Eldia (Vessel)

=Maltese Freighter Eldia=

The 473' 9,807 ton steel freighter Eldia was blown ashore in East Orleans, Massachusetts March 30, 1984. The ship was refloated 2 months later by the salvage company Donjon Marine who received title to the ship as payment. A year later the ship was scrapped¹.

After delivery of its load of Columbian sugar in St. John, New Brunswick² the Eldia was hit by a storm delivering 80mph winds. Running for the open sea the cargoless Eldia was unable to match the strength of the storms waves, wind and will. The 37 year old captain Ernesto Garces attempted to bring the ship under control but was forced onto the beach late in the day.

The entire crew was rescued while the ship came to rest on what is today the popular Cape Cod Nauset Beach. Due to the ease of access to the area New England residents rushed to see the sight.

Information

The Orleans public library maintains a collection of Eldia related memorabilia including photos, accounts and official records. Eldia, a local coffeehouse and market in East Orleans -- which was named after the famous ship, was sold and re-named in 2006. The owners, Jon Prete and Steven Burd had a collection of Eldia images, original paintings, newspaper articles, and personal accounts in 2 albums for customers to view in the store. All memorabilia was donated by Prete and Burd to the Orleans Historic Society. The owners have since move inland to Atlanta.

Timeline

Other Notable Shipwrecks in this area

External links

* [http://www.wreckhunter.net/DataPages/eldia-dat.htm Eldia on Wreckhunter]

* [http://www.geocities.com/eldia1984/index.html Larry Fowlers Eldia Website]

* [http://www.donjon.com/ Donjon Salvage]

* [http://www.thenamaris.gr/ Eldia's Owner at the time of grounding]

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=41.782737,-69.93433&spn=0.010288,0.019956&t=k&z=16&om=1 Location of Grounding (google maps)]

* [http://archive.capecodonline.com/special/andreadoria/capewrecks22.htm Cape Code Times Article]

* [http://www.uscg.mil/history/stations/airsta_capecod.html Air Station Cape Cod]

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgbVLXWJTPE YouTube video of images]

* [http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,952377,00.html Time Article]

References

1. http://www.geocities.com/eldia1984/index.html2. http://www.geocities.com/eldia1984/john_leaning.html