John Beatty's Navy


Curiosity finds my outturned feet spitting across creosoted railroad tracks with my daughter close behind. We come to a spot of flatlined green searching for a safe way down to the Ohio river from our side of the banks. We pull our bodies into shade while our eyes are drawn to a listing, half-sunken ship called John Beatty's Navy.


Story goes... an unnamed barge sank in 1992 just off Maysville's shore. In 1994 city of Maysville hired John Beatty, a riverboat captain, from Warsaw to raise the barge. He used two old Navy minesweepers that were hooked together by beam, cradling a crane. His efforts were lost to river mud. The towboat Clare Beatty damaged her engines pulling the minesweepers free. One minesweeper now rests belly up like a beached whale.


The Hercules barge and crane succeeded in pulling original barge free only to have its crane break as the barge broke surface. Hercules now partially pins the barge it was meant to save.


The western shore of Maysville is now known as the Bermuda Triangle of the Ohio River. To some this may be a river junkyard but on this sunny, Sunday afternoon it's a chance for mother and daughter to scavenge the shoreline while taking in a bit of history.

Credit:
"Proud armada rusts in river's graveyard" Monica Dias, Cincinnati Post, 9/16/98

Researching John Beatty's Navy I found that the Clare E. Beatty tugboat was originally called Semet-Solvay (1940) and renamed Semet (1947). In 1971 she was renamed Clare E. Beatty and sank in 2000.

Small Town Snapshot Sunday

13 comments:

Annie said...

What great wreckage to sit and wonder about.

sarah said...

Wrecks always give me the shivers. There was one outside our house on the island we lived at, and I just tried not to look at it!

Cee said...

These pictures are really eery! But I think your an amazing writer.
And thank you for popping by my blog too.

Sara said...

That was fascinating! My mind always runs wild over any 'frozen in time' scene like that. Very cool!
And thanks for your kind words! Glad you liked it, and I can't wait to wander around your place.
Sara

lisaschaos said...

I find that very interesting! And the photos are great! Looks like you guys had a great day!

Wendy said...

I love this. It's cool and creepy all at the same time!

Thanks for joining STSS. I hope you'll do it again next week!

poeticgrin said...

Ghosts & accidents of fate & wreckage live on in the art they inspire. A prompt if I've ever seen one, Michelle... maybe not intentionally but there's stories here just begging to be told in poetic fashion!

Quiet Paths said...

Great post, Michelle. It goes to show you that the Ohio sometimes just won't give up what it takes. I wonder how many vessels have been lost over the years?

Shawna said...

I can imagine some great fictional stories arising from a quick sit on that bank, inspired by the wreckage.

Shawna's Study Abroad

Moonshadow said...

Very interesting pictures and story. Thank you for sharing it. I read your profile and see that you like postcards. Check out the vintage postcards on my blog...
http://ksborn.blogspot.com/search/label/Vintage%20Postcards

christine said...

That's nice how you and your daughter do things together. Interesting photos too.

Anonymous said...

I had many good times on this boat. I sure do wish she was still afloat.

imhkki said...

nice photos