Clan Galbraith Founders

The Clan Galbraith, which went on the beach near Flying Point in Water Mill on July 22, 1916, was probably the largest sailing vessel ever grounded along this coast.

She was a four-masted iron bark, 282 feet long and upward of 2,000 tons, sailing from Bristol, England, to New York. Although a British vessel, built in Glasgow, Scotland, she was sailing under the Norwegian flag because of the war with Germany.

After going aground in storm and fog, she lay for about two weeks so near the shore that it was possible at low tide to reach, dry-shod, the rope ladder hanging over her side.

Carl and Dita Brownell were among those who motored over to see the beached ship. While they were on the beach they watched a 75-year-old sailor from Wainscott board the ship and climb to the top of the mainmast.

Her graceful hull and tall masts could be seen from afar across the flat East End landscape, and so many visitors came that, according to newspaper reports, the beach "seemed like Riverhead Fair in the old days."

The visitors came from miles around, some on foot, some on horseback, some even arrived in fancy carriages dressed in fine clothes.

Captain Olson and his crew of 22 were perfectly safe and a salvage team eventually floated the ship off undamaged. Less than two years later, the Clan Galbraith was sunk by the Germans in the English Channel, a victim of the Great War.