Contemporaries

It’s all about maintenance and luck. Pioneer had the good fortune to be spotted and loved by Russell Grinnell Jr.

Not far from where Pioneer got maintained recently lies this nameless workboat. (Correction: Thanks to Jeff, vessel below is Bayou Plaqumine aka Courier. Great fotos and interesting historical info on this Flickr page.)

At one time, in fact, Pioneer had no masts although she never had house forward. Seeing the beached and deteriorating vessel below, I’m reminded of fotos of Matthew Brady.

Pioneer was built in 1885, a time when many work vessels were constructed of wood. Again, the identity of these few ribs might be know to someone, but I have no clue. Here’s a link to National Park Guidelines on Abandoned Shipwreck regulations. Most New York wrecks listed are right in the Kills.

Photos, WVD.