1635 August 12. {em} Passengers (4) (Names unknown). 3 in Avery, 1 in the Thacher families. Ship: Pinasse. Lost in the storm on Thacher Island, all but 2 of the 23 lost on the journey from Ipswich to Marblehead.

1720 Winter. {em} Babson, Elias, fisherman. Lost at sea with the brothers John and Josias, “all the sons of James earned their living by fishing”.

November 1813. {em} Flora, black woman, drowned in Gallop’s Folly Cove. Found 3 weeks later on December 10, buried on December 11.

These tiny historical tales are just three of the 6,600, which have been permanently imprinted on porcelain shards that are part of a larger work in progress called “Lost at Sea”.

This project, which is linked to Gloucester’s 400th anniversary in 2023, will become a permanent outdoor art installation that will be mounted on the retaining walls of the Town Hall’s disabled entrance on Dale Avenue.

The names of all those linked to Gloucester who died at sea will be remembered in a Herculean effort from a local artist working with the support of many others.

The idea arose when Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken and artist Diane Chen KW discussed the idea of ​​making the lists of fishermen lost at sea more accessible to residents and visitors – they are currently located in a cage of staircase to the town hall.

Their initial discussion which began in 2015 has grown more comprehensive to include all the names in the city’s archives of those who died at sea, including some who drowned, or committed suicide, or were passengers in the sea. ‘a ship, among other circumstances.

The Mayor noted that for the past 35 years Gloucester Town Hall has maintained a comprehensive database called “Lost At Sea” which includes all those who have been lost at sea, regardless of their status. cause. This number totals approximately 6,600 people.

The art installation goes beyond the names that appear on the walls of the town hall or on the cenotaph by the water’s edge, as it includes all the archival information available to this day. The data on each piece of porcelain includes the information available at the time of death. This can include place of birth, age, circumstances related to why the ship sank or how they died, where they are buried and whether they were married and who they left behind.

“Each shard becomes a memorial to each deceased person, whether from Gloucester or whether they died in the seas of Gloucester,” said Chen KW.

There are reasons why fragments of the given porcelain were chosen to be the vehicle carrying the recorded data. The first is that, historically, pottery was often used as ballast on ships, the artist explained. Additionally, fragments of dishes from sunken ships are often found on the ocean floor and sometimes washed up on shore with sea glass.

This is not Chen KW’s first public project. In 2014, she was commissioned to create a ceramic wall installation “Strong Breezes and Passing Clouds” at the Cape Ann Museum.

When looking at the number of fatalities over the centuries, it becomes clear that there is a dramatic drop in the number of fatalities when fishing vessels and vessels began to use engines and no longer relied solely on boats. sails.

“Before, if a schooner broke a mast at sea, most likely all of them would die,” said Chen KW. “The overwhelming majority are men and fishermen, but there were also traders who transported goods across the oceans and quarry workers who lost their lives. Sometimes it was a northeast and unfortunately in some cases they were run over by navy ships in wartime. Some schooners sank because they were struck by another schooner.

Regarding suicides in the water, she said it has been going on for hundreds of years. In past centuries, she noted that these were more often older people, sometimes widows, while in the late 1900s and beyond it was more younger people.

She also noticed that it was not uncommon for a fatality to occur when someone was trying to get on or off a boat, especially in freezing weather when it fell in the water and a surprising number could not swim.

The fragments also contain what is known of the slaves and servants who died at sea, some who did not have documented names.

The majority of the shards are plate pieces but it is easy to see that some are cup handles, or in one case, the top of a sugar bowl, as the artist wanted the names of the lost women and children at sea stand out a little more and also give a more three-dimensional aspect to the artistic installation.

Romeo Theken is eager to share this project with the community and the rest of the country.

“I wanted to make this a community project and something the community could be proud of,” she said. “It’s so important to me that people can appreciate this story in such a meaningful way. I think it’s something that we can show everyone in a way that they can feel it emotionally and also feel that they are part of this rich history. In addition, this memorial pays homage to the women and children who were lost at sea, because it is impossible that only men perished at sea. “

Additionally, the mayor noted that it also recognizes people of color.

“We have to admit it to have the healing,” she added.

This fall, Chen KW, with the help of others, including his friend Professor Brad Taylor of the Ceramics Program at the University of Hawaii, created the first of 20 stainless steel boxes containing the encrusted shards. The first box, which weighs around 400 pounds, contains over 350 shards, which are surrounded by sand that has been patted on wet mortar to create the appearance of the ocean floor. The steel boxes will be lit by LED lighting.

To look forward

The Gloucester 400 committee embraces this effort.

Laura Ventimiglia, Executive Director of Gloucester 400, said “Lost at Sea” portrays the depth of life in Gloucester.

“The pottery shards depicting lives lost at sea symbolize the dark days in everyone’s life as well as in Gloucester. As America’s oldest seaport, this place called Gloucester has encountered the knowledge every day that death occurs in its waters, ”she said. “The pottery shards also represent the beauty of life in Gloucester through the memories of those lost and the finesse of the display. By commemorating them, the 6,600 people remain alive. Using shards of pottery, the beauty of every life shines. Collectively, this work of art symbolizes the cultural beauty of Gloucester.

She wasn’t the only one with tears in her eyes when she first saw the prototype.

“The collective image of these people represented by the shards overwhelmed me. In silence, I could only look at those lives represented in his work. I was particularly touched by the shards representing women and children, the handles of their lives stretching out and pulling out, ”added Ventimiglia.

Bruce Tobey, co-chair of Gloucester 400, said he was speechless trying to figure it all out.

“It was so powerful and it was human and accessible,” Tobey said. “Art is meant to be evocative and engage the viewer so that emotion, feeling and memory are triggered. This is why art is important and it is an amazing example.

Chen KW explained the meticulous nature of the project and how it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of so many people like Maggie Rosa, who shared the work of re-typing the entire Lost at Sea database into one document. Word to allow the information to be transferred onto a decal which would be drawn to create a permanent typeface on each fragment. Patty Rosenblatt donated her oven for this purpose, while Margaret York and Reed Glover took on other necessary tasks.

Once the art installation is complete, the artist said she might consider duplicating a fragment for families with a relative lost at sea.

For more information on Gloucester 400, visit: https://gloucesterma400.org.

You can reach Gail McCarthy at 978-675-2706 or at [email protected]