty no metal or glassfibre vessel can match. Every time I see a marina and find just one not very pretty wooden boat, I feel sad. I miss the wooden ships very much. If ever I get a chance, I'd love to work on one.

[@garlandremingtoniii1338]

As a fellow lover of all things Maritime & all things early US Merchant Marine History, I can assure you of a few things. This man definitely knows his stuff. That is why I am joining his channel. It takes a lot, a tremendous amount, for me to join any channel.

[@AndyHappyGuy]

On her 106th (ish) voyage, the Wyoming disappeared… But then she was discovered on the sea floor 76 years later, damaged after having weathered a fierce gale!

[@AndyHappyGuy]

If you were wondering, the original line is at 5:43

[@oneshotme]

Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@RailPreserver2K]

Tom I have to ask the inevitable question, Do any vessels built by Percy and small still exist today in preservation ?

[@PartTimeExplorer]

I’ll try to double check that with the museum itself, but a site I’ve found seems to list all their ships as gone, with the possible exception of a couple barges.

[@RailPreserver2K]

@@PartTimeExplorer damn, thats... quite soul crushing actually.

[@daviddunsmore103]

@@RailPreserver2K True, it's sad to think that all of those epic vessels are gone forever, but the reality is that ships built of organic materials have a limited lifespan. At least there's a wonderful museum on site dedicated to telling the story of that shipyard and the mighty ships that they built. A number of years ago, after reading about a similar former shipyard, I was curious enough to take a drive out to the site of a former nineteenth century shipyard in rural Nova Scotia, and was disappointed to find nothing in the grassy fields but a gently sloping rectangle of land that extended down into the water, which had to have been a slipway. There were no buildings or anything else left that would indicate that there had been a thriving community attached to a hub of schooner manufacturing. No museum tells the story of the generations of people who worked there, or the families who lived there until the shipyard closed.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

@@PartTimeExplorer The Silver Dancer, a (by comparison) very small crab vessel still sits in the harbor at Asticou, Arcadia, Maine... though not one of the Great Ships, she was build by thesame hands as a side job of the Yards at Small... was a participant of Tall ship races for a time, more recently, has been used as a set in various films... been on her 15years back, not sure how she is now, but, possibly one can still see her? did not know she was such a rarity at the time...

[@FBOPartners]

Cora F. Cressy, a five-master built by Percy and Small in 1902- that survived the same gale that took Wyoming- is in Bremen, Maine, in a state of advanced deterioration.

[@austinl.2703]

Excellent presentation !

[@FlatlandMando]

Fascinating story about the Wyoming. When it was mentioned that her wreck was " destroyed", that must have been quite an incomplete task given the conditions. Was there a credible attempt to salvage the coal, or was that beyond the means of the day?

[@neilpuckett359]

I have no idea why KZbin's algorithm would send this video my way but I'm glad it did, absolutely fascinating.

[@toastnjam7384]

Being a wooden ship the first thing I thought at that size hogging and sagging would have to be a problem.

[@Shmerpy]

One reason why those grand old schooners had a shelf life of only about 5 years.

[@KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking]

7:40 - Dang that's high-res. Appreciate the 4k upload. Those Glass Plate Negatives were incredible. Held much more detail than film or video cameras. Digital is still not 100% caught up with it yet. Awesome vid.

[@pbq619]

Wonderful video - thank you! But was it really the largest wooden ship in all of history? I remember reading about the Chinese treasure fleet from the Ming Dynasty so I looked it up: ‘Incredibly, the largest ships in the fleet (called "baoshan," or "treasure ships") were likely between 440 and 538 feet long by 210 feet wide. The 4-decked baoshan had an estimated displacement of 20-30,000 tons, roughly 1/3 to 1/2 the displacement of modern American aircraft carriers.’ Maybe you could do a piece on this sometime. Thanks again!

[@timothysniffles]

Come on dude, it was the same length as Noah's ark 😂

[@ralphe5842]

Well maybe as history only have there word for this and frequently these stories are exaggerated

[@busterdee8228]

International Paper was prominent where I grew up. My dad hauled pulp wood for them. Thanks Tom for another fine documentary. I miss 'seeing' you around THG. Your 'take' on things is unique.

[@nammie12345]

Really amazed at how small the crews were on sailing ships this big.

[@DJKinney]

That's because they were all controlled by autonomous navigational technology and GPS. Fact.

[@ESmyth-nu7ug]

the coal and coal accessories line made me snap my neck around

[@VeniceLolz13]

Wow These Ships Are Nice

[@wave6413]

I love history and old ships... I just did a compliance inspection on a 1902 Brigantine that is still in service. Not sure the owners are going to like some of my recommendations, but keeping 120 year old small ship is always a cost challenge to prevent the masts being the marker of current location. Funny how this recommendation popped up the same day I did my inspection. I spent a year in Maine, one of the best years of my life. Cheers from Oz.

[@2011Matz]

As wonderful as American ship design and building was in the days of sail, no industry could supply the vast amounts of properly aged lumber. Add to this, the fact that the whalers, clippers, schooners and down-easters were generally built of soft-woods resulted in short working lives. A fifteen year old American wooden ship was very tired in deed.