Hope Haynes

The Hope Haynes was a ship notable for causing a massive fire and gas explosion in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1905.

Ship information
The schooner Hope Haynes was a wooden three masted type, home ported in Bath, Maine. Built in 1880, it weighed 216 gross tons, was 108 ft long, 30 ft wide, 10 ft in depth and was constructed in Wiscasset, Maine.

1905 Bridgeport incident
On 30 July 1905, the Pequonnock River flooded from a massive storm which dumped over 11 in of rain in one day and also burst several reservoirs north of the city. The Hope Haynes was torn from her moorings and smashed into the Congress Street Bridge, tearing out electrical wiring and thus setting a fire which spread to and ignited a broken gas main. There was a large explosion and the ship also caught on fire, but was soon put out.

Later service
The ship was rebuilt in 1908 in Mystic, Connecticut was renamed Mystic in 1916 when it was sold for $12,000 to a Captain Mueller for use as a cargo ship to Cape de Verde.