I've been checking on wrecks in the LI Sound and was suprised to see that some of the wrecks dating back more than a century were caused by pack ice. Has there ever been pack ice in the Sound recently. I'm over 30 years old and can only remember a severe winter where the Hudson had significant ice. I can't imagine the Sound freezing up or having ice problems. Was the climate that different or am I missing something? I suspect that maybe the ships actually ran into problems in the bays and were dragged out to the sound to be abandoned? In regards to other posts about pollock and cod being caught from the beaches I am wondering if the warming of our waters has more to do than overfishing. If anyone has any thoughts or indepth knowledge of historical conditions of the LI Sound it would be appreciated.
PACK ICE IN L.I. SOUND
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Frank,
The sound has frozen over as well as the great south bay, but not recently. The Hudson gets ice regularly and with cold winters, you get mini icebergs into the spring. These areas have not frozen over solid in a number of years, and some people attribute it to global warming. I think it's more cyclical, and we will once again get those bitterly cold winters soon.
It's neat to see pictures of people and cars on the ice in the middle of the sound.
Capt Tom
The sound has frozen over as well as the great south bay, but not recently. The Hudson gets ice regularly and with cold winters, you get mini icebergs into the spring. These areas have not frozen over solid in a number of years, and some people attribute it to global warming. I think it's more cyclical, and we will once again get those bitterly cold winters soon.
It's neat to see pictures of people and cars on the ice in the middle of the sound.
Capt Tom
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I too, have seen the wester L.I. Sound frozen, although not in many years. I can remember the kids skating out there....I don't think my wife would let the our kids skate in the middle of the Sound.
Capt H
Capt H
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hudson river on ice
i remember being in high school on west chambers st in manhattan and seeing the hudson completely frozen from ny to jersey. this was probably '96 or so. (yea, i'm young). anyway i remember some kid in my school tried to walk to jersey and a police helipcopter was sent out to get him. i don't know if he was icefishing when they found him. haven't seen ice there since.
i remember being in high school on west chambers st in manhattan and seeing the hudson completely frozen from ny to jersey. this was probably '96 or so. (yea, i'm young). anyway i remember some kid in my school tried to walk to jersey and a police helipcopter was sent out to get him. i don't know if he was icefishing when they found him. haven't seen ice there since.
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Have been on Great South Bay when they were driving cars on it in the 70's. People were driving to Fire Island, only problem is some guys were cutting holes to clam through and they would skim over at night, causing cars to fall through in daytime. I have seen the harbors frozen up on several different years on the North Shore, and lots of ice in the SOund but I have never seen it frozen solid enough to walk on beyond the shoreline.
I've seen photos of from the 60's and 70's of actual mini icebergs floating in the sound with the tides. But today that could never happen. In addition to the effects of global warming, the Sound is fed throughout the winter now by powerplant discharge, warm sewer discharge and river runoff. Most of this activity is from the Conneticut shoreline, including Nuclear power plants. None of this existed fifty or sixty years ago.
Thanks to all for the replys. I'm still skeptical of the Sound freexing up enough in modern times to sink ships. Yeah, I too recall the Great South Bay freezing up in the early nineties to the point where the Captree boats could not go out for Cod. Anyway, thanks to all for info.
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NISSEQUOGE RIVER
Stopped down by the Nessy this morning. Frozen solid other then a 5 foot ribbon of moving water in the center & where the current is strongest.
Been living near it for 15 years - have only seen this happen a handful of times.
Couple of more days of this freeze & she'll be frozen completely across.
Stopped down by the Nessy this morning. Frozen solid other then a 5 foot ribbon of moving water in the center & where the current is strongest.
Been living near it for 15 years - have only seen this happen a handful of times.
Couple of more days of this freeze & she'll be frozen completely across.
As an avid professional diver I used to work hard to find data on local wrecks, as such your comment on the sound's pack ice brought to mind a few ship wrecks that are in the western sound. I think one thing to keep in mind is the wreck were all wood hulled, also the few wreck I know of are in 50-80 feet of water, so the surface would have minimal movement, that would promote ice build up. This particular area, between Execution Light and the Throggs Neck Bridge has froze solid 2-3 times in the last 8 years.
Mike L.
Mike L.
FRANKB
That's funny with all the cold weather I was thinking about this the other day.It did freeze over, My grandfather used to tell me that they would ride on a horse drawn sleigh from Norwich Harbor out to Fishers Island Sound. That would be around 1890 or so.
I sure somebody should be able to dig up some photos.
Dave
That's funny with all the cold weather I was thinking about this the other day.It did freeze over, My grandfather used to tell me that they would ride on a horse drawn sleigh from Norwich Harbor out to Fishers Island Sound. That would be around 1890 or so.
I sure somebody should be able to dig up some photos.
Dave
The wreck that made me question the issue was "The Lexington" which I believe sunk off of Matine****. I assumed that the pack ice crushed the hull. Am I mistaken? Does the ice and cold merely cause separation in the planking of a wooden shipe causing the vessel to take on water and ultimately sink? Lastly, I received a portable handheld GPS from Santa. Is there a good single source for wreck locations in the western sound? Do dive shops carry books identifying the locations and wrecks. I believe NorEast ran an article at one time on all the wrecks in the western sound and mid sound.
I still think that this is something we will never see ever again. Most of the replies are indicating that ice is not uncommon in the Great South Bay, Hudson, Western Sound etc.... But when you are talking Fischer's Sound, now you are talking about a completely different body of water. And to think that one would have been able to put a horse on the ice. All that weight on such a small surface area (4 hooves) Jeez, I'm sure there is no comparison between today's weather and the 19th century.
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I haved lived in the western suffolk north shore area since 1994. In either 94 or '95 Huntington Bay had significant ice. During a rare early winter nor'easter, chunks of ice the size of boulders floated up and into our pier. Dislogding the boards from the pillings. Right now the back end of Cold Spring Harbor and half Huntington Harbor is frozen. The bay has some skim ice. Locals who grew up here tell me as kids in the 60's and 70's they were able to walk from the bay beach all the way to the Coast Gaurd Station at Eaton's Neck. In any event, this colder winter should provide lots and lots of Sand Eels on the North Shore for what I expect to be a good spring striper run once the water warms up. (Around July!!!)
GOT ICE.
FRANKB,
Go to Connecticut History Online and do a search for ice or pack ice, with no limits. I would have posted photos but there are too many. Alot of interesting photos from Mystic Seaport. As you will see the winters were quite a bit different back then!
Dave
FRANKB,
Go to Connecticut History Online and do a search for ice or pack ice, with no limits. I would have posted photos but there are too many. Alot of interesting photos from Mystic Seaport. As you will see the winters were quite a bit different back then!
Dave
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