Tag: maine state

Who Owns the Wreck of the Schooner Delhi? Maine Asks a Judge to Decide That the State Does. 1893 wreck inspires current court case. Carrie Jones Apr 25, 2026 A local salvage company on Mount Desert Island is trying to claim a ship that sank in Somes Sound (show above) more than 130 years ago, but Maine officials say that the abandoned shipwreck now rightfully belongs to the state. Credit: Aislinn Sarnacki / BDN File courtesy of BDN. MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—Back in April 1893, the Delhi, a two-mastered schooner sank as it was leaving Somes Sound. Last week, the state asked a judge for possession of that shipwreck, which is still beneath the water. According to an 1893 edition of the Ellsworth American, the Delhi sank in 25 fathoms of water. “In beating out of the Sound, she struck a heavy cake of ice and foundered almost immediately, the crew having barely time to escape in their boat,” the short, paragraph-long report reads. There were 32,000 Baltimore pavers on board that had been loaded by Campbell & Macomber of Quarryville. Campbell & Macomber had a granite quarry in Mount Desert. At the time, its granite had been used to construct banks and libraries throughout the northeastern portion of the United States. “In March 2024, JJM LLC filed a salvage rights claim to the ship in U.S. District Court of Maine in Bangor,” Marie Weidmayer of the Bangor Daily News wrote earlier this week. ”The company is seeking ownership rights to the wreckage, but the state challenged that claim, saying that federal law has established that unclaimed shipwrecks lying in state waters are the property of the state.” The state, Weidmayer reported, hoped for a jury trial. However, Judge John Nivison will instead have a written opinion about the case. No company has claimed the ship’s title, according to Assistant Attorney General Lauren Parker, Weidmayer reported. This, Parker argued, means the ship is abandoned. “We are talking about a pile of stones underneath the pile of trash,” Weidmayer quoted JJM attorney Ben Ford as saying. “This is not a shipwreck in the sense that one might imagine a shipwreck to be. The Delhi is no longer there.” Part of the issues are a dispute over how much of the boat exists; how much is not embedded in the floor; and whether or not it would require more than hand tools to remove. “A JJM diver was able to pick up a granite paver by hand and return it to the surface in a basket, Ford said. There are definitely pavers on the surface of the ocean floor, but some may be under garbage that has accumulated on top of the wreck, he said,” Weidmayer wrote. According to Weidmayer, the salvage company wants to recover pavers and artifacts, which it would donate to museums. “The salvage firm filed suit in September against the National Park Service after the service determined the shipwreck is eligible for listing in the National Register. That lawsuit is still pending,” Weidmayer wrote. The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Acadia Brochures of Maine. HELP SUPPORT THE BAR HARBOR STORY When we started The Bar Harbor Story, we didn’t know if anyone would read it. But you showed up. You shared. You sent tips. Now—over 400,000 views every month later—it’s clear: people here care about their community and each other. We’ve kept everything free because news should never be out of reach, but every one of our stories takes time to write, and your support keeps The Bar Harbor Story going. If you value our work, please consider a paid subscription, a founding membership, or a sponsorship. It truly helps us cover one more meeting, tell one more story, shine one more light. Even $5 a month makes a difference. Click here to become a one-time supporter now. Thank you so much for being here. Founding member information can be found here. Have questions about sponsorships? Just send Shaun an email at sfarrar86@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you. Share Bar Harbor Story Share Leave a comment Discussion about this post
news

Who Owns the Wreck of the Schooner Delhi? Maine Asks a Judge to Decide That the State Does.

1893 wreck inspires current court case. Carrie Jones Apr 25, 2026 MOUNT DESERT ISLAND—Back in April 1893, the Delhi, a two-mastered schooner sank as it was leaving Somes Sound. Last week, the state asked a judge for possession of that shipwreck, which is still beneath the water. According to an 1893 edition of the Ellsworth American, the Delhi sank in 25 fathoms of water. “In … Continue reading Who Owns the Wreck of the Schooner Delhi? Maine Asks a Judge to Decide That the State Does.

Unknown's avatarcarriejonesbooksLeave a comment