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Hinckley

The Hinckley while in the process of raising navigation buoys at the end of the 1920 shipping season.
Hinckley on the St. Lawrence River. Date Unknown. Photo: Ralph Roberts/Great Lakes Maritime Collection Archive.

Ship stats

Depth: 14 feet

Coordinates: 43° 50.891'N / 76° 17.786'W

Vessel Type: Wooden steam barge, propeller

Length: 114.3 feet Breadth: 24 feet

Gross Tonnage: 232 Cargo: Coal

Built: 1901 by Captain Frank D. Phelps at Chaumont, New York

Port of Registry: Oswego, New York

Owner at Loss: Captain Augustus Hinckley, Oswego, New York

Date Lost: July 29, 1929

Cause of Loss: Grounded after springing a leak Loss of Life: None

Wreck Site

A NOAA diver swims past the steam engine of Hinckley, which rests on its side in shallow water.
A NOAA diver examines Hinckley’s fore-and-aft compounding steam engine. Photo: Ben Ioset/NOAA.

The wreck of Hinckley lies in 14 feet of water, approximately 400 feet from shore within Gravely Bay on the western side of Stony Point, New York. Though the wreck is close to shore, access to the site is by boat as the adjacent shoreline is private property. The site is accessible to divers and snorkelers.

The remains of the hull are broken, with the largest section of remains consisting of a section of the keel and keelson assemblies from the lower hull. The highlight of the site is the remaining cylinder and frame of the Hinckley’s fore-and-aft compound steam engine.

A NOAA diver swims past the steam engine of Hinckley, which rests on its side in shallow water.
A NOAA diver examines the remaining cylinder of Hinckley’s compounding steam engine. Photo: Ben Ioset/NOAA.

Historical Background

The Hinckley while in the process of raising navigation buoys at the end of the 1920 shipping season.
Hinckley raising aids to navigation before 1920. Photo: Great Lakes Maritime Collection Archive.

The wooden steam barge Hinckley (U.S. No.96578) was built in 1901 by Captain Frank Phelps at Chaumont, New York. At the time of its construction, Hinckley was 107 feet long, had a beam of 24 feet, and a depth of hold of 8 feet, measuring 141 gross tons.

Hinckley was owned by Captain Augustus Hinckley of Oswego throughout its career and was principally employed carrying coal. In 1907, Hinckley was rebuilt at Oswego and was lengthened to 114.3 feet and deepened to 10 feet. Hinckley was again rebuilt in 1920, its depth being increased to 11 feet, resulting in an increase in its gross tonnage to 232 tons.

On July 29, 1929, Hinckley was laden with coal from Fairhaven for Gananoque, Ontario, when it sprang a leak. Hinckley put into Oswego, where it took on steam pumps to allow it to complete its trip to avoid unloading its cargo. While approaching the passage between Stony Island and Stony Point, the leak worsened. With the water gaining against the pumps, Hinckley was run ashore at Gravely Bay on the western side of Stony Point to prevent it from foundering in deep water. On August 2, an unsuccessful attempt was made to refloat Hinckley, and storms broke the vessel apart over the following days.