Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • S P R I N G 2 0 2 1 34 The Malta Foremast and Anchor from an Unknown Vessel Ocean and 8th Avenues, Belmar JERSEY SHORE LANDMARKS SHIPWRECK SCAVENGER HUNT, continued from page 33 Sailing from Antwerp to New York on November 24, 1885, the schooner Malta, formerly named The Queen of the South, ran aground near the foot of 9th Avenue and Ocean Beach due to high winds and rough ocean conditions. (Belmar was known as Ocean Beach in the late 1800s.) The ship pounded on the sandbar as the waves pounded upon the stranded vessel, and eventually its mizzenmast tumbled into the sea. One sailor, who jumped overboard in a panic, lost his life when the sea carried him away. Parts of the ship were salvaged, and remains of the hull are still vis- ible today. "It's well out to sea," said Pat McCormick, vice president of the Belmar Historical Society, "but part of the stern can be seen off 9th Avenue on days with very low tides." Standing tall on the corner of 8th and Ocean Avenues on the south- west side of the intersection appears to be a flagpole—but it is actually the foremast (or front mast) of the Malta, which was salvaged by local authorities and originally mounted to the land as a standpipe for the sewer system. "It's an early 19th century effort to recycle," McCormick said, "and there's an identifying marker at its base." Guide rails, which guide the sail up the mast, are still visible along the The foremast of the Malta at 8th and Ocean Avenues in Belmar. Ocean Avenue in Belmar, circa 1920. The Malta ran aground off 9th Avenue on November 24, 1885. Parts of the ship were salvaged. In this photo, a piece of the stern can be seen off the coast. Says local historian Pat McCormick, "It's well out to sea, but part of the stern can [still] be seen [today] off 9th Avenue on days with very low tides." Jill Ocone courtesy of New Jersey Maritime Museum foremast, and the cap (which secured the upper mast) is still attached at the top. Historic photos of the Malta show the same foremast on the vessel. Facing the foremast, on the ocean side of Ocean Avenue, lies an anchor from an unknown vessel that was donated by the landmark business, Klein's Fish Market and Waterside Café, according to McCormick. Anchor from an unknown vessel, also at 8th and Ocean Avenues. Jill Ocone

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