Two Historic Schooners Sink at Brooklyn Pier

Back-to-Back Sinkings in Red Hook

Two historic wooden schooners went down within days of each other at adjacent Brooklyn piers this week, marking what may be the end of a notable piece of East Coast maritime heritage. According to a report by The Maritime Executive, the 102-year-old racing schooner Pilot sank during a squall on July 1 near a disused grain terminal in Red Hook. Days later, the Chesapeake Ram schooner Victory Chimes — described as the last surviving vessel of her type — went down at a neighboring berth.

Both vessels were owned by Crew, a Brooklyn hospitality company that had converted them into restaurant and bar venues. No injuries were reported in either incident.

From Working Vessels to Waterfront Attractions

Pilot was built in 1924 in the Grand Banks racing style and later served as a Boston Harbor pilot boat through World War II. She went on to work as a research vessel — at one point carrying Jacques Cousteau on a voyage to the Galapagos — before being acquired in 2015 for permanently moored restaurant service. She was restored and installed at Pier 6 in 2017, operating as an oyster bar until she was replaced earlier this year by the fireboat Alfred E. Smith and placed in layup.

Victory Chimes had been in Crew’s possession since 2023 and was awaiting restoration when she sank at the adjacent berth.

Cause Still Unclear

Part-owner Alex Pincus told South Brooklyn History that the cause of Pilot’s sinking is not yet known, adding that the immediate priority is working with authorities and professionals to determine whether the vessel can safely be raised. Salvors have reportedly been contracted to assess both wrecks.

A local waterfront enthusiast, Brad Vogel, told local media that both wooden vessels had shown visible signs of age and deterioration before they sank. Crew continues to operate similar venues aboard the schooner Sherman Zwicker in Tribeca and the fireboat Alfred E. Smith at Pilot’s former Brooklyn berth.

What This Means for Vessel Owners and Managers

While Pilot and Victory Chimes were historic curiosities rather than commercial trading ships, the underlying lesson applies broadly across the industry: hulls that are laid up, awaiting restoration, or kept in static service for years can deteriorate in ways that aren’t always obvious from routine visual checks. Wooden or steel, a vessel sitting idle at a berth is still exposed to tidal stress, hull fouling, corrosion, and structural fatigue — and without regular condition surveys, degradation can progress well past the point where it’s visible from the pier.

For commercial operators, this incident is a useful reminder of why periodic condition surveys matter even for vessels not currently in active trade — laid-up tonnage, vessels awaiting sale, or ships between charters. A structural assessment that catches hull thinning, frame corrosion, or compromised watertight integrity early can prevent a sudden, unrecoverable loss. It also raises a practical question for owners of aging or heritage tonnage: at what point does deferred maintenance on a static asset cross from manageable risk into structural liability? Independent, documented inspections — rather than informal visual observation — are the only reliable way to answer that question before an incident forces it.

Uncertain Future for Two Pieces of Maritime History

Whether Pilot and Victory Chimes can be refloated and restored remains to be seen, pending the salvors’ evaluation. For now, both wrecks sit side by side in Red Hook, masts breaking the surface — a visible reminder that even vessels kept far from open water are not immune to the slow effects of age and neglect.

Reviewed by Ibrahim Halil Ceylan, Marine Surveyor at Apeks Marine.