Alma A. E. Holmes

History
United States
Name	Alma A. E. Holmes
Owner	Joseph Holmes
Launched	1896
Fate	Sunk after collision, October 10, 1914
General characteristics
Type	Schooner
Tonnage	1,200 tons
Length	202 ft (62 m)
Beam	41 ft (12 m)
Draft	18 ft (5.5 m)
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship

The Alma A. E. Holmes was a four-masted schooner that was used to transport coal. She sank on October 10, 1914, following a collision with the steamer Belfast.

The ship

The Alma Holmes was a 1,200-ton wooden-hulled ship built in 1896 in Camden, Maine, and named after the daughter of owner Joseph Holmes. She was 202 feet long, with a 41-foot beam and an 18-foot draft.

The wreck

On October 10, 1914, the Alma Holmes carried coal from Norfolk, Virginia, intended for Lehigh Coal Yards in Salem, Massachusetts. While off the coast of Marblehead, Massachusetts, in thick fog, she was hit on the starboard side by the steamer Belfast which smashed straight through the wooden hull of the Holmes. The Belfast had dug so deep into the hull of the Alma Holmes that the captain decided not to reverse until the crew had disembarked. After all crew members had been rescued, the Belfast reversed and in one minute's time the Alma Holmes sank. No one was killed during the episode.

She lies in 160 feet (49 m) of water at approximately 42°26′6″N 70°44′54″W.

External links

• "Hunting New England Shipwrecks". wreckhunter.net.
• "Alma EA Holmes". northernatlanticdive.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2006-11-28.
• "Wreck of the Alma A. E. Holmes". cptdave.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-07-24.