Us Barquentine Sinks Off Africa

The 161 ft American barquentine Verona, which cruised the Pacific in 1965-66 under Captain Christopher Sheldon and with a paying crew of 24 young Americans, burned and sank off the island of Fernando Poo, in the Gulf of Guinea, on February 21.

An account of the disaster was sent to PIM in April by Miss Joan Apfelbaum, of Wyncote, Pennsylvania, who joined the barquentine in New York last September for a cruise round Africa and through the Caribbean.

Miss Apfelbaum was also aboard the famous brigantine Yankee when that vessel was wrecked at Rarotonga in July, 1964 ( PIM, Sept., 1964, p. 63). She lost everything in the Verona disaster, including her clippings from PIM on the wreck of the Yankee and its aftermath.

Miss Apfelbaum said that the fire on the Verona broke out just after the barquentine had sailed for Nigeria from Fernando Poo, a Spanish possession. She was then about 12 miles from the island.

After the fire was twice brought under control, it flared up strongly again and Captain Sheldon gave orders for the 25 people on board to abandon ship. They drifted in two inflatable life rafts for 2i hours before being picked up by a Spanish Navy launch. The Verona sank shortly afterwards.

All but nine of the 25 survivors were Americans. One was a Suva man, John Naryan. the Verona’s cook.