The Betsey - Red Sky at Morning

The Betsey was built on the Sheepscot River in 1803. It was a hermaphrodite brig, or brigantine, approximately eighty feet long. Its purpose was to sail to the West Indies with oak and pine and return with molasses, sugar, and coffee. Ships that sailed this route were known as West Indiamen. The Betsey met its tragic fate on the stormy night of December 19, just twenty-two days into its voyage and a day's journey from its intended port of Matanzas, Cuba. The ship succumbed to the fury of a Norther, sinking into the depths of the sea. Miraculously, the crew managed to escape aboard a longboat, eventually finding refuge on an island later identified as Cruz del Padre, situated several miles north of Cuba. Their hopes for rescue were dashed when local fishermen, instead of aiding them as promised, betrayed them to pirates. The pirates massacred all but the ship's 1st mate, Daniel Collins, hailing from Wiscasset. Collins eventually made his way back to Maine, haunted by the harrowing ordeal he endured. Refusing to set foot on a ship again, he lived out the remainder of his days on land until his passing on November 15, 1885, at the age of eighty-four.