The Cora F. Cressey was a prominent five-masted wooden schooner built in 1902 at the Percy and Small Shipyard in Bath, Maine. Measuring 273 feet (83 meters) in length, with a beam of 45.4 feet (13.8 meters) and a hold depth of 27.9 feet (8.5 meters), she was among the largest wooden-hulled schooners operated in the United States. Her hull was reinforced with iron belts but lacked diagonal bracing, characteristic of her time. The vessel had a registered capacity of 2,499 gross tons and 2,089 net tons, with two decks and a crew of approximately eleven. Notably, she was equipped with a small steam donkey engine used solely for raising anchors and sails, as she relied on wind power for propulsion. Designed primarily for the coasting trade along the U.S. East Coast, Cora F. Cressey specialized in transporting coal from southern to northern ports. Her high bow was credited with aiding her in surviving a gale in 1924 that sank the Wyoming, the largest schooner ever built, highlighting her seaworthiness. She remained in service until 1928, after which she was repurposed as a floating nightclub in Boston in 1929, later moving to Gloucester, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island, in the same role. In 1938, her masts were removed, and she was acquired by a lobster operation owner in Bremen, Maine. She was towed to the Keene Narrows, where she was partially filled with sand to serve as a lobster pound and breakwater, protecting lobster pens located between her and the shore. Attempts to improve circulation by cutting holes in her hull failed, and her deteriorating condition led to portions of her structure falling off, notably a 40-foot section in 1988. Today, her hull remains one of the largest surviving wooden shipwrecks in the United States. She is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as a significant artifact illustrating the era of large wooden schooners and their role in maritime commerce.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.