Photo credit: Imgur
The trip, however, was well worth the trek it took to get there. It was like stepping into all the intrigue of horror movie…a horror movie that is 30 years in the making. For more than three decades, the ship has sat lonely, quiet, and abandoned, opening its secrets to only those who dare to enter.
Photo credit: Imgur
While glimpses of it can be caught from the road above, the best views are reserved for the few kayakers – like Malott and his friends – who are able to explore the ship up close. But just how many of them realize the incredible history that lies behind the wreck that they see today?
Photo Credit: Mel's Place
Photo Credit: Mel’s PlaceOriginally named Celt, the ship was built by Pusey and Jones in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1902. A wealthy railroad executive, J. Rogers Maxwell, had commissioned the 186-foot vessel as a luxury yacht.
Then, in 1917, the United States entered the First World War, and the fate of the Celt dramatically changed course. After all, the U.S. Navy was on the lookout for small boats that could move faster than the deadly German U-Boats – and the steam-powered Celt fit the bill.
On July 3, 1917, the ship was acquired by the U.S. Navy and renamed the USS Sachem. Now equipped with machine guns, it soon started a new life as a coastal patrol vessel.
