The Lofthus (also known as the Cashmere) is a Norwegian shipwreck (which sank in 1898) near Boynton Beach, Florida, United States. Built in 1868 in Sunderland, England by T.R. Oswald, the 222-foot iron-hulled vessel was originally christened Cashmere and rigged as a three-masted barque. The ship was painted with false gunports to ward off pirates. After a career in the East Indian trade, the Lofthus was sold to a Norwegian firm, renamed Lofthus, and used in the American trade.
On February 4, 1898, the Lofthus wrecked in a storm en route to Buenos Aires, Argentina from Pensacola, Florida. The crew of 16 men, the ship's cat and dog were rescued by the passing vessel Three Friends, which was smuggling guns to Cuba. The ship, however, was declared a loss as it could not be removed from the shallow reef. The cargo, primarily lumber, was salvaged and brought ashore by locals and reportedly used to build homes locally.
Today, the wreck of the Lofthus lies in shallow waters of 15 to 20 feet off the coast of Manalapan, Florida. It has formed an artificial reef due to its iron structure scattered across the seafloor, attracting a diverse array of marine species. On January 6, 2004, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and was officially designated as the eighth Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserve and Palm Beach County's first.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Leroy
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