History of the schooner Helen Barnet Gring
The HELEN BARNET GRING, a four-masted coasting schooner, was built in 1919 by Robert L. Bean of Camden, Maine for the Boston, Massachusetts shipping firm of Crowell and Thurlow.
Employed as a coasting schooner, the GRING sailed in the coastal and West Indies trade; generally carrying cargoes of stone, lumber, and coal. Captain Francis Bowker, who sailed aboard her said “The GRING was steady as a rock with a clean swept hold and could carry whole sail and topsails in a good, fresh breeze.” She must have been a powerful vessel as she is forever immortalized by John F. Leavitt in his book Wake of the Coasters for causing the loss of the Schooner WILLIAM BOOTH. Leavitt mentions the 1928 tragedy; when “the three-masted WILLIAM BOOTH, stone laden, was cut down and sunk by the four-master HELEN BARNET GRING,” three times in the course of his book.
During her 21 year career the GRING sailed under 4 separate masters; James W. Howard, Clarence W. Holden, George Mohr, and Will Plummer. Captain Plummer, in addition to commanding the GRING, was also the owner, having purchased her in 1937.
The Schooner’s career ended on Oct. 22, 1940 when the HELEN BARNET GRING was shipwrecked and lost off Cay Verde, Cuba .
Restrictions
Restrictions on Access
Available for use in the Manuscripts Division.
Restrictions on Use
Various copying restriction apply. Guidelines are available from the Manuscripts Division.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the G. W. Blunt White Library. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Persons:
Mohr, George
Subjects:
Coastwise shipping–Atlantic Coast (U.S.)
International trade
Shipping
Voyages and travels
Document Types:
Logbooks
Administrative Information
Coll. 249, Manuscripts Collection, G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.
Detailed Description of the Records
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
| Volumes 1920-1927 | |||||||||||||
| Volume | |||||||||||||
| 1 | Log; 1920 Aug 20-1921 Jun 2 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Log; 1922 Aug 5-1923 Jun 13 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Log; 1923 Jun 14-1924 Feb 28 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Log; 1924 Mar 28-Oct 3 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Log; 1926 Jul 11-1927 Jan 11 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Log; 1924 Oct 23-1926 May 11 | ||||||||||||