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where was friday the 13th crystal lake filmed | Friday the 13th: Guide to Filming Locations | Hated by critics but loved by audiences, the ‘ Friday the 13th ’ slasher horror media franchise is without question one of the most recognizable brands in cinema. The franchise first debuted way back in 1980 with the original ‘Friday the 13th’ film, which was followed by eleven sequels over the next thirty years, a television series, several novels, comic books, video games tie ins and sponsored merchandise. Today, the franchise holds the distinction of being the second highest grossing horror movie franchise of all time, and its principal character Jason Vorhees is now an indelible part of popular culture.
The last film in the long running franchise was 2009’s ‘Friday the 13th’, which is a reboot/re-imagining of the original series. The story line of the new film will be familiar to long time ‘Friday the 13th’ fans – A group of young men and women set up camp at the now abandoned Camp Crystal Lake, the site of a series of gruesome murders nearly three decades ago.
Legend says that the murderer’s son is still alive and hidden, waiting for anyone foolhardy enough to set camp at the lake once again. In true horror movie fashion, this legend turns out to be all too true, and the entire group ends up brutally murdered except for one woman, who is presumed missing. A few weeks later, the sole survivor’s brother Clay Miller (played by ‘ Supernatural ‘ star Jared Padalecki) arrives in town looking for his sister, just in time for another camping party taking place at Camp Crystal Lake.
If you were wondering where the modern reboot of one of the most renowned horror franchises was filmed, read on to find out everything we know.
Like plenty of its predecessors, ‘Friday the 13th’ is set in the infamous Camp Crystal Lake, which also goes by its more sinister moniker “Camp Blood”. The location has been a long time killing ground for the unstoppable killer Jason Voorhees and is located in Crystal Lake in Cunningham County, New Jersey.
As you would expect, Camp Crystal Lake is not a real place and is an entirely fictional backdrop created specifically for the films. However, the original 1980 movie was actually filmed on location in New Jersey at the Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in Hardwick. However, this is not the case with the new ‘Friday the 13th’, which was filmed entirely in various locations across the Lone Star State – Texas. Principal filming began in April 2008 in the city of Austin and wrapped up by early June the same year.
Check out this picture posted by ‘Friday the 13th’ star Danielle Panabaker on her Instagram account:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhhJzHoFdm9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Wealthy college student Trent’s summer house in Camp Crystal Lake is the site for many a gruesome massacre in ‘Friday the 13th’. These scenes were filmed on location at the Wimberley Vacation House in Wimberley, Texas. Wimberley is a fairly small town in central Texas that started out as a trading post settlement near Cypress Creek nearly two centuries ago. It is also a surprisingly popular filming location for several movies including ‘A Perfect World’, ‘The Alamo’, ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ and ‘American Outlaws’.
The shack with the big sign reading “Outpost” in the film used to be a small business called Bubba’s Country Store in Austin, Texas back during the time of the filming. Unfortunately, the store has closed and renovated several times since then.
Of course, Austin is the capital city of Texas and the fastest growing city in the United States. Austin is known for its beautiful views, beer, and world famous BBQ. Check out this picture of the location before the renovations:
The creepy storage barn where Jason emerges was filmed on location in the city of Round Rock in Williamson County, Texas. Round Rock is fairly close to Austin and is an economic hub for tech giants such as Dell, IBM, and Samsung.
The scene where ‘Friday the 13th’ protagonist Clay Miller is stopped by the police officer was filmed at Chestnut Street in the small town of Bastrop, Texas. The city is located along the Colorado River and is a popular filming location for numerous movies including ‘ Boyhood ’, ‘The Tree of Life’, ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’, and ‘Courage Under Fire‘.
After the principal filming had wrapped up, additional scenes were filmed at Camp Fern near Marshall, Texas. The camp was founded nearly ninety years ago in 1934. | https://thecinemaholic.com/friday-the-13th-guide-to-filming-locations/ | 149 |
where was friday the 13th crystal lake filmed | The real-life locations where 'Friday the 13th' was filmed | Mrs. Voorhees slashed her way through the unsuspecting camp counselors of New Jersey’s Warren County, and horror fans can relive the macabre magic while touring the locations where Friday the 13th was filmed.
Most diehard fans can recall the exact moment they fell in love with the horror film genre, with that memory paving the way for a lifetime of enjoyment. But the fun of being a scary movie fanatic doesn't have to stop when the credits roll. You can immerse yourself in the action (if you dare) by visiting the real filming locations where your favorite horror flicks came to life.
Followers of Freddy Krueger can stroll down Genesee Avenue in Los Angeles and gaze at Nancy Thompson's $3 million Dutch Colonial , Stephen King fans can book their stay at the Stanley Hotel (aka the Overlook) in Estes Park, Colorado, and world travelers can even make the pilgrimage to Transylvania to visit Dracula's majestic stronghold inspiration of Bran Castle .
But this story is for the Friday the 13th enthusiasts who want to saunter around the same campgrounds Mrs. Voorhees ( Betsy Palmer ) did in Sean S. Cunningham's seminal slasher. Here's EW's peek behind Camp Crystal Lake's curtain.
Credit: Paramount Pictures
A proper tour of the original Friday the 13th filming locations lies just 60 miles northwest of New York City in New Jersey, and a complete expedition of the film's sets can be managed by fans who want to dedicate a whole day to sightseeing. First stop: Hope. With a population of approximately 2,000 people, the township is a quaint locale that will truly enchant Friday fans, especially those imaginative enough to match up their surroundings with the scenes and camera angles used by Cunningham.
Following the 1958 flashback sequence, which serves as Friday the 13th's creepy introduction to the mysterious murderer, fans join up with Crystal Lake's cook, Annie (Robbi Morgan), 22 years later in present-day 1980. Looking for directions to the camp, she enters a small diner/general store where she meets the kindly truck driver, Enos (Rex Everhart).
Fans can still visit the daytime diner (the nighttime one will come up later), which remains in its original location, but now exists as Hope Junction Antiques located at 331 High Street. Charles and Lisa Iulo own the antique shop, which was once a Hard Times Coffee Shop. Take the time to enjoy this jewel of tourism in its own right, but once Friday fans have soaked up the shop, they need only head to their left outside the store to continue their journey back to Camp Blood.
Two buildings down, fans can track Annie and Enos' path after he agrees to give her a ride, where the characters bump into Crazy Ralph (Walt Gorney). The two-story building, which is now an Era Burgdorff Realtors business, has been painted white, and it sits on the corner of Walnut St. and High St. next to a one-way road sign. And as devoted fans all know, that's where Ralph tries to warn Annie about her destination: "It's got a death curse!"
Credit: Paramount Pictures
After shrugging off Crazy Ralph, Enos does in fact give Annie a lift, but the truck driver drops off his passenger a ways away from Crystal Lake. The cook must proceed on foot the rest of the way, and, behind Annie, viewers will spot a graveyard with a wrought-iron gate. This is the Moravian Cemetery in Hope, NJ. The exterior set piece is only a three-minute walk west from Hope Junction Antiques on High Street and then onto Delaware Road. Once tourists are done taking in the eerie cemetery, it's onward to Blairstown, NJ to continue the Friday the 13th adventure.
Credit: Paramount Pictures
Only a 12-minute drive north of the antiques store, on Hope Blairstown Road, fans will find the Blairstown Diner . This is where the new owner of Camp Crystal Lake, Steve Christy (Peter Brouwer), spent most of that fateful night back in June of 1980. Unfortunately, Christy made the mistake of returning to camp, and that's where he met his end at the hands of the vengeful Mrs. Voorhees. The Blairstown Diner proudly promotes the fact that the eating establishment was "featured in Friday the 13th ," and both interior and exterior were shot at the restaurant. So if you happen to get hungry on your Friday fandom walking tour, stop in for an omelet or griddle .
Once fans finish up at the Blairstown Diner, they're only a three-minute walk north on Carhart Street, and there they can find the First National Bank building still standing brick-for-brick and column-for-column as it appeared in the film. This is part of Blairstown's famed historic district, and the FNB is where the exterior shots of Annie entering the daytime diner (aka the interior of Hope Junction Antiques) were filmed.
There are a number of Friday the 13th -related stops to make while visiting the historic district, and Roy's Hall is one such must-see. The non-profit offers special screenings of Friday the 13th each year, so if fans plan out their trips perfectly, they can tour all the film's sets and see one of the best slasher movies of all time while in Blairstown, too.
Credit: Paramount Pictures
After having a fantastic time visiting Hope and Blairstown, it's time for the main event, so jump in the car and head 12 minutes north on Shannon Road. Your destination is the Hardwick Township of New Jersey. Take a left on Sand Pond Road, and you'll find Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco . While Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco has hosted thousands of Boy Scout troops since its inception in 1927, it is also where the majority of Friday the 13th was filmed.
Courtesy of Crystal Lake Tours , fans can visit Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco and explore nearly every square inch of Friday the 13th's Camp Blood, which is an interactive dream come true. Tourists are virtually transported back to 1958, and they'll practically hear Claudette (Debra S. Hayes) and Barry (Willie Adams) singing "Michael" in the fellowship hall all over again. According to the tour, Hayes and Adams were dating in real life, and Friday fanatics will even visit the very loft where Mrs. Voorhees did away with the lovebirds, as they have the honor of being the film's first victims.
Back outside, fans will find the original Crystal Lake sign hanging approximately 20 to 30 feet away from a replica of the Jeep that both Steve Christy and Mrs. Voorhees drove during the movie. The filmmakers simply used two different license plates to distinguish between who the Jeep belonged in the film. Several crew and cast members even signed the infamous Jeep on its back gate, including Adrienne King, Robbi Morgan, Ari Lehman, and special effects extraordinaire Tom Savini .
Just nearby, a lonely canoe floats on the water. The Friday the 13th soundtrack resonates in the background, and fans will wait and wonder if Jason (Lehman) will pop out of the lake like he did when he frightened poor Alice (King) in the movie. Next, take a gander over to the Price Lodge, aka the Shower House, to see where Marcie (Jeannine Taylor) was slain by the killer.
The one sink where Marcie brushed her teeth remains, as does the lone light fixture that the murder weapon clanged against in the film. Savini decided to use a real axe, and made sure it clanged so that audiences would know it was authentic. That gimmick made the terror all the more effective when Marcie slumped to her death with a separate (and fortunately fake axe) attached to her face via Savini's magnificent make-up effects.
Jack's ( Kevin Bacon ) quarters have been dubbed by his girlfriend's name, Brenda's cabin, and the interior appears much the same way it did when Mrs. Voorhees stuck the arrow through his throat. Further along the tour, fans will find the main cabin feels like it came out of a time capsule, too, and one can almost hear Jack's breakfast sizzling when Bacon cooks up his own bacon in the film. Even the "Comanche" sign hanging outside the main cabin has been perfectly replicated from the movie. There will even be a chance to inspect the archery range where Brenda (Laurie Bartram) was shot down by Mrs. Voorhees, and a sign which reads "Danger" hangs in the same place Jason's mother left crooner Bing Crosby 's son, Harry Crosby, hanging out at the generator shed.
But not everything about the filming location has remained the same. Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco's docks are now configured quite differently from the movie's, and the lifeguard tower has been significantly altered in appearance. However, the beach where Alice battled Mrs. Voorhees is eerily similar, and it's easy to envision the two of them engaged in their final battle to the death.
Fans can expect to walk up to a mile while taking in the campground, but the tours can last two or even three hours depending on the amount of time each group spends inspecting all of Friday the 13th's interior and exterior sets. Tours are offered in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings, but there's also a special "flashlight" session at night, which adds that spooky feel horror fans crave. Plus, some of the camp's other special activities include archery and canoeing sessions.
Depending on the scheduled events, fans might even find Friday the 13th alumni in their midst, as the original cast and crew enjoys having reunions complete with Q&As at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco. For more information on upcoming events, visit the Crystal Lake Tours website. And don't forget to visit the gift shop to pick up your own sample of Crystal Lake's waters from the Angry Mother Bottling Co. Do it! You don't want to make Mrs. Voorhees angry…
Related content: | https://ew.com/movies/friday-the-13th-filming-locations/ | 149 |
where was friday the 13th crystal lake filmed | The 1980 Slasher Movie 'Friday the 13th' Was Filmed at This Boy Scout Camp in New Jersey | Off a woodsy dirt road in the Kittatinny Mountain region of northwestern New Jersey, in tiny Sand Pond, a silver canoe is anchored in the exact spot where Jason Voorhees made his first appearance at the end of the 1980 slasher film Friday the 13th .
From my vantage point, the lake, the shore, the canoes racked on the sandy beach, and the rustic log cabins look almost exactly as they did at Camp Crystal Lake, the fictional setting where a group of teens fell to a mysterious murderer stalking counselors in the woods. I can picture a muddy, decomposing Jason popping up, capsizing the canoe and pulling Alice—the last girl standing in the movie’s killing spree, played by Adrienne King—under the water in the film’s final jump scare.
It hits me: “I really am at Camp Crystal Lake!”
Yes, Camp Crystal Lake—chillingly and informally referred to as “Camp Blood” in director Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th —is a real-life place you can tour, along with several other filming spots in the surrounding area of Warren County, New Jersey, not far from the Pennsylvania border. Here, my tour guide tells our group, producers of Friday the 13th found the perfect backdrop, with its aging camp and swampy body of water, for their creepy story.
In real life, the campground is called Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco , which stands for North Bergen Boy Scouts. The nearly century-old, 380-acre Boy Scout camp in Hardwick is run by the Boy Scouts of America Northern New Jersey Council. For about two months every summer, campers take part in weeklong sessions, involving activities like swimming, canoeing and crafts.
The camp is off limits to the public during this time, of course. But every spring, early and late summer, and fall, a company run by Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco alumni called Crystal Lake Adventures brings in Friday the 13th props, signs and memorabilia—sometimes even the stars themselves, like King. The outfit has been leading tours since 2011.
A hardcore child of the ‘80s and fan of Generation X campy horror flicks, I never outgrew my teenage tastes. I remember the first time I saw Friday the 13th , and later the rest of the franchise, with nostalgia. The plot goes like this: A young boy drowns at Camp Crystal Lake during the 1950s, and the camp is now cursed; a year later, two camp counselors are brutally murdered. After this flashback opening scene, the film jumps ahead to Friday, June 13, 1980. Camp Crystal Lake is preparing to reopen, despite the death curse rumored to haunt it still more than two decades after the murders, and several teens report to work as counselors. A vengeful slasher, who viewers don’t see until the last 20 minutes of the movie, lurks in the woods and kills the teens one by one. In a big shocker—spoiler alert for those who haven’t seen the movie—the killer is a woman named Mrs. Voorhees, a former camp employee and the mother of Jason, the boy who drowned, seeking revenge.
I nabbed a spot on a three-hour, daytime tour in mid-September—a bucket-list experience for me. Tourists were split into two groups, about a dozen people each. The fans were mostly middle-aged Generation Xers, but there were some younger adults, along with one elderly woman whose middle-aged kids talked her into going on the tour.
The staff at Crystal Lake Adventures do not do media interviews or allow any commercial photography. My tour guide said events always sell out quickly, and word-of-mouth among Friday the 13th fans provides plenty of publicity. But while the tour operators were mysteriously mum, horror legend Tom Savini, who created the special effects for Friday the 13th and numerous other scary movies, thankfully shared behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the movie’s monthlong filming session in 1979.
Savini and his assistant, Taso N. Stavrakis, bunked in the cabins at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco during filming, while other crew and cast members stayed in nearby hotels. Living at the camp was a blast, Savini recalls on a phone call, and the two passed their downtime riding motorcycles through the woods, and watching movies like Marathon Man and Barbarella on Betamax, a rival of VHS.
Savini loved creating classic special effects before the modern era of CGI—especially for the most creative and bloody kill scenes in Friday the 13th , like counselor Jack’s arrow-in-the-throat execution and Marcie’s ax in the face. Unlike with CGI, old-fashioned horror scenes require fake blood that needs to be cleaned up.
“It’s a magic trick happening right in front of your very eyes,” Savini says. “We’re training new generations to accept the CGI stuff, and they don’t know the difference.”
At the time of Friday the 13th , Savini thought this was just a one-time, low-budget horror movie about a murderous mother killing camp counselors because her son drowned. Savini intended his lake scene with Jason—inspired by the ending of the 1977 horror film Carrie , where a hand pops out of a grave—to be a dream sequence. But the movie’s success—it grossed nearly $60 million worldwide—made a sequel irresistible. Producers came up with the idea of bringing Jason back as an adult killer in the second movie and asked Savini to participate, but he walked, thinking the concept was silly and implausible.
“I turned it down because I thought it was stupid,” Savini says. “I turned down part two because they had Jason running around…. He came out of the lake and lived off crayfish for many years?”
Savini returned for Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter in 1984. The fourth movie truly intended to kill Jason off, Savini says. But money talks, and the franchise continued with a copycat killer in the fifth movie, and a chronically resurrected Jason in the next five Jason films, plus Freddy vs. Jason in 2003. In 2009, a remake of Friday the 13th was released.
“I felt like Dr. Frankenstein,” jokes Savini. “I created this monster in part one, and I got to kill him in part four.”
The tour begins in the dining hall, site of Friday the 13th ’s opening flashback scene, where camp counselors sing campfire songs in 1958. The small part of the dining hall we see in the movie looks just the same, with two benches and a guitar standing by the fireplace to jog visitors’ memory of the scene. Some fans wander to the gift shop next door, eyeing Camp Crystal Lake yellow rain slickers just like those the characters wore and “Angry Mother Bottling Co.” jugs filled with souvenir water from the lake. Others pose for selfies in front of the Camp Crystal Lake sign or a green Jeep autographed by cast members, before we break off into smaller groups.
The Jeep is a replica of the 1966 CJ-5 that the wicked Mrs. Voorhees drives in the movie. The vehicle becomes a sinister character of its own; it appears in many scenes, though viewers can’t see who is driving it. In a red herring, Camp Crystal Lake’s owner Steve Christy drives a green Jeep; our guide tells us that the same car was used for both characters, but with different license plates.
The late Betsy Palmer, known mostly for television acting at the time, played the infamous Mrs. Voorhees. Savini recalls how Palmer was reluctant to do a horror movie, but she accepted the role for financial reasons. “She’s a great lady,” Savini says. “She did the part because she needed a new car.”
My tour guide, himself an alum of the Boy Scout camp from the ‘80s, said the producers were looking for a run-down camp—and in 1979, when the movie was shot, Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco fit that description. Scouting leaders agreed to rent the camp out to the moviemakers for $25,000—a figure alluded to in an early movie scene, when a truck driver tells hitchhiking camp cook Annie (Robbi Morgan) that the owners must have spent $25,000 to renovate and reopen the camp. More than 80 percent of the movie was filmed at the site.
For the purposes of the tour, many of the camp’s cabins and buildings are filled with props. Two twin mattresses are set up in the upstairs landing of the storage building where the first two of nine Friday the 13th murders take place. Two camp counselors slip away to fool around in the loft, only to be ambushed by the killer and stabbed to death.
Then, in the main cabin, where Alice and several other counselors hung out by the fireplace and played strip Monopoly, oblivious to the few murders that had already happened to fellow counselors elsewhere at camp, is a staged photo opp—a card table with the board game spread out on it. Near the end of the movie, the body of Brenda, a counselor played by Laurie Bartram, comes crashing through the cabin window—to the horror of Alice, the last one alive at this point. (Brenda’s body was actually a wigged, padded Savini, who as a gymnast served as a stuntman.) Just after that, Mrs. Voorhees, standing in the doorway, says “His name was Jason…,” and reveals herself as the killer.
In Brenda’s cabin, which looks just as it did in the movie, Jack, a counselor played by Kevin Bacon, met his end—one of the most memorable in the entire Friday franchise. As he lies smoking on the bottom bunk, an arm pops up from under the bed to pin down his head; then, an arrow pierces Jack’s neck from below. Savini created the gory illusion by having Bacon poke his head through the bunk behind a fake torso. Crouching under the bunk, Stavrakis pierced the arrow through the fake neck and then pumped blood. Savini recalls the “happy accident” of the hose disconnecting from the pump. Acting quickly, Stavrakis put his mouth on the hose and blew through it; this gave the illusion of blood spurting, which is more realistic. We see a bunk in the spot where this scene was shot.
“The Kevin Bacon kill, that was a lot of fun,” says Savini, who was impressed to see Bacon go on to become a big movie star. “The cast and crew applauded when they saw how it looked.”
While a part of me expects to hear the calling card of the lurking Friday the 13th killer— which sounds like “Ch Ch Ch Ha Ha Ha” after being synthetized, Savini says, but is actually “Kill Kill Kill Ma Ma Ma”—there are no deliberate scares here, like at a haunted house. The experience feels like a tour through pop-culture history rather than a haunted attraction.
The tour winds by Johnson Lodge, the camp office where Alice and Bill, in a dated horror cliché, try to call for help and discover the phone line has been cut. It weaves through a number of other murder sites, too: the generator shed, archery range and the bathroom cabin. The toilets in the bathroom stalls, Savini says, weren’t attached to any plumbing; the producers had installed them as props. He recalls the humorous accident when visiting scouts thought they were working commodes. “The poor art director had to come and clean it up,” Savini says.
I had hoped we would go out onto the lake in a canoe, but that wasn’t included in this tour.
At the end of the tour, our guide gives us a fan-created road map with information about other nearby filming sites. I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring—first at Moravian Cemetery in Hope, 13 miles south of camp. This is where a truck driver drops off Annie, the hired camp cook who hitches a ride in the beginning of the film, in an ominous “Easter egg” foreshadowing of her death. Before her ride to the cemetery, Annie had stopped into a Hope general store, now the real-life Hope Junction Antiques. Next to it is the building where Crazy Ralph—the town drunk who warned counselors, “You’re all doomed!”—makes his first appearance.
I grab a grilled cheese and chocolate malt at the Blairstown Diner , located in the tiny town of Blairstown about 6.5 miles north of Hope. It has that stainless-steel roadside diner look and serves up a simple menu to match—classic diner fare like sandwiches, burgers, soups, pancakes and desserts. Opened in 1949, Blairstown Diner has been remodeled inside and out since 1979, and no Friday the 13th memorabilia is on display, but to a fan like myself it’s unmistakable as the restaurant that Camp Crystal Lake owner Steve Christy visits the night he is offed at the camp entrance. The waitstaff is used to welcoming tourists here to commemorate the movie, and cast and crew members have been known to visit on special occasions, like actual Fridays that fall on the 13th of a month.
As I pull out from the diner on to Route 94, I look in my rearview mirror and spot a big car behind me. I gasp as I recognize the make.
It’s a Jeep.
What perfect timing.
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Kellie B. Gormly | READ MORE
Kellie B. Gormly is an award-winning veteran journalist who freelances for national publications including The Washington Post, German Life, and Catster . She is a former staff writer for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, The Associated Press and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram . | https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-1980-slasher-movie-friday-the-13th-was-filmed-at-this-boy-scout-camp-in-new-jersey-180978933/ | 149 |
where was friday the 13th crystal lake filmed | Where was Friday the 13th filmed? | Produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham, Friday the 13th was the film that was his big break in the horror film genre. Considered a genre-defining film that began a long-running franchise, Friday the 13th is what many consider to be a “classic” horror film that upped the ante for future horror films to come.
Spoiler Alert: We will be discussing several exciting and even scary plot points that occur throughout this movie as we talk about the various locations used in Friday the 13th’s production.
The year is 1957 and a young boy drowns in Crystal Lake. One year later, two people are murdered at the camp that was set up next to the lake, with the killer never found. Friday the 13th revolves around a group of young counselors who visit Camp Crystal Lake, hoping to refurbish the cabins and the surrounding facilities as they plan to reopen the camp to the public. As a thunderstorm nears the camp, the various counselors split up, and some attempt to finish up their tasks while others get comfortable with each other.
One by one, the various counselors are singled out and killed by this mysterious killer through all sorts of heinous methods. With the counselors getting suspicious as to their missing friends, they decide to band together to look for the missing people. The mysterious killer gets more creative to eliminate the remaining counselors and does this by cutting off the power, cutting the phone lines, and scaring the remaining counselors by throwing the bodies of their deceased friends through windows.
With the film nearing its end, it is revealed that the killer is Jason Voorhees’ mother, who blames her son’s death in 1957 on the counselors that weren’t watching him. Mrs. Voorhees attempts to kill Alice Hardy, the last counselor alive, but fails and dies as a result. As Alice is exhausted from all the events that transpired, she falls asleep inside a canoe that drifts out to Crystal Lake, when suddenly the decomposing corpse of Jason Voorhees attacks her. She wakes up in a hospital and when her claims are verified, she realizes that Jason is still in Crystal Lake.
The original Friday the 13th film showcased in 1980 was intended to be a standalone one and so, not a lot of the funds were put towards finding exotic locations. This led to a lot of the filming being done in New Jersey and the townships within the area. Most of the filming took place within Cunningham County, New Jersey, and as many would come to expect, Camp Crystal Lake is a fictional location. Although Camp Crystal Lake is a fictional creation, the original location for the filming of Friday the 13th took place at a camp in Hardwick called Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco.
Many of the Friday the 13th film scenes were shot in areas that weren’t too far from each other which means that if you happen to visit one, you could probably visit the rest of the locations where the shooting took place on the same day.
For how popular Friday the 13th was, the main antagonist Jason Voorhees has only a few quick scenes in the movie.
Blairstown, New Jersey
At the beginning of the movie, the audience is presented with one of the six counselors who are supposed to visit Camp Crystal Lake, Annie. She is seen walking up to two gas pumps and then talking to the dog who’s waiting by the pumps. She asks him, “You speak English? How far is it to Camp Crystal Lake?” What comes off as a bright and sunny introduction soon turns dark however with the beginning of the film not having the same energy as the ending.
The Friday the 13th film sets that were used in the introduction of the movie were set in Blairstown and although the gas pumps are no longer in their original location, various areas that were utilized before this scene can still be found today. In particular, the stone arches on Main Street that were featured in the 1980 film can still be visited today and to get there you can drive along the NJ-94 and then take a turn down Main Street. Along the street, you will be able to spot the stone arches used at the beginning of the film as well as several other locations used to show where Annie was walking at the beginning of the film.
Walnut Street, Hope, New Jersey
On the way to Camp Crystal Lake, Annie, along with the truck driver bump into the town’s local “crazy man”. Nicknamed Crazy Ralph, he asks Annie, “You’re going to Camp Blood, ain’t you?” This irritates the truck driver who replies in turn and says, “Dammit Ralph, get outta here! Go on, get it! Leave people alone!” This scene begins to paint an ominous picture of the camp and helps build anticipation for the additional scenes to come in the movie.
Some of the filming locations on Friday the 13th were used as a one-time set and this scene is a great example of that. The first appearance of Crazy Ralph was filmed along the intersection of Walnut Street and High Street in the township of Hope in New Jersey. To get there, drive along Delaware Road which leads to High Street, and you’ll be able to see the intersection where Crazy Ralph appeared as you drive by Walnut Street.
Moravian Cemetery, Hope, New Jersey
On the way to Camp Crystal Lake, Annie hitches a ride with the Truck Driver. While on the way to where he is going to drop her off, they discuss what Camp Crystal Lake will be like, to which Annie mentions that “I’ll be cooking for 50 kids and 10 staff.” He then mentions that the camp is jinxed and that trying to reopen the camp will just be bad luck. However, as he drops Annie off at the cemetery, which is a rather gloomy foreshadowing of where the counselors will end up, he tells her, “Take care of yourself kid!”
Moravian Cemetery was the location of the graveyard scene in Friday the 13th and is a surprisingly short distance away from the location where Crazy Ralph confronted Annie. To get to the graveyard. You can drive along Delaware Road and you’ll be able to see the iconic Moravian Cemetery sign.
Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, Blairstown, New Jersey
As the rest of the characters begin to show up at Camp Crystal Lake, we get to see the future targets of the mysterious killer. With three of the counselors rolling up in their pickup truck, they get out and help the camp director uproot a tree stump. As we are introduced to the main characters of this film, the camp director Steve Christy says, “Welcome to Camp Crystal Lake.” With these words, the three counselors' fates are sealed as misfortune brews in the distance.
The location for Camp Crystal Lake is a real-life location named Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco which has been in operation since 1927, the oldest continually operating Scout camp in the state. While access to the camp is restricted, there are the occasional tours that occur on special dates, like Friday the 13th. This allows tourists and interested visitors to go on “Crystal Lake Tours” to visit the iconic set where many of Friday the 13th’s action scenes took place. To get to the camp, drive along Sand Pond Road before turning into Nobebosco Road which leads to the famous camp.
Diner in Blairstown, New Jersey
Steve left the camp earlier in the day to get the supplies required for the coming reopening of the site. Before he heads back to the camp, which at this point is late at night, he stops by the diner in Crystal Lake and talks to the waitress. He mentions to her, “I’ve got six new counselors at camp.” Unbeknownst to him, at this point, only 2 of the 6 counselors he hired to help are still alive at Camp Crystal Lake because of the unknown killer. He oddly refers to the counselors he hired as “babes in the woods” to which he remembers that he urgently needs to return to the camp to find out how they’re faring and quickly heads out of the diner.
The diner used for this scene in Friday the 13th is still standing today, over 40 years after the film was made! The diner is located in Blairstown, where most of the film shooting in the introductory portion of the movie takes place. To get to the Blairstown diner, drive along NJ-94, and you’ll be coming across the diner in no time.
Turkey Swamp Park, Freehold, New Jersey
Just when you think everything is over, with the main antagonist of the film dead, Alice falls asleep in a canoe that drifts out to the middle of Crystal Lake where Jason Voorhees died many years earlier. As the police call out to a freshly woken up Alice, she suddenly gets grabbed by the decomposing body of Jason Voorhees who tries to drag her into the water. She wakes up in a cold sweat at a hospital. The doctor present reassures her, “It’s all over. Everything’s over.” This makes Alice anxious as she mentions, “Then he’s still there.” She’s indicating that Jason still haunts the campground’s lake.
While most of the shooting took place at No-Be-Bo-Sco, the final sequence where Jason grabs Alice takes place at Turkey Swamp Park in Freehold. To get to the location where the final scene took place, you can drive along Georgia Road and then take a turn into Turkey Swamp Park Road.
With almost all the counselors gone in the first film of Friday the 13th, many wondered if any more counselors would befall the same fate. This led to many sequels with the Friday the 13th franchise amassing 13 films throughout the years and solidifying its status as a classic horror genre defining franchise. The following films not only explore the lore behind Camp Crystal Lake but also introduce new and exciting scenes for the new antagonist, Jason Voorhees, to appear.
This movie inspired a whole new genre of slash horror films and created the classic “final girl” trope which we still see in some movies today. So be sure that the next time you’re in and around the New Jersey area, make a stop and visit the famous Friday the 13th filming locations! | https://giggster.com/guide/movie-location/where-was-friday-the-13th-filmed | 149 |
where was friday the 13th crystal lake filmed | 'Friday the 13th': Real-Life Camp Crystal Lake Announces Tours for Halloween | Just watch out for hockey masks.
With summer coming to an end and Halloween around the corner, there is a certain appeal to campground-set slashers this time of year. From modern picks like last year’s Sadie Sink -led slasher Fear Street: 1978 and Peacock’s latest queer horror They/Them to cult-classics like Sleepaway Camp or 1981's The Burning , there’s a lot to choose from to quell this particular hankering. But none of these flicks live up to the original Friday the 13th , and now, fans of the essential slasher franchise can tour the real-life campground where the 1980 horror flick was filmed.
As most diehard Jason Voorhees fans already know, the original Friday the 13th was filmed at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, which is still an active Boy Scouts camp in Hardwick, New Jersey. Although the campgrounds are off-limits to the public, there are a few rare events offered by the camp that allow fans to visit the filming location. For the last few years, Crystal Lake Tours have come to the rescue: Friday the 13th fans have been offered the opportunity to tour the real-life Crystal Lake. A handful of events have been announced, per Bloody Disgusting , by Crystal Lake Tours as Halloween grows nearer.
Upcoming dates offered by Crystal Lake Tours include Friday, September 30 to Saturday, October 1; the weekend of October 21-23; and the weekend of October 28-30. As a special bonus, the first weekend, Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1, the team at Crystal Lake Tours will be opening up the generator shed to the public for the first time ever. Visitor will be able to enter the building and get a free 8”x10” photo print standing next to the generator, which was turned off in the film, leaving the campground shrouded in the darkness.
RELATED: | https://collider.com/friday-the-13th-camp-crystal-lake-tours/ | 149 |
where was friday the 13th crystal lake filmed | The Real-Life Camp Crystal Lake in New Jersey Offering Several Tours Throughout October! | Published8 months ago
on
As most diehard fans know, the original Friday the 13th was filmed at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco, an active Boy Scouts camp in Hardwick, New Jersey. Unfortunately, the campgrounds are off limits to the public, meaning you can’t actually visit the filming locations outside of rare special events that the camp offers. And that’s where Crystal Lake Tours comes into play.
For the last few years, Friday the 13th fans have been offered the opportunity to tour the real-life Crystal Lake, and a handful of events have been announced as we head into Halloween.
Upcoming dates on the road to Halloween include…
- Friday, September 30 th *
- Saturday, October 1 st *
- Friday, October 21 st
- Saturday, October 22 nd
- Sunday, October 23 rd
- Friday, October 28 th
- Saturday, October 29 th
- Sunday, October 30 th
* As a special bonus on September 30 th and October 1 st (next weekend), the team will be opening the generator shed for the first time ever. Fans will be able to enter the building and get a free 8”x10” photo print standing next to the generator. This has been one of the largest requests over the years, so it should definitely be a special moment for super fans.
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onMay 5, 2023
Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Upgrade will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on July 4 via Scream Factory. Special features are in progress and will be announced at a later date. With any luck, maybe the new edition will help get the proposed TV series off the ground.
Produced by Blumhouse, the 2018 sci-fi action thriller is written and directed by Leigh Whannell ( The Invisible Man, Insidious, Saw ). Logan Marshall-Green stars with Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson, Benedict Hardie, Linda Cropper, and Melanie Vallejo.
If you’re still on an Evil Dead kick in the wake of Evil Dead Rise , you’ll want to get groovy with Terror Threads’ Evil Dead 2 design by Aaron Fulcher.
Scheduled to ship by June 10, it comes on T-shirts for $30 and long sleeves for $40.
Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls will hit theaters this fall followed by streaming on SCREAMBOX, but first the horror-comedy is headed to Fantasia International Film Festival.
The film’s selection is being commemorated with a 24×36 screen print designed by Matt Ryan Tobin. The hand-numbered edition of 135 costs $65. Fans of the viral internet character will appreciate that the glow-in-the-dark layer highlights “I DONT KNOW” among the credit block.
Having bad dreams? Slip into A24’s Beau Is Afraid pajamas. The grey satin chiffon pajama set features white piping and “Beau” embroidered on the left breast pocket.
$80 is a high price for PJs, but at least they can double as a Halloween costume.
Can’t decide which tale of terror to place at the top of your to-be-read pile? 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered can help when it’s published in paperback and e-book on August 8 via Page Street Publishing.
Written by Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann (owner of Night Worms and editor-in-chief of Dark Hart Books), the 168-page illustrated reader’s guide features 101 recommendations with synopses and overviews of the books’ themes, style, and tone. It also includes a foreword by Bird Box author Josh Malerman and five essays from rising voices in the genre.
For more merch madness, peruse the Killer Collectibles archives. You can also visit Broke Horror Fan . | https://bloody-disgusting.com/the-further/3732881/the-real-life-camp-crystal-lake-in-new-jersey-offering-several-tours-throughout-october/ | 149 |
where was friday the 13th crystal lake filmed | Camp Crystal Lake | Camp Crystal Lake , later known as Camp Forest Green for a time, and very likely known as Camp Blood, is a fictional summer camp for kids in the Friday the 13th film series . It is located in Crystal Lake , Cunningham County, New Jersey (previously Forrest Green County and Wessex County). Camp Crystal Lake is most famous for being the home of serial killer Jason Voorhees .
Camp Crystal Lake was established in 1935, by the Christy family , and operated peacefully until the summer of 1957; which was when Pamela Voorhees was hired at the camp as a cook, while her deformed son, Jason, was in attendance. Jason was bullied and harassed by other children at the camp. One day, while the counselors weren't supervising Jason, the other children threw him into the lake. Unable to swim, Jason presumably drowned. Hoping to avoid a scandal, the Christys closed the camp for the season to allow for an investigation. Authorities determined Jason's death was an accident.
The camp reopened in 1958, and Pamela was rehired by the Christys. Counselors Barry Jackson and Claudette Hayes , whom Pamela blamed for Jason's drowning, were also rehired for the year. Pamela, seeking revenge, murdered Barry and Claudette one night as they were preparing to have sex. These murders could not be covered up nor deemed as accidental deaths, so the Christys shut down the camp indefinitely. Pamela was never suspected, and the police ruled the homicides of Claudette and Barry as unsolved.
There were apparently multiple attempts to reopen Camp Crystal Lake throughout the 1960s. It is unknown if the Christys made these attempts or if the camp had changed hands. However, none of these attempts succeeded. A series of fires in 1959 prevented the summer debut, as did the discovery of poisoned water in 1962. Although it was never known who the perpetrator was, Pamela was the culprit. Her sick mind, combined with her over-protectiveness of her son, had convinced her that the murder of Barry and Claudette was not vengeance served; she had to ensure that no other child would share Jason's fate. By living close by, Pamela kept a watchful eye to make certain the camp remained abandoned. This fueled local gossip that the camp was jinxed or on cursed ground, and local residents nicknamed it "Camp Blood." Sometime in the 1970s, both Mr. and Mrs. Christy had died, reportedly broke and crazy.
In 1979, Steve Christy made another attempt to reopen Camp Crystal Lake. This time, no longer content with sabotage, Pamela stalked and killed nearly all of the new counselors. She succeeded in preventing the reopening of the camp, but lost her own life in the process. As Jason never drowned, he witnessed his mother's death at the hands of Alice Hardy , the only survivor of the massacre. This event marked the beginning of a new and far more deadly streak of murders that would plague the camp, the town of Crystal Lake , and the general area for over twenty years.
After the massacre, Camp Crystal Lake was closed to the public by law. However, that didn't stop trespassers like Jeff and Sandra from going there, or people dying either on the property or places near it like Packanack Lodge and Higgins Haven . The camp remained closed until 1990, when it was renamed Camp Forest Green . This time, it was Jason himself, recently resurrected by Tommy Jarvis , who prevents the reopening with another massacre of the counselors. A school was built nearby with the purpose of training adults to be camp counselors in 1984; however, the school was abandoned after a series of attacks and never reopened.
When last seen in the film Freddy vs Jason , it appeared that new construction had begun on the camp in yet another attempt to reopen. However, the massive damage caused to the camp by the battle between Jason and his rival/nemesis named Freddy Krueger would most likely have been sufficient to ensure that it remained closed. It seems that Pamela Voorhees' wish that the camp never reopen has been fulfilled. Since the trail of devastation and wildfire of 2003, destroyed the construction site, there have not been any recent attempts to reopen the camp.
Camp Crystal Lake, the once thriving summer camp for kids had 22 years of uninterrupted good times, until the Christys hired Pamela Voorhees who brought along her deformed and mentally handicapped son, who drowned in the lake in the summer of 1957. After that, in 1958, it became infamous for a streak of brutal and heinous murders, massacres, homicide, pestilence, arson, and supernatural occurrences that took place on its grounds. The failed attempt to reopen it in 1979 set off a chain of events that led to the deaths of dozens of teenagers and adults.
- Never Hike in the Snow: A Friday the 13th Fan Film (2020)
- Never Hike Alone: The Ghost Cut - A Friday the 13th Fan Film (2020) | https://fridaythe13th.fandom.com/wiki/Camp_Crystal_Lake | 149 |
where does the ohio river start and finish | Where Does the Ohio River Start and End | MyWaterEarth&Sky | In 1792, the government decided that it was Kentucky that owned the Ohio River and not the other bordering states of this valuable major trade route but ownership rights of the 3rd largest river by volume in the United States didn’t end there. Where does the Ohio river start and end?
The Ohio River is at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly 981 miles (1582 km) long, starting at the confluence of the Allegheny & the Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ending in Cairo, Illinois, where it flows into the Mississippi River.
Technically, the river’s formation started between 2.5 and 3 million years ago, and that point marks the occurrence of the earliest ice ages. This is also when several portions of the north-flowing rivers were dammed thanks to the formation of ice, resulting in smaller rivers.
In the Hills of Pennsylvania, wet trails turn into brooks and streams so small they are hard to trace but all meet with each other to then turn into bigger streams and springs that eventually appear as a river.
These are headwaters of The Ohio River located near Coudersport, Pennsylvania .
The Allegheny River with its source in Allegheny Township in Pennsylvania joins a secondary source the Monongahela River at Fairmont, West Virginia.
The Allegheny River joins the Monongahela near Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River.
This is the famous Three Rivers of Pittsburgh where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio River. The exact coordinates are N 40° 26.509 W 080° 00.785
- The Monongahela River runs 128 miles and is one of the few major navigable rivers in the world that run north. It starts at Fairmont, West Virginia, and flows north into Pennsylvania. Monongahela is derived from a Native American Word meaning “high banks or bluffs”
- The Allegheny River runs 325 miles from Porter County, PA into New York state, and back into Pennsylvania. The name comes from the Lenape Native Americans and is commonly believed to mean “fine river”.
- The Ohio River runs 981 miles ending at Cairo, IL, and is the largest tributary to the Mississippi River . The name comes from an Iroquoian word meaning “great river”.
The Ohio River is 981 miles (1582 km) long, starting at the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ending in Cairo, Illinois, where it flows into the Mississippi River .
Where Ohio joins the Mississippi is the lowest elevation in the state of Illinois, at 315 feet (96 m) The Ohio River flows through or borders six states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
The mouth of the Ohio River, where it empties into the Mississippi, is located in Cairo, Illinois at the spot where it meets Ballard County, Kentucky . Along the way, it has nearly a dozen tributaries that feed into the river .
These include the Kentucky River, the Tennessee River, the Cumberland River, the Great Miami River, the Kanawha River, and the Big Sandy River. From there these tributaries make up the watershed of the Ohio River which ends up running into the Mississippi and then draining into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Ohio River is rich in Native American history. For a thousand years, Native Americans used Ohio for transportation and trading with other communities along its path. The North American Osage, Omaha, Ponca, and Kaw peoples lived in the Ohio Valley . Under pressure over the fur trade from the Iroquois nations to the northeast, they migrated west of the Mississippi River in the 17th century to the territory now defined as Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
It is the third-largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largest tributary by volume of the north-south flowing Mississippi River. Ohio is located in the eastern half of the US, dividing the mid-west and the southeast of the United States .
It is also the 6th oldest river on the North American continent considered geologically as young . During the Civil War, it served as the boundary between the Northern and Southern armies.
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, was a 17th-century French explorer and fur trader who was influential in the Seven Year War or The French and Indian War in North America, is said to have been the first European to see Ohio, in 1669 , and he descended it until obstructed by a waterfall.
He also claimed the region watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries for France and named it Louisiana after King Louis XIV. His last expedition to establish fur trading posts failed and cost La Salle his life in 1687. By the treaty of 1763 ending the French and Indian Wars, the English finally gained undisputed control of the territory along its banks.
In the 1750s the river’s strategic importance especially the fork at Pittsburgh in the struggle between the French and the English for possession of the interior of the continent became fully recognized.
During the 1800s, the Ohio River became an important commercial route for residents in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Farmers and manufacturers sent their crops and finished products on flatboats and barges downstream to link up with the Mississippi River and then on to New Orleans.
The Ohio River flows through or alongside six states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia . Water from parts of New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama drain into tributaries that empty into Ohio .
The Ohio River is the source of drinking water for more than five million people. More than 25 million people , almost 10% of the country’s population, live in the Ohio River Basin.
There are 20 dams on the Ohio River , managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The dams have greatly altered the flow of the river, calming the currents down, creating slowing the river down, and creating deeper and slower-moving pools. These Dams raise the water levels and allow for commercial navigation up and down the river.
Industrial barges hauling steel and oil travel along the Ohio River creating commerce for the entire region. Slowing down the river by dams can influence water quality by settling some materials wouldn’t if the river was moving faster, resulting in lower turbidity.
The Army Corps of Engineers regularly dredge the river which some people feel is disrupting wildlife and adding more environmental concerns to the Ohio River Valley Basin.
Following floods at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1889 and Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1937, the federal government built a series of flood-control dams not used for hydropower along the river flood control. The river has a total fall of 429 feet.
Because the Ohio River was considered a major trade route, border states decided they wanted a piece of the popular river. Soon, it would become a legal dispute with the government getting involved. In 1792, the government decided that it was Kentucky that owned the Ohio River along the state’s border with Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. The reason behind this decision is that this boundary was the low point of the river’s northernmost bank but it didn’t end there.
About two centuries later, the State of Ohio sought to gain the claim to the Ohio River a second time . In 1966, the state made a point that the course of the river had fluctuated since 1792, making the aforementioned low point near the south bank of the river today. However, the United States Supreme Court didn’t change the legal ownership of the Ohio River, so it still belongs to Kentucky until this day.
The Ohio Valley usually refers to the Ohio River Valley or the area that surrounds the legendary river. Some people will use the shorthand of the Ohio Valley to refer specifically to the upper part of the Ohio River Valley rather than the entire course of the River.
The Ohio River is the largest tributary of the Mississippi River, the Ohio River runs through six states and is 981 miles long. It begins in Pennsylvania and forms borders along Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois.
The Ohio River formed as a result of the flooding of a glacial lake in earlier ages. It connected two now-defunct rivers, the Steubenville River and the Amarietta River . This enlarged the previously small Marietta Valley.
Over the course of several Ice Ages, the Ohio River drained glacial lakes and was filled with flood waters from melting glaciers until it reached modern-era dimensions. The Ohio River Valley drainage basin covered 205,000 square miles, which is equal to approximately 5% of the United States mainland.
The widest point along the Ohio River is approximately 1 mile at the Smithland Dam near Smithland, KY. The river has an average depth of approximately 24 feet deep. The Ohio River supports 160 species of fish. There are 20 locks and dams on the Ohio River for flood control and navigation. There are 38 power-generating facilities on the Ohio River.
The river’s deepest point is 168 feet (51 m) on the western side of Louisville Kentucky. From Louisville, the river l oses depth very gradually until its confluence with the Mississippi at Cairo Illinois where it has an approximate depth of 19 feet (6 m) . Velocities or how fast the water moves on the Ohio River can range from 0.1 mph under low flow to 5 mph at flood stage
Read about this popular American river right here at MyWaterEarth&Sky-The Schuylkill River is pronounced SKOOL-kil, locally a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania which means “hidden river,” was named by Dutch settlers who discovered the river’s mouth ……….. Continue reading
JimGalloway Author/Editor | https://mywaterearth.com/where-is-the-ohio-river/ | 150 |
where does the ohio river start and finish | What States Does The Ohio River Run Through? - What States | The Ohio River runs through six states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
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But there is so much more to learn about the Ohio River, one of the most famous things about Ohio .
Did you know that the state of Ohio doesn’t actually own the Ohio River? Or that the Ohio River is the main drinking water source for more than five million people? While it’s by no means the longest or largest in the U.S., the Ohio is a major river artery of the east-central United States.
In this article we’ll explore not only the answer to the question, what states does the Ohio River run through? , but will also take a look at some fascinating geographical aspects and facts that make this river special.
Advertising Disclosure: What States is a for profit reference website, supported by advertisements. Thank you for supporting our mission to make geography fun for all!
The Ohio River runs through or along the border of six states:
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
The river starts where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet, and that point is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Ohio River begins in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and stretches for 981 miles until it ends at Cairo, Illinois. This is where the Ohio River drains into the Mississippi.
One of the most interesting things to know about the Ohio River is that it’s the largest tributary of the Mississippi River in the United States. Of course, this ranking is based on volume.
Out of the six states that the river runs through, Kentucky has ownership of the Ohio River.
It goes without saying that the other states have claimed ownership of different stretches of the river since the late 1700s.
Of course, that was all because the Ohio River was a major trade route. Yet, in 1792, the government decided that it was Kentucky that owned the Ohio River along the state’s border with Ohio, Illinois , and Indiana .
The reason behind this decision is that this boundary was the low point of the river’s northernmost bank.
About two centuries later, the State of Ohio sought to gain the claim to the Ohio River a second time. In 1966, the state made a point that the course of the river had fluctuated since 1792, making the aforementioned low point near the south bank of the river today.
However, the United States Supreme Court didn’t change the legal ownership of the Ohio River, so it still belongs to Kentucky until this day.
Trivia Time: Do you know which states the other major US rivers flow through?
- The Ohio River is around 24-25 feet deep on average [ Source ]
- The widest point along the Ohio River is around 1 mile near Smithland, Kentucky
- 160 species of fish live in the Ohio River and its smaller branches
- Roughly 8% of the U.S. population resides in the Ohio River Basin
- The first lock and dam to be built on the Ohio River was constructed in 1885
- The Ohio River was naturally shallow, its original depth from 3 to 20 feet
- The Ohio River is home to 38 power generating facilities
- Each year, the river transports more than 184 million tons of cargo
- The Ohio River faces a critical pollution issue caused by abandoned mines, agricultural impact, and urban runoff
- The Ohio River contributes more water to the Mississippi than any other tributary does
- The river drains an area of about 203,900 square miles
The drainage basin of the Ohio River features parts of 15 states. These states are:
Pennsylvania
New York
Ohio
Maryland
West Virginia
Kentucky
Tennessee
Illinois
Georgia
Alabama
North Carolina
Mississippi
South Carolina
Virginia
Indiana.
The Ohio River flows through countless cities, but the major ones include:
Pittsburgh
Cairo
Louisville
Ashland
Covington
Wheeling
Portsmouth
Cincinnati
Madison
Evansville
Mount Verno
From the north, the Ohio’s tributaries are the Miami, Scioto, Wabash, and Muskingum rivers.
On the other hand, you have the Licking, Big Sandy, Tennessee, Kanawha, Kentucky, Cumberland, and Green rivers from the south.
Quite surprisingly, the Ohio River is pretty young geographically.
Technically, the river’s formation started between 2.5 and 3 million years ago, and that point marks the occurrence of the earliest ice ages. This is also when several portions of the north-flowing rivers were dammed thanks to the formation of ice, resulting in smaller rivers.
As we all know, the Missouri River is the longest in the U.S., followed by the Mississippi . However, the Ohio River doesn’t make it to the top three or even five longest rivers in the State.
To make the picture clearer, the Ohio River is the tenth longest river in the United States, which is still pretty much a big deal after all!
The first European person to ever travel the Ohio River was the French explorer René-Robert Cavelier , Sieur de La Salle. It’s said that he descended the river until he met a waterfall, which historians believe is the Falls at Louisville.
Because the Ohio was a strategic waterway for trading and transportation, it was a key factor in the struggle between the French and the English in the 1750s. | https://whatstates.com/ohio-river/ | 150 |
where does the ohio river start and finish | Where Does the Ohio River Start and End | MyWaterEarth&Sky | In 1792, the government decided that it was Kentucky that owned the Ohio River and not the other bordering states of this valuable major trade route but ownership rights of the 3rd largest river by volume in the United States didn’t end there. Where does the Ohio river start and end?
The Ohio River is at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly 981 miles (1582 km) long, starting at the confluence of the Allegheny & the Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ending in Cairo, Illinois, where it flows into the Mississippi River.
Technically, the river’s formation started between 2.5 and 3 million years ago, and that point marks the occurrence of the earliest ice ages. This is also when several portions of the north-flowing rivers were dammed thanks to the formation of ice, resulting in smaller rivers.
In the Hills of Pennsylvania, wet trails turn into brooks and streams so small they are hard to trace but all meet with each other to then turn into bigger streams and springs that eventually appear as a river.
These are headwaters of The Ohio River located near Coudersport, Pennsylvania .
The Allegheny River with its source in Allegheny Township in Pennsylvania joins a secondary source the Monongahela River at Fairmont, West Virginia.
The Allegheny River joins the Monongahela near Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River.
This is the famous Three Rivers of Pittsburgh where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio River. The exact coordinates are N 40° 26.509 W 080° 00.785
- The Monongahela River runs 128 miles and is one of the few major navigable rivers in the world that run north. It starts at Fairmont, West Virginia, and flows north into Pennsylvania. Monongahela is derived from a Native American Word meaning “high banks or bluffs”
- The Allegheny River runs 325 miles from Porter County, PA into New York state, and back into Pennsylvania. The name comes from the Lenape Native Americans and is commonly believed to mean “fine river”.
- The Ohio River runs 981 miles ending at Cairo, IL, and is the largest tributary to the Mississippi River . The name comes from an Iroquoian word meaning “great river”.
The Ohio River is 981 miles (1582 km) long, starting at the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ending in Cairo, Illinois, where it flows into the Mississippi River .
Where Ohio joins the Mississippi is the lowest elevation in the state of Illinois, at 315 feet (96 m) The Ohio River flows through or borders six states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
The mouth of the Ohio River, where it empties into the Mississippi, is located in Cairo, Illinois at the spot where it meets Ballard County, Kentucky . Along the way, it has nearly a dozen tributaries that feed into the river .
These include the Kentucky River, the Tennessee River, the Cumberland River, the Great Miami River, the Kanawha River, and the Big Sandy River. From there these tributaries make up the watershed of the Ohio River which ends up running into the Mississippi and then draining into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Ohio River is rich in Native American history. For a thousand years, Native Americans used Ohio for transportation and trading with other communities along its path. The North American Osage, Omaha, Ponca, and Kaw peoples lived in the Ohio Valley . Under pressure over the fur trade from the Iroquois nations to the northeast, they migrated west of the Mississippi River in the 17th century to the territory now defined as Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
It is the third-largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largest tributary by volume of the north-south flowing Mississippi River. Ohio is located in the eastern half of the US, dividing the mid-west and the southeast of the United States .
It is also the 6th oldest river on the North American continent considered geologically as young . During the Civil War, it served as the boundary between the Northern and Southern armies.
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, was a 17th-century French explorer and fur trader who was influential in the Seven Year War or The French and Indian War in North America, is said to have been the first European to see Ohio, in 1669 , and he descended it until obstructed by a waterfall.
He also claimed the region watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries for France and named it Louisiana after King Louis XIV. His last expedition to establish fur trading posts failed and cost La Salle his life in 1687. By the treaty of 1763 ending the French and Indian Wars, the English finally gained undisputed control of the territory along its banks.
In the 1750s the river’s strategic importance especially the fork at Pittsburgh in the struggle between the French and the English for possession of the interior of the continent became fully recognized.
During the 1800s, the Ohio River became an important commercial route for residents in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Farmers and manufacturers sent their crops and finished products on flatboats and barges downstream to link up with the Mississippi River and then on to New Orleans.
The Ohio River flows through or alongside six states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia . Water from parts of New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama drain into tributaries that empty into Ohio .
The Ohio River is the source of drinking water for more than five million people. More than 25 million people , almost 10% of the country’s population, live in the Ohio River Basin.
There are 20 dams on the Ohio River , managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The dams have greatly altered the flow of the river, calming the currents down, creating slowing the river down, and creating deeper and slower-moving pools. These Dams raise the water levels and allow for commercial navigation up and down the river.
Industrial barges hauling steel and oil travel along the Ohio River creating commerce for the entire region. Slowing down the river by dams can influence water quality by settling some materials wouldn’t if the river was moving faster, resulting in lower turbidity.
The Army Corps of Engineers regularly dredge the river which some people feel is disrupting wildlife and adding more environmental concerns to the Ohio River Valley Basin.
Following floods at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1889 and Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1937, the federal government built a series of flood-control dams not used for hydropower along the river flood control. The river has a total fall of 429 feet.
Because the Ohio River was considered a major trade route, border states decided they wanted a piece of the popular river. Soon, it would become a legal dispute with the government getting involved. In 1792, the government decided that it was Kentucky that owned the Ohio River along the state’s border with Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. The reason behind this decision is that this boundary was the low point of the river’s northernmost bank but it didn’t end there.
About two centuries later, the State of Ohio sought to gain the claim to the Ohio River a second time . In 1966, the state made a point that the course of the river had fluctuated since 1792, making the aforementioned low point near the south bank of the river today. However, the United States Supreme Court didn’t change the legal ownership of the Ohio River, so it still belongs to Kentucky until this day.
The Ohio Valley usually refers to the Ohio River Valley or the area that surrounds the legendary river. Some people will use the shorthand of the Ohio Valley to refer specifically to the upper part of the Ohio River Valley rather than the entire course of the River.
The Ohio River is the largest tributary of the Mississippi River, the Ohio River runs through six states and is 981 miles long. It begins in Pennsylvania and forms borders along Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois.
The Ohio River formed as a result of the flooding of a glacial lake in earlier ages. It connected two now-defunct rivers, the Steubenville River and the Amarietta River . This enlarged the previously small Marietta Valley.
Over the course of several Ice Ages, the Ohio River drained glacial lakes and was filled with flood waters from melting glaciers until it reached modern-era dimensions. The Ohio River Valley drainage basin covered 205,000 square miles, which is equal to approximately 5% of the United States mainland.
The widest point along the Ohio River is approximately 1 mile at the Smithland Dam near Smithland, KY. The river has an average depth of approximately 24 feet deep. The Ohio River supports 160 species of fish. There are 20 locks and dams on the Ohio River for flood control and navigation. There are 38 power-generating facilities on the Ohio River.
The river’s deepest point is 168 feet (51 m) on the western side of Louisville Kentucky. From Louisville, the river l oses depth very gradually until its confluence with the Mississippi at Cairo Illinois where it has an approximate depth of 19 feet (6 m) . Velocities or how fast the water moves on the Ohio River can range from 0.1 mph under low flow to 5 mph at flood stage
Read about this popular American river right here at MyWaterEarth&Sky-The Schuylkill River is pronounced SKOOL-kil, locally a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania which means “hidden river,” was named by Dutch settlers who discovered the river’s mouth ……….. Continue reading
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where does the ohio river start and finish | Where Does the Ohio River Start and End | MyWaterEarth&Sky | In 1792, the government decided that it was Kentucky that owned the Ohio River and not the other bordering states of this valuable major trade route but ownership rights of the 3rd largest river by volume in the United States didn’t end there. Where does the Ohio river start and end?
The Ohio River is at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly 981 miles (1582 km) long, starting at the confluence of the Allegheny & the Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ending in Cairo, Illinois, where it flows into the Mississippi River.
Technically, the river’s formation started between 2.5 and 3 million years ago, and that point marks the occurrence of the earliest ice ages. This is also when several portions of the north-flowing rivers were dammed thanks to the formation of ice, resulting in smaller rivers.
In the Hills of Pennsylvania, wet trails turn into brooks and streams so small they are hard to trace but all meet with each other to then turn into bigger streams and springs that eventually appear as a river.
These are headwaters of The Ohio River located near Coudersport, Pennsylvania .
The Allegheny River with its source in Allegheny Township in Pennsylvania joins a secondary source the Monongahela River at Fairmont, West Virginia.
The Allegheny River joins the Monongahela near Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River.
This is the famous Three Rivers of Pittsburgh where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio River. The exact coordinates are N 40° 26.509 W 080° 00.785
- The Monongahela River runs 128 miles and is one of the few major navigable rivers in the world that run north. It starts at Fairmont, West Virginia, and flows north into Pennsylvania. Monongahela is derived from a Native American Word meaning “high banks or bluffs”
- The Allegheny River runs 325 miles from Porter County, PA into New York state, and back into Pennsylvania. The name comes from the Lenape Native Americans and is commonly believed to mean “fine river”.
- The Ohio River runs 981 miles ending at Cairo, IL, and is the largest tributary to the Mississippi River . The name comes from an Iroquoian word meaning “great river”.
The Ohio River is 981 miles (1582 km) long, starting at the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ending in Cairo, Illinois, where it flows into the Mississippi River .
Where Ohio joins the Mississippi is the lowest elevation in the state of Illinois, at 315 feet (96 m) The Ohio River flows through or borders six states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
The mouth of the Ohio River, where it empties into the Mississippi, is located in Cairo, Illinois at the spot where it meets Ballard County, Kentucky . Along the way, it has nearly a dozen tributaries that feed into the river .
These include the Kentucky River, the Tennessee River, the Cumberland River, the Great Miami River, the Kanawha River, and the Big Sandy River. From there these tributaries make up the watershed of the Ohio River which ends up running into the Mississippi and then draining into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Ohio River is rich in Native American history. For a thousand years, Native Americans used Ohio for transportation and trading with other communities along its path. The North American Osage, Omaha, Ponca, and Kaw peoples lived in the Ohio Valley . Under pressure over the fur trade from the Iroquois nations to the northeast, they migrated west of the Mississippi River in the 17th century to the territory now defined as Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.
It is the third-largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largest tributary by volume of the north-south flowing Mississippi River. Ohio is located in the eastern half of the US, dividing the mid-west and the southeast of the United States .
It is also the 6th oldest river on the North American continent considered geologically as young . During the Civil War, it served as the boundary between the Northern and Southern armies.
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, was a 17th-century French explorer and fur trader who was influential in the Seven Year War or The French and Indian War in North America, is said to have been the first European to see Ohio, in 1669 , and he descended it until obstructed by a waterfall.
He also claimed the region watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries for France and named it Louisiana after King Louis XIV. His last expedition to establish fur trading posts failed and cost La Salle his life in 1687. By the treaty of 1763 ending the French and Indian Wars, the English finally gained undisputed control of the territory along its banks.
In the 1750s the river’s strategic importance especially the fork at Pittsburgh in the struggle between the French and the English for possession of the interior of the continent became fully recognized.
During the 1800s, the Ohio River became an important commercial route for residents in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Farmers and manufacturers sent their crops and finished products on flatboats and barges downstream to link up with the Mississippi River and then on to New Orleans.
The Ohio River flows through or alongside six states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia . Water from parts of New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama drain into tributaries that empty into Ohio .
The Ohio River is the source of drinking water for more than five million people. More than 25 million people , almost 10% of the country’s population, live in the Ohio River Basin.
There are 20 dams on the Ohio River , managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The dams have greatly altered the flow of the river, calming the currents down, creating slowing the river down, and creating deeper and slower-moving pools. These Dams raise the water levels and allow for commercial navigation up and down the river.
Industrial barges hauling steel and oil travel along the Ohio River creating commerce for the entire region. Slowing down the river by dams can influence water quality by settling some materials wouldn’t if the river was moving faster, resulting in lower turbidity.
The Army Corps of Engineers regularly dredge the river which some people feel is disrupting wildlife and adding more environmental concerns to the Ohio River Valley Basin.
Following floods at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1889 and Portsmouth, Ohio, in 1937, the federal government built a series of flood-control dams not used for hydropower along the river flood control. The river has a total fall of 429 feet.
Because the Ohio River was considered a major trade route, border states decided they wanted a piece of the popular river. Soon, it would become a legal dispute with the government getting involved. In 1792, the government decided that it was Kentucky that owned the Ohio River along the state’s border with Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. The reason behind this decision is that this boundary was the low point of the river’s northernmost bank but it didn’t end there.
About two centuries later, the State of Ohio sought to gain the claim to the Ohio River a second time . In 1966, the state made a point that the course of the river had fluctuated since 1792, making the aforementioned low point near the south bank of the river today. However, the United States Supreme Court didn’t change the legal ownership of the Ohio River, so it still belongs to Kentucky until this day.
The Ohio Valley usually refers to the Ohio River Valley or the area that surrounds the legendary river. Some people will use the shorthand of the Ohio Valley to refer specifically to the upper part of the Ohio River Valley rather than the entire course of the River.
The Ohio River is the largest tributary of the Mississippi River, the Ohio River runs through six states and is 981 miles long. It begins in Pennsylvania and forms borders along Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois.
The Ohio River formed as a result of the flooding of a glacial lake in earlier ages. It connected two now-defunct rivers, the Steubenville River and the Amarietta River . This enlarged the previously small Marietta Valley.
Over the course of several Ice Ages, the Ohio River drained glacial lakes and was filled with flood waters from melting glaciers until it reached modern-era dimensions. The Ohio River Valley drainage basin covered 205,000 square miles, which is equal to approximately 5% of the United States mainland.
The widest point along the Ohio River is approximately 1 mile at the Smithland Dam near Smithland, KY. The river has an average depth of approximately 24 feet deep. The Ohio River supports 160 species of fish. There are 20 locks and dams on the Ohio River for flood control and navigation. There are 38 power-generating facilities on the Ohio River.
The river’s deepest point is 168 feet (51 m) on the western side of Louisville Kentucky. From Louisville, the river l oses depth very gradually until its confluence with the Mississippi at Cairo Illinois where it has an approximate depth of 19 feet (6 m) . Velocities or how fast the water moves on the Ohio River can range from 0.1 mph under low flow to 5 mph at flood stage
Read about this popular American river right here at MyWaterEarth&Sky-The Schuylkill River is pronounced SKOOL-kil, locally a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania which means “hidden river,” was named by Dutch settlers who discovered the river’s mouth ……….. Continue reading
JimGalloway Author/Editor | https://mywaterearth.com/where-is-the-ohio-river/#:~:text=The%20name%20comes%20from%20an%20Iroquoian%20word%20meaning,Illinois%2C%20where%20it%20flows%20into%20the%20Mississippi%20River. | 150 |
where does the ohio river start and finish | Ohio River - Wikipedia | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|Ohio River|
|Location|
|Country||United States|
|States||Pennsylvania , Ohio , West Virginia , Kentucky , Indiana , Illinois , Missouri (through the Mississippi River )|
|Cities||Pittsburgh, PA , East Liverpool, OH , Wheeling, WV , Parkersburg, WV , Huntington, WV , Ashland, KY , Portsmouth, OH , Cincinnati, OH , Louisville, KY , Owensboro, KY , Evansville, IN , Henderson, KY , Paducah, KY , Cairo, IL|
|Physical characteristics|
|Source||Allegheny River|
|• location||Allegany Township , Potter County , Pennsylvania|
|• coordinates||41°52′22″N 77°52′30″W|
|• elevation||2,240 ft (680 m)|
|2nd source||Monongahela River|
|• location||Fairmont , West Virginia|
|• coordinates||39°27′53″N 80°09′13″W|
|• elevation||880 ft (270 m)|
|Source confluence|
|• location||Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania|
|• coordinates||40°26′32″N 80°00′52″W|
|• elevation||730 ft (220 m)|
|Mouth||Mississippi River|
• location
|at Cairo, Illinois / Ballard County, Kentucky|
• coordinates
|36°59′12″N 89°07′50″W Coordinates : 36°59′12″N 89°07′50″W|
• elevation
|290 ft (88 m)|
|Length||981 mi (1,579 km)|
|Basin size||189,422 sq mi (490,600 km 2 )|
|Discharge|
|• location||Cairo, Illinois (1951–80) [1]|
|• average||281,000 cu ft/s (8,000 m 3 /s)(1951–80) [1]|
|• maximum||1,850,000 cu ft/s (52,000 m 3 /s)|
|Basin features|
|Progression||Ohio River → Mississippi River → Gulf of Mexico|
|Tributaries|
|• left||Little Kanawha River , Kanawha River , Guyandotte River , Big Sandy River , Little Sandy River , Licking River , Kentucky River , Salt River , Green River , Cumberland River , Tennessee River|
|• right||Beaver River , Little Muskingum River , Muskingum River , Little Hocking River , Hocking River , Shade River , Scioto River , Little Miami River , Great Miami River , Wabash River|
The Ohio River is a 981-mile (1,579 km) long river in the United States . It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States , flowing in a southwesterly direction from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinois . It is the third largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largest tributary by volume of the north-south flowing Mississippi River that divides the eastern from western United States. [2] It is also the 6th oldest river on the North American continent. The river flows through or along the border of six states , and its drainage basin includes parts of 14 states. Through its largest tributary, the Tennessee River , the basin includes several states of the southeastern U.S. It is the source of drinking water for five million people. [3]
The lower Ohio River just below Louisville is obstructed by rapids known as the Falls of the Ohio where the elevation falls 26 feet (7.9 m) in 2 miles (3.2 km) restricting larger commercial navigation, although in the 18th and early 19th century its three deepest channels could be traversed by a wide variety of craft then in use. In 1830, the Louisville and Portland Canal (now the McAlpine Locks and Dam ) bypassed the rapids, allowing even larger commercial and modern navigation from the Forks of the Ohio at Pittsburgh to the Port of New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi on the Gulf of Mexico.
The name "Ohio" comes from the Seneca , Ohi:yo' , lit. "Good River". [4] In his Notes on the State of Virginia published in 1781–82, Thomas Jefferson stated: "The Ohio is the most beautiful river on earth. Its current gentle, waters clear, and bosom smooth and unbroken by rocks and rapids, a single instance only excepted" (though Jefferson himself had not seen the Ohio) [5] In the late 18th century, the river was the southern boundary of the Northwest Territory . It became a primary transportation route for pioneers during the westward expansion of the early U.S. Today, the Ohio River is one of the most polluted rivers in the United States.
The river is sometimes considered as the western extension of the Mason–Dixon Line that divided Pennsylvania from Maryland , and thus part of the border between free and slave territory, and between the Northern and Southern United States or Upper South . Where the river was narrow, it was crossed by thousands of slaves escaping to the North for freedom; many were helped by free blacks and whites of the Underground Railroad resistance movement.
The Ohio River is a climatic transition area, as its water runs along the periphery of the humid subtropical and humid continental climate areas. It is inhabited by fauna and flora of both climates. In winter, it regularly freezes over at Pittsburgh but rarely farther south toward Cincinnati and Louisville . Further down the river in places like Paducah and Owensboro , Kentucky, closer to its confluence with the Mississippi, the Ohio is ice-free year-round.
The name "Ohio" comes from the Seneca language (an Iroquoian language ), Ohi:yo' (roughly pronounced oh-hee-yoh, with the vowel in "hee" held longer ), a proper name derived from ohiːyoːh ("good river"), therefore literally translating to "Good River". [4] [6] "Great river" and "large creek" have also been given as translations. [7] [8]
Native Americans, including the Lenni Lenape and Iroquois , considered the Ohio and Allegheny rivers as the same, as is suggested by a New York State road sign on Interstate 86 that refers to the Allegheny River also as Ohi:yo' . [9] Similarly, the Geographic Names Information System lists O-hee-yo and O-hi-o as variant names for the Allegheny. [10]
An earlier Miami-Illinois language name was also applied to the Ohio River, Mosopeleacipi ("river of the Mosopelea " tribe). Shortened in the Shawnee language to pelewa thiipi , spelewathiipi or peleewa thiipiiki , the name evolved through variant forms such as "Polesipi", "Peleson", "Pele Sipi" and "Pere Sipi", and eventually stabilized to the variant spellings "Pelisipi", "Pelisippi" and "Pellissippi". Originally applied just to the Ohio River, the "Pelisipi" name later was variously applied back and forth between the Ohio River and the Clinch River in Virginia and Tennessee . [11] [12] In his original draft of the Land Ordinance of 1784 , Thomas Jefferson proposed a new state called "Pelisipia", to the south of the Ohio River, which would have included parts of present-day Eastern Kentucky , Virginia and West Virginia . [11]
The river had great significance in the history of the Native Americans , as numerous prehistoric and historic civilizations formed along its valley. [13] For thousands of years, Native Americans used the river as a major transportation and trading route. [14] Its waters connected communities.
In the five centuries before European colonization, the Mississippian culture built numerous regional chiefdoms and major earthwork mounds in the Ohio Valley like the Angel Mounds near Evansville, Indiana as well as in the Mississippi Valley and the Southeast. The historic Osage , Omaha , Ponca , and Kaw peoples lived in the Ohio Valley. Under pressure over the fur trade from the Iroquois nations to the northeast, they migrated west of the Mississippi River in the 17th century to the territory now defined as Missouri , Arkansas , and Oklahoma .
Several accounts exist of the discovery and traversal of the Ohio River by Europeans in the latter half of the 17th century: Virginian colonist Abraham Wood 's trans-Appalachian expeditions between 1654 and 1664; [15] Frenchman Robert de La Salle 's putative Ohio expedition of 1669; [16] and two expeditions of Virginians sponsored by Colonel Wood: the Batts and Fallam expedition of 1671, [17] and the Needham and Arthur expedition of 1673-74. [18] [19] The first known European to traverse the length of the river, from the headwaters of the Allegheny to its mouth on the Mississippi, was a Dutchman from New York, Arnout Viele , in 1692. [20] [21]
In 1749, the Ohio Company was established in the Thirteen Colonies to settle and trade in the Ohio River region. Exploration of the territory and trade with the Indians in the region near the Forks brought white colonists from both Pennsylvania and Virginia across the mountains, and both colonies claimed the territory. The movement across the Allegheny Mountains of Anglo-American settlers and the claims of the area near modern-day Pittsburgh led to conflict with the French, who had forts in the Ohio River Valley . This conflict was called the French and Indian War , and would merge into the global Anglo-French struggle, the Seven Years' War . In 1763, following its defeat in the war, France ceded its area east of the Mississippi River to Britain and its area west of the Mississippi River to Spain in the 1763 Treaty of Paris .
The 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix with several tribes opened Kentucky to colonial settlement and established the Ohio River as a southern boundary for American Indian territory. [22] In 1774 the Quebec Act restored the land east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River to Quebec , in effect making the Ohio the southern boundary of Canada . This appeased French Canadians in Quebec but angered the colonists of the Thirteen Colonies . Lord Dunmore's War south of the Ohio river also contributed to cession of land north to Quebec to prevent colonial expansion onto Native American territory. During the Revolutionary War . in 1776 the British military engineer John Montrésor created a map of the river showing the strategic location of Fort Pitt , including specific navigational information about the Ohio River's rapids and tributaries in that area. [23] However, the 1783 Treaty of Paris gave the entire Ohio Valley to the United States , and numerous white settlers entered the region.
The economic connection of the Ohio Country to the East was significantly increased in 1818 when the National Road being built westward from Cumberland, Maryland , reached Wheeling, Virginia , (now West Virginia ), providing an easier overland connection from the Potomac River to the Ohio River. [24] The Wheeling Suspension Bridge was built over the river at Wheeling from 1847 to 1849, making the trip west easier. For a brief time, until 1851, it was the world's largest suspension bridge. The bridge survived the American Civil War , after having been improved in 1859. It was renovated again in 1872, and remains in use as the oldest vehicular suspension bridge in the U.S.
Louisville was founded in 1779 at the only major natural navigational barrier on the river, the Falls of the Ohio . The Falls were a series of rapids where the river dropped 26 feet (7.9 m) in a stretch of about 2 miles (3.2 km). In this area, the river flowed over hard, fossil-rich beds of limestone . The first locks on the river – the Louisville and Portland Canal – were built between 1825 and 1830 to circumnavigate the falls. Fears that Louisville's transshipment industry would collapse proved ill-founded: but the increasing size of steamships and barges on the river meant that the outdated locks could serve only the smallest vessels until well after the Civil War when improvements were made. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers improvements were expanded again in the 1960s, forming the present-day McAlpine Locks and Dam .
During the nineteenth century, emigrants from Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky traveled by the river and settled along its northern bank. Known as butternuts , they formed the dominant culture in the southern portions of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois with a society that was primarily Southern in culture. Largely devoted to agricultural pursuits, they shipped much of their produce along the river to ports such as Cincinnati. [25]
Because the Ohio River flowed westward, it became a convenient means of westward movement by pioneers traveling from western Pennsylvania. After reaching the mouth of the Ohio, settlers would travel north on the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri . There, some continued on up the Missouri River , some up the Mississippi, and some farther west over land routes. In the early 19th century, river pirates such as Samuel Mason , operating out of Cave-In-Rock, Illinois , waylaid travelers on their way down the river. They killed travelers, stealing their goods and scuttling their boats. The folktales about Mike Fink recall the keelboats used for commerce in the early days of American settlement. The Ohio River boatmen inspired performer Dan Emmett , who in 1843 wrote the song " The Boatman's Dance ".
Trading boats and ships traveled south on the Mississippi to New Orleans , and sometimes beyond to the Gulf of Mexico and other ports in the Americas and Europe. This provided a much-needed export route for goods from the west since the trek east over the Appalachian Mountains was long and arduous. The need for access to the port of New Orleans by settlers in the Ohio Valley is one of the factors that led to the United States' Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
Because the river is the southern border of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, it was part of the border between free states and slave states in the years before the American Civil War . The expression "sold down the river" originated as a lament of Upper South slaves, especially from Kentucky, who were shipped via the Ohio and Mississippi to cotton and sugar plantations in the Deep South . Changes in crops cultivated in the Upper South resulted in slaves available to be sold to the South, where the expansion of cotton plantations was doing very well. Invention of the cotton gin made cultivation of short-staple cotton profitable throughout the Black Belt of this region. [26] [27]
Before and during the Civil War, the Ohio River was called the " River Jordan " by slaves crossing it to escape to freedom in the North via the Underground Railroad . [28] More escaping slaves, estimated in the thousands, made their perilous journey north to freedom across the Ohio River than anywhere else across the north-south frontier. Harriet Beecher Stowe 's Uncle Tom's Cabin , the bestselling novel that fueled abolitionist work, was the best known of the anti-slavery novels that portrayed such escapes across the Ohio. The times have been expressed by 20th-century novelists as well, such as the Nobel Prize -winning Toni Morrison , whose novel Beloved was adapted as a film of the same name. She also composed the libretto for the opera Margaret Garner (2005), based on the life and trial of an enslaved woman who escaped with her family across the river.
The colonial charter for Virginia defined its territory as extending to the north shore of the Ohio, so that the riverbed was "owned" by Virginia. Where the river serves as a boundary between states today, Congress designated the entire river to belong to the states on the east and south, i.e., West Virginia and Kentucky at the time of admission to the Union, that were divided from Virginia. Thus Wheeling Island , the largest inhabited island in the Ohio River, belongs to West Virginia, although it is closer to the Ohio shore than to the West Virginia shore. Kentucky sued the state of Indiana in the early 1980s because of their construction of the never-completed Marble Hill Nuclear Power Plant in Indiana, which would have discharged its waste water into the river. This would have adversely affected Kentucky's water supplies.
The U.S. Supreme Court held that Kentucky's jurisdiction (and, implicitly, that of West Virginia) extended only to the low-water mark of 1793 (important because the river has been extensively dammed for navigation so that the present river bank is north of the old low-water mark.) Similarly, in the 1990s, Kentucky challenged Illinois's right to collect taxes on a riverboat casino docked in Metropolis , citing its own control of the entire river. A private casino riverboat that docked in Evansville, Indiana , on the Ohio River opened about the same time. Although such boats cruised on the Ohio River in an oval pattern up and down, the state of Kentucky soon protested. Other states had to limit their cruises to going forward, then reversing and going backward on the Indiana shore only. Both Illinois and Indiana have long since changed their laws to allow riverboat casinos to be permanently docked, with Illinois changing in 1999 and Indiana in 2002.
The Silver Bridge at Point Pleasant, West Virginia collapsed into the river on December 15, 1967. The collapse killed 46 people who had been crossing when the bridge failed. The bridge had been built in 1929, and by 1967 was carrying too heavy a load for its design. [29] The bridge was rebuilt about one mile downstream and in service as the Silver Memorial Bridge in 1969.
The Ohio River as a whole is ranked as the most polluted river in the United States, based on 2009 and 2010 data. The more industrial and regional West Virginia/Pennsylvania tributary, the Monongahela River , ranked 17th for water pollution , behind 16 other American rivers. [30] The Ohio again ranked as the most polluted in 2013, and has been the most polluted river since at least 2001, according to the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). The Commission found that 92% of toxic discharges were nitrates , including farm runoff and waste water from industrial processes such as steel production. The Commission also noted mercury pollution as an ongoing concern, citing a 500% increase in mercury discharges between 2007 and 2013. [31]
For several decades beginning in the 1950s, the Ohio River was polluted with hundreds of thousands of pounds of PFOA , a fluoride-based chemical used in making teflon , among other things, by the DuPont chemical company from an outflow pipe at its Parkersburg, West Virginia , facility. [32]
The Ohio River is extensively industrialized and populated. Regular barge traffic carries cargoes of oil, steel and other industrial goods produced in the region. Major cities located along the northern and southern banks of the river include Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ; Louisville, Kentucky ; Evansville, Indiana ; and Cincinnati, Ohio . [14]
The combined Allegheny-Ohio river is 1,310 miles (2,110 km) long and carries the largest volume of water of any tributary of the Mississippi. The Indians and early European explorers and settlers of the region often considered the Allegheny to be part of the Ohio. The forks (the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at what is now Pittsburgh) were considered a strategic military location by colonial French and British, and later independent American military authorities.
The Ohio River is formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at what is now Point State Park in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . From there, it flows northwest through Allegheny and Beaver counties, before making an abrupt turn to the south-southwest at the West Virginia –Ohio–Pennsylvania triple-state line (near East Liverpool, Ohio ; Chester, West Virginia ; and Ohioville, Pennsylvania ). From there, it forms the border between West Virginia and Ohio, upstream of Wheeling, West Virginia .
The river follows a roughly southwest and then west-northwest course until Cincinnati, before bending to a west-southwest course for most of the remainder of its length. The course forms the northern borders of West Virginia and Kentucky ; and the southern borders of Ohio , Indiana and Illinois , until it joins the Mississippi River at the city of Cairo, Illinois . Where the Ohio joins the Mississippi is the lowest elevation in the state of Illinois, at 315 feet (96 m).
The Mississippi River flows to the Gulf of Mexico on the Atlantic Ocean . Among rivers wholly or mostly in the United States, the Ohio is the second largest by discharge volume and the tenth longest and has the eighth largest drainage basin. It serves to separate the Midwestern Great Lakes states from the Upper South states, which were historically border states in the Civil War.
The Ohio River is a left (east) and the largest tributary by volume of the Mississippi River in the United States . At the confluence , the Ohio is considerably bigger than the Mississippi, measured by long-term mean discharge. The Ohio River at Cairo is 281,500 cu ft/s (7,960 m 3 /s); [1] and the Mississippi River at Thebes, Illinois , which is upstream of the confluence, is 208,200 cu ft/s (5,897 m 3 /s). [33] The Ohio River flow is greater than that of the Mississippi River, so hydrologically the Ohio River is the main stream of the river system.
The Ohio River is a naturally shallow river that was artificially deepened by a series of dams . The natural depth of the river varied from about 3 to 20 feet (1 to 6 m). The dams raise the water level and have turned the river largely into a series of reservoirs , eliminating shallow stretches and allowing for commercial navigation. From its origin to Cincinnati, the average depth is approximately 15 feet (5 m). The largest immediate drop in water level is below the McAlpine Locks and Dam at the Falls of the Ohio at Louisville, Kentucky , where flood stage is reached when the water reaches 23 feet (7 m) on the lower gauge. However, the river's deepest point is 168 feet (51 m) on the western side of Louisville, Kentucky. From Louisville, the river loses depth very gradually until its confluence with the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois , where it has an approximate depth of 19 feet (6 m).
Water levels for the Ohio River from Smithland Lock and Dam upstream to Pittsburgh are predicted daily by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 's Ohio River Forecast Center. [34] The water depth predictions are relative to each local flood plain based upon predicted rainfall in the Ohio River basin in five reports as follows:
The water levels for the Ohio River from Smithland Lock and Dam to Cairo, Illinois, are predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 's Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center. [35]
The largest tributaries of the Ohio by discharge volume are:
- Tennessee River 70,575 cu ft (1,998.5 m 3 )/sec
- Cumberland River 37,250 cu ft (1,055 m 3 )/sec
- Wabash River 35,350 cu ft (1,001 m 3 )/sec
- Allegheny River 19,750 cu ft (559 m 3 )/sec
- Kanawha River 15,240 cu ft (432 m 3 )/sec
- Green River 14,574 cu ft (412.7 m 3 )/sec
- Monongahela River 12,650 cu ft (358 m 3 )/sec
- Kentucky River 10,064 cu ft (285.0 m 3 )/sec
- Muskingum River 8,973 cu ft (254.1 m 3 )/sec
- Scioto River 6,674 cu ft (189.0 m 3 )/sec
By drainage basin area, the largest tributaries are: [36]
- Tennessee River 40,910 sq mi (106,000 km 2 )
- Wabash River 33,100 sq mi (86,000 km 2 )
- Cumberland River 17,920 sq mi (46,400 km 2 )
- Kanawha River 12,200 sq mi (32,000 km 2 )
- Allegheny River 11,700 sq mi (30,000 km 2 )
- Green River 9,230 sq mi (23,900 km 2 )
- Muskingum River 8,040 sq mi (20,800 km 2 )
- Monongahela River 7,400 sq mi (19,000 km 2 )
- Kentucky River 6,970 sq mi (18,100 km 2 )
- Scioto River 6,510 sq mi (16,900 km 2 )
The largest tributaries by length are: [36]
- Cumberland River 693 mi (1,115 km)
- Tennessee River 652 mi (1,049 km)
- Wabash River 474 mi (763 km)
- Green River 370 mi (600 km)
- Allegheny River 325 mi (523 km)
- Licking River 320 mi (510 km).
- Kentucky River 255 mi (410 km)
- Scioto River 237 mi (381 km)
- Great Miami River161 mi (259 km)
- Little Kanawha River 160 mi (260 km)
Major tributaries of the river, in order from the head to the mouth of the Ohio, include: [36] | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_River | 150 |
where does the ohio river start and finish | Ohio River | river, United States | Ohio River , major river artery of the east-central United States . Formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at Pittsburgh, it flows northwest out of Pennsylvania , then in a general southwesterly direction to join the Mississippi River at Cairo , Illinois ( see photograph ), after a course of 981 miles (1,579 km). It marks several state boundaries: the Ohio–West Virginia , Ohio–Kentucky, Indiana–Kentucky, and Illinois–Kentucky. The Ohio River contributes more water to the Mississippi than does any other tributary and drains an area of 203,900 square miles (528,100 square km). The river’s valley is narrow, with an average width of less than 0.5 mile (0.8 km) between Pittsburgh and Wheeling (West Virginia), a little more than 1 mile (1.6 km) from Cincinnati (Ohio) to Louisville (Kentucky) and somewhat greater below Louisville.
The Ohio is navigable, and, despite seasonal fluctuations that occasionally reach flood proportions, its fairly uniform flow has supported important commerce since settlement first began. Following destructive floods at Johnstown , Pennsylvania, in 1889 and Portsmouth , Ohio, in 1937, the federal government built a series of flood-control dams. While not developed for hydropower in Ohio, the river, kept at a navigable depth of 9 feet (3 metres), carries cargoes of coal , oil, steel, and manufactured articles. It has a total fall of only 429 feet (130 metres), the one major hazard to navigation being the Falls of the Ohio at Louisville, where locks control a descent of about 24 feet (7 metres) within a distance of 2.5 miles (4 km).
The Ohio’s tributaries include the Tennessee , Cumberland , Kanawha , Big Sandy , Licking , Kentucky , and Green rivers from the south and the Muskingum , Miami , Wabash , and Scioto rivers from the north. Chief cities along the river, in addition to Pittsburgh, Cairo, Wheeling, and Louisville, are Steubenville , Marietta , Gallipolis , Portsmouth, and Cincinnati in Ohio; Madison , New Albany , Evansville , and Mount Vernon in Indiana; Parkersburg and Huntington in West Virginia; and Ashland , Covington , Owensboro , and Paducah in Kentucky .
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle , is said to have been the first European to see the Ohio, in 1669, and he descended it until obstructed by a waterfall (presumably the Falls at Louisville). In the 1750s the river’s strategic importance (especially the fork at Pittsburgh) in the struggle between the French and the English for possession of the interior of the continent became fully recognized. By the treaty of 1763 ending the French and Indian Wars , the English finally gained undisputed control of the territory along its banks. When (by an ordinance of 1787) the area was opened to settlement, most of the settlers entered the region down the headwaters of the Ohio. | https://www.britannica.com/place/Ohio-River | 150 |
where does the ohio river start and finish | Ohio River - Wikipedia | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|Ohio River|
|Location|
|Country||United States|
|States||Pennsylvania , Ohio , West Virginia , Kentucky , Indiana , Illinois , Missouri (through the Mississippi River )|
|Cities||Pittsburgh, PA , East Liverpool, OH , Wheeling, WV , Parkersburg, WV , Huntington, WV , Ashland, KY , Portsmouth, OH , Cincinnati, OH , Louisville, KY , Owensboro, KY , Evansville, IN , Henderson, KY , Paducah, KY , Cairo, IL|
|Physical characteristics|
|Source||Allegheny River|
|• location||Allegany Township , Potter County , Pennsylvania|
|• coordinates||41°52′22″N 77°52′30″W|
|• elevation||2,240 ft (680 m)|
|2nd source||Monongahela River|
|• location||Fairmont , West Virginia|
|• coordinates||39°27′53″N 80°09′13″W|
|• elevation||880 ft (270 m)|
|Source confluence|
|• location||Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania|
|• coordinates||40°26′32″N 80°00′52″W|
|• elevation||730 ft (220 m)|
|Mouth||Mississippi River|
• location
|at Cairo, Illinois / Ballard County, Kentucky|
• coordinates
|36°59′12″N 89°07′50″W Coordinates : 36°59′12″N 89°07′50″W|
• elevation
|290 ft (88 m)|
|Length||981 mi (1,579 km)|
|Basin size||189,422 sq mi (490,600 km 2 )|
|Discharge|
|• location||Cairo, Illinois (1951–80) [1]|
|• average||281,000 cu ft/s (8,000 m 3 /s)(1951–80) [1]|
|• maximum||1,850,000 cu ft/s (52,000 m 3 /s)|
|Basin features|
|Progression||Ohio River → Mississippi River → Gulf of Mexico|
|Tributaries|
|• left||Little Kanawha River , Kanawha River , Guyandotte River , Big Sandy River , Little Sandy River , Licking River , Kentucky River , Salt River , Green River , Cumberland River , Tennessee River|
|• right||Beaver River , Little Muskingum River , Muskingum River , Little Hocking River , Hocking River , Shade River , Scioto River , Little Miami River , Great Miami River , Wabash River|
The Ohio River is a 981-mile (1,579 km) long river in the United States . It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States , flowing in a southwesterly direction from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinois . It is the third largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largest tributary by volume of the north-south flowing Mississippi River that divides the eastern from western United States. [2] It is also the 6th oldest river on the North American continent. The river flows through or along the border of six states , and its drainage basin includes parts of 14 states. Through its largest tributary, the Tennessee River , the basin includes several states of the southeastern U.S. It is the source of drinking water for five million people. [3]
The lower Ohio River just below Louisville is obstructed by rapids known as the Falls of the Ohio where the elevation falls 26 feet (7.9 m) in 2 miles (3.2 km) restricting larger commercial navigation, although in the 18th and early 19th century its three deepest channels could be traversed by a wide variety of craft then in use. In 1830, the Louisville and Portland Canal (now the McAlpine Locks and Dam ) bypassed the rapids, allowing even larger commercial and modern navigation from the Forks of the Ohio at Pittsburgh to the Port of New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi on the Gulf of Mexico.
The name "Ohio" comes from the Seneca , Ohi:yo' , lit. "Good River". [4] In his Notes on the State of Virginia published in 1781–82, Thomas Jefferson stated: "The Ohio is the most beautiful river on earth. Its current gentle, waters clear, and bosom smooth and unbroken by rocks and rapids, a single instance only excepted" (though Jefferson himself had not seen the Ohio) [5] In the late 18th century, the river was the southern boundary of the Northwest Territory . It became a primary transportation route for pioneers during the westward expansion of the early U.S. Today, the Ohio River is one of the most polluted rivers in the United States.
The river is sometimes considered as the western extension of the Mason–Dixon Line that divided Pennsylvania from Maryland , and thus part of the border between free and slave territory, and between the Northern and Southern United States or Upper South . Where the river was narrow, it was crossed by thousands of slaves escaping to the North for freedom; many were helped by free blacks and whites of the Underground Railroad resistance movement.
The Ohio River is a climatic transition area, as its water runs along the periphery of the humid subtropical and humid continental climate areas. It is inhabited by fauna and flora of both climates. In winter, it regularly freezes over at Pittsburgh but rarely farther south toward Cincinnati and Louisville . Further down the river in places like Paducah and Owensboro , Kentucky, closer to its confluence with the Mississippi, the Ohio is ice-free year-round.
The name "Ohio" comes from the Seneca language (an Iroquoian language ), Ohi:yo' (roughly pronounced oh-hee-yoh, with the vowel in "hee" held longer ), a proper name derived from ohiːyoːh ("good river"), therefore literally translating to "Good River". [4] [6] "Great river" and "large creek" have also been given as translations. [7] [8]
Native Americans, including the Lenni Lenape and Iroquois , considered the Ohio and Allegheny rivers as the same, as is suggested by a New York State road sign on Interstate 86 that refers to the Allegheny River also as Ohi:yo' . [9] Similarly, the Geographic Names Information System lists O-hee-yo and O-hi-o as variant names for the Allegheny. [10]
An earlier Miami-Illinois language name was also applied to the Ohio River, Mosopeleacipi ("river of the Mosopelea " tribe). Shortened in the Shawnee language to pelewa thiipi , spelewathiipi or peleewa thiipiiki , the name evolved through variant forms such as "Polesipi", "Peleson", "Pele Sipi" and "Pere Sipi", and eventually stabilized to the variant spellings "Pelisipi", "Pelisippi" and "Pellissippi". Originally applied just to the Ohio River, the "Pelisipi" name later was variously applied back and forth between the Ohio River and the Clinch River in Virginia and Tennessee . [11] [12] In his original draft of the Land Ordinance of 1784 , Thomas Jefferson proposed a new state called "Pelisipia", to the south of the Ohio River, which would have included parts of present-day Eastern Kentucky , Virginia and West Virginia . [11]
The river had great significance in the history of the Native Americans , as numerous prehistoric and historic civilizations formed along its valley. [13] For thousands of years, Native Americans used the river as a major transportation and trading route. [14] Its waters connected communities.
In the five centuries before European colonization, the Mississippian culture built numerous regional chiefdoms and major earthwork mounds in the Ohio Valley like the Angel Mounds near Evansville, Indiana as well as in the Mississippi Valley and the Southeast. The historic Osage , Omaha , Ponca , and Kaw peoples lived in the Ohio Valley. Under pressure over the fur trade from the Iroquois nations to the northeast, they migrated west of the Mississippi River in the 17th century to the territory now defined as Missouri , Arkansas , and Oklahoma .
Several accounts exist of the discovery and traversal of the Ohio River by Europeans in the latter half of the 17th century: Virginian colonist Abraham Wood 's trans-Appalachian expeditions between 1654 and 1664; [15] Frenchman Robert de La Salle 's putative Ohio expedition of 1669; [16] and two expeditions of Virginians sponsored by Colonel Wood: the Batts and Fallam expedition of 1671, [17] and the Needham and Arthur expedition of 1673-74. [18] [19] The first known European to traverse the length of the river, from the headwaters of the Allegheny to its mouth on the Mississippi, was a Dutchman from New York, Arnout Viele , in 1692. [20] [21]
In 1749, the Ohio Company was established in the Thirteen Colonies to settle and trade in the Ohio River region. Exploration of the territory and trade with the Indians in the region near the Forks brought white colonists from both Pennsylvania and Virginia across the mountains, and both colonies claimed the territory. The movement across the Allegheny Mountains of Anglo-American settlers and the claims of the area near modern-day Pittsburgh led to conflict with the French, who had forts in the Ohio River Valley . This conflict was called the French and Indian War , and would merge into the global Anglo-French struggle, the Seven Years' War . In 1763, following its defeat in the war, France ceded its area east of the Mississippi River to Britain and its area west of the Mississippi River to Spain in the 1763 Treaty of Paris .
The 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix with several tribes opened Kentucky to colonial settlement and established the Ohio River as a southern boundary for American Indian territory. [22] In 1774 the Quebec Act restored the land east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River to Quebec , in effect making the Ohio the southern boundary of Canada . This appeased French Canadians in Quebec but angered the colonists of the Thirteen Colonies . Lord Dunmore's War south of the Ohio river also contributed to cession of land north to Quebec to prevent colonial expansion onto Native American territory. During the Revolutionary War . in 1776 the British military engineer John Montrésor created a map of the river showing the strategic location of Fort Pitt , including specific navigational information about the Ohio River's rapids and tributaries in that area. [23] However, the 1783 Treaty of Paris gave the entire Ohio Valley to the United States , and numerous white settlers entered the region.
The economic connection of the Ohio Country to the East was significantly increased in 1818 when the National Road being built westward from Cumberland, Maryland , reached Wheeling, Virginia , (now West Virginia ), providing an easier overland connection from the Potomac River to the Ohio River. [24] The Wheeling Suspension Bridge was built over the river at Wheeling from 1847 to 1849, making the trip west easier. For a brief time, until 1851, it was the world's largest suspension bridge. The bridge survived the American Civil War , after having been improved in 1859. It was renovated again in 1872, and remains in use as the oldest vehicular suspension bridge in the U.S.
Louisville was founded in 1779 at the only major natural navigational barrier on the river, the Falls of the Ohio . The Falls were a series of rapids where the river dropped 26 feet (7.9 m) in a stretch of about 2 miles (3.2 km). In this area, the river flowed over hard, fossil-rich beds of limestone . The first locks on the river – the Louisville and Portland Canal – were built between 1825 and 1830 to circumnavigate the falls. Fears that Louisville's transshipment industry would collapse proved ill-founded: but the increasing size of steamships and barges on the river meant that the outdated locks could serve only the smallest vessels until well after the Civil War when improvements were made. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers improvements were expanded again in the 1960s, forming the present-day McAlpine Locks and Dam .
During the nineteenth century, emigrants from Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky traveled by the river and settled along its northern bank. Known as butternuts , they formed the dominant culture in the southern portions of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois with a society that was primarily Southern in culture. Largely devoted to agricultural pursuits, they shipped much of their produce along the river to ports such as Cincinnati. [25]
Because the Ohio River flowed westward, it became a convenient means of westward movement by pioneers traveling from western Pennsylvania. After reaching the mouth of the Ohio, settlers would travel north on the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri . There, some continued on up the Missouri River , some up the Mississippi, and some farther west over land routes. In the early 19th century, river pirates such as Samuel Mason , operating out of Cave-In-Rock, Illinois , waylaid travelers on their way down the river. They killed travelers, stealing their goods and scuttling their boats. The folktales about Mike Fink recall the keelboats used for commerce in the early days of American settlement. The Ohio River boatmen inspired performer Dan Emmett , who in 1843 wrote the song " The Boatman's Dance ".
Trading boats and ships traveled south on the Mississippi to New Orleans , and sometimes beyond to the Gulf of Mexico and other ports in the Americas and Europe. This provided a much-needed export route for goods from the west since the trek east over the Appalachian Mountains was long and arduous. The need for access to the port of New Orleans by settlers in the Ohio Valley is one of the factors that led to the United States' Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
Because the river is the southern border of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, it was part of the border between free states and slave states in the years before the American Civil War . The expression "sold down the river" originated as a lament of Upper South slaves, especially from Kentucky, who were shipped via the Ohio and Mississippi to cotton and sugar plantations in the Deep South . Changes in crops cultivated in the Upper South resulted in slaves available to be sold to the South, where the expansion of cotton plantations was doing very well. Invention of the cotton gin made cultivation of short-staple cotton profitable throughout the Black Belt of this region. [26] [27]
Before and during the Civil War, the Ohio River was called the " River Jordan " by slaves crossing it to escape to freedom in the North via the Underground Railroad . [28] More escaping slaves, estimated in the thousands, made their perilous journey north to freedom across the Ohio River than anywhere else across the north-south frontier. Harriet Beecher Stowe 's Uncle Tom's Cabin , the bestselling novel that fueled abolitionist work, was the best known of the anti-slavery novels that portrayed such escapes across the Ohio. The times have been expressed by 20th-century novelists as well, such as the Nobel Prize -winning Toni Morrison , whose novel Beloved was adapted as a film of the same name. She also composed the libretto for the opera Margaret Garner (2005), based on the life and trial of an enslaved woman who escaped with her family across the river.
The colonial charter for Virginia defined its territory as extending to the north shore of the Ohio, so that the riverbed was "owned" by Virginia. Where the river serves as a boundary between states today, Congress designated the entire river to belong to the states on the east and south, i.e., West Virginia and Kentucky at the time of admission to the Union, that were divided from Virginia. Thus Wheeling Island , the largest inhabited island in the Ohio River, belongs to West Virginia, although it is closer to the Ohio shore than to the West Virginia shore. Kentucky sued the state of Indiana in the early 1980s because of their construction of the never-completed Marble Hill Nuclear Power Plant in Indiana, which would have discharged its waste water into the river. This would have adversely affected Kentucky's water supplies.
The U.S. Supreme Court held that Kentucky's jurisdiction (and, implicitly, that of West Virginia) extended only to the low-water mark of 1793 (important because the river has been extensively dammed for navigation so that the present river bank is north of the old low-water mark.) Similarly, in the 1990s, Kentucky challenged Illinois's right to collect taxes on a riverboat casino docked in Metropolis , citing its own control of the entire river. A private casino riverboat that docked in Evansville, Indiana , on the Ohio River opened about the same time. Although such boats cruised on the Ohio River in an oval pattern up and down, the state of Kentucky soon protested. Other states had to limit their cruises to going forward, then reversing and going backward on the Indiana shore only. Both Illinois and Indiana have long since changed their laws to allow riverboat casinos to be permanently docked, with Illinois changing in 1999 and Indiana in 2002.
The Silver Bridge at Point Pleasant, West Virginia collapsed into the river on December 15, 1967. The collapse killed 46 people who had been crossing when the bridge failed. The bridge had been built in 1929, and by 1967 was carrying too heavy a load for its design. [29] The bridge was rebuilt about one mile downstream and in service as the Silver Memorial Bridge in 1969.
The Ohio River as a whole is ranked as the most polluted river in the United States, based on 2009 and 2010 data. The more industrial and regional West Virginia/Pennsylvania tributary, the Monongahela River , ranked 17th for water pollution , behind 16 other American rivers. [30] The Ohio again ranked as the most polluted in 2013, and has been the most polluted river since at least 2001, according to the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). The Commission found that 92% of toxic discharges were nitrates , including farm runoff and waste water from industrial processes such as steel production. The Commission also noted mercury pollution as an ongoing concern, citing a 500% increase in mercury discharges between 2007 and 2013. [31]
For several decades beginning in the 1950s, the Ohio River was polluted with hundreds of thousands of pounds of PFOA , a fluoride-based chemical used in making teflon , among other things, by the DuPont chemical company from an outflow pipe at its Parkersburg, West Virginia , facility. [32]
The Ohio River is extensively industrialized and populated. Regular barge traffic carries cargoes of oil, steel and other industrial goods produced in the region. Major cities located along the northern and southern banks of the river include Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ; Louisville, Kentucky ; Evansville, Indiana ; and Cincinnati, Ohio . [14]
The combined Allegheny-Ohio river is 1,310 miles (2,110 km) long and carries the largest volume of water of any tributary of the Mississippi. The Indians and early European explorers and settlers of the region often considered the Allegheny to be part of the Ohio. The forks (the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at what is now Pittsburgh) were considered a strategic military location by colonial French and British, and later independent American military authorities.
The Ohio River is formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at what is now Point State Park in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . From there, it flows northwest through Allegheny and Beaver counties, before making an abrupt turn to the south-southwest at the West Virginia –Ohio–Pennsylvania triple-state line (near East Liverpool, Ohio ; Chester, West Virginia ; and Ohioville, Pennsylvania ). From there, it forms the border between West Virginia and Ohio, upstream of Wheeling, West Virginia .
The river follows a roughly southwest and then west-northwest course until Cincinnati, before bending to a west-southwest course for most of the remainder of its length. The course forms the northern borders of West Virginia and Kentucky ; and the southern borders of Ohio , Indiana and Illinois , until it joins the Mississippi River at the city of Cairo, Illinois . Where the Ohio joins the Mississippi is the lowest elevation in the state of Illinois, at 315 feet (96 m).
The Mississippi River flows to the Gulf of Mexico on the Atlantic Ocean . Among rivers wholly or mostly in the United States, the Ohio is the second largest by discharge volume and the tenth longest and has the eighth largest drainage basin. It serves to separate the Midwestern Great Lakes states from the Upper South states, which were historically border states in the Civil War.
The Ohio River is a left (east) and the largest tributary by volume of the Mississippi River in the United States . At the confluence , the Ohio is considerably bigger than the Mississippi, measured by long-term mean discharge. The Ohio River at Cairo is 281,500 cu ft/s (7,960 m 3 /s); [1] and the Mississippi River at Thebes, Illinois , which is upstream of the confluence, is 208,200 cu ft/s (5,897 m 3 /s). [33] The Ohio River flow is greater than that of the Mississippi River, so hydrologically the Ohio River is the main stream of the river system.
The Ohio River is a naturally shallow river that was artificially deepened by a series of dams . The natural depth of the river varied from about 3 to 20 feet (1 to 6 m). The dams raise the water level and have turned the river largely into a series of reservoirs , eliminating shallow stretches and allowing for commercial navigation. From its origin to Cincinnati, the average depth is approximately 15 feet (5 m). The largest immediate drop in water level is below the McAlpine Locks and Dam at the Falls of the Ohio at Louisville, Kentucky , where flood stage is reached when the water reaches 23 feet (7 m) on the lower gauge. However, the river's deepest point is 168 feet (51 m) on the western side of Louisville, Kentucky. From Louisville, the river loses depth very gradually until its confluence with the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois , where it has an approximate depth of 19 feet (6 m).
Water levels for the Ohio River from Smithland Lock and Dam upstream to Pittsburgh are predicted daily by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 's Ohio River Forecast Center. [34] The water depth predictions are relative to each local flood plain based upon predicted rainfall in the Ohio River basin in five reports as follows:
The water levels for the Ohio River from Smithland Lock and Dam to Cairo, Illinois, are predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 's Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center. [35]
The largest tributaries of the Ohio by discharge volume are:
- Tennessee River 70,575 cu ft (1,998.5 m 3 )/sec
- Cumberland River 37,250 cu ft (1,055 m 3 )/sec
- Wabash River 35,350 cu ft (1,001 m 3 )/sec
- Allegheny River 19,750 cu ft (559 m 3 )/sec
- Kanawha River 15,240 cu ft (432 m 3 )/sec
- Green River 14,574 cu ft (412.7 m 3 )/sec
- Monongahela River 12,650 cu ft (358 m 3 )/sec
- Kentucky River 10,064 cu ft (285.0 m 3 )/sec
- Muskingum River 8,973 cu ft (254.1 m 3 )/sec
- Scioto River 6,674 cu ft (189.0 m 3 )/sec
By drainage basin area, the largest tributaries are: [36]
- Tennessee River 40,910 sq mi (106,000 km 2 )
- Wabash River 33,100 sq mi (86,000 km 2 )
- Cumberland River 17,920 sq mi (46,400 km 2 )
- Kanawha River 12,200 sq mi (32,000 km 2 )
- Allegheny River 11,700 sq mi (30,000 km 2 )
- Green River 9,230 sq mi (23,900 km 2 )
- Muskingum River 8,040 sq mi (20,800 km 2 )
- Monongahela River 7,400 sq mi (19,000 km 2 )
- Kentucky River 6,970 sq mi (18,100 km 2 )
- Scioto River 6,510 sq mi (16,900 km 2 )
The largest tributaries by length are: [36]
- Cumberland River 693 mi (1,115 km)
- Tennessee River 652 mi (1,049 km)
- Wabash River 474 mi (763 km)
- Green River 370 mi (600 km)
- Allegheny River 325 mi (523 km)
- Licking River 320 mi (510 km).
- Kentucky River 255 mi (410 km)
- Scioto River 237 mi (381 km)
- Great Miami River161 mi (259 km)
- Little Kanawha River 160 mi (260 km)
Major tributaries of the river, in order from the head to the mouth of the Ohio, include: [36] | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_River | 150 |
where does the ohio river start and finish | Ohio River - Wikipedia | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|Ohio River|
|Location|
|Country||United States|
|States||Pennsylvania , Ohio , West Virginia , Kentucky , Indiana , Illinois , Missouri (through the Mississippi River )|
|Cities||Pittsburgh, PA , East Liverpool, OH , Wheeling, WV , Parkersburg, WV , Huntington, WV , Ashland, KY , Portsmouth, OH , Cincinnati, OH , Louisville, KY , Owensboro, KY , Evansville, IN , Henderson, KY , Paducah, KY , Cairo, IL|
|Physical characteristics|
|Source||Allegheny River|
|• location||Allegany Township , Potter County , Pennsylvania|
|• coordinates||41°52′22″N 77°52′30″W|
|• elevation||2,240 ft (680 m)|
|2nd source||Monongahela River|
|• location||Fairmont , West Virginia|
|• coordinates||39°27′53″N 80°09′13″W|
|• elevation||880 ft (270 m)|
|Source confluence|
|• location||Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania|
|• coordinates||40°26′32″N 80°00′52″W|
|• elevation||730 ft (220 m)|
|Mouth||Mississippi River|
• location
|at Cairo, Illinois / Ballard County, Kentucky|
• coordinates
|36°59′12″N 89°07′50″W Coordinates : 36°59′12″N 89°07′50″W|
• elevation
|290 ft (88 m)|
|Length||981 mi (1,579 km)|
|Basin size||189,422 sq mi (490,600 km 2 )|
|Discharge|
|• location||Cairo, Illinois (1951–80) [1]|
|• average||281,000 cu ft/s (8,000 m 3 /s)(1951–80) [1]|
|• maximum||1,850,000 cu ft/s (52,000 m 3 /s)|
|Basin features|
|Progression||Ohio River → Mississippi River → Gulf of Mexico|
|Tributaries|
|• left||Little Kanawha River , Kanawha River , Guyandotte River , Big Sandy River , Little Sandy River , Licking River , Kentucky River , Salt River , Green River , Cumberland River , Tennessee River|
|• right||Beaver River , Little Muskingum River , Muskingum River , Little Hocking River , Hocking River , Shade River , Scioto River , Little Miami River , Great Miami River , Wabash River|
The Ohio River is a 981-mile (1,579 km) long river in the United States . It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States , flowing in a southwesterly direction from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinois . It is the third largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largest tributary by volume of the north-south flowing Mississippi River that divides the eastern from western United States. [2] It is also the 6th oldest river on the North American continent. The river flows through or along the border of six states , and its drainage basin includes parts of 14 states. Through its largest tributary, the Tennessee River , the basin includes several states of the southeastern U.S. It is the source of drinking water for five million people. [3]
The lower Ohio River just below Louisville is obstructed by rapids known as the Falls of the Ohio where the elevation falls 26 feet (7.9 m) in 2 miles (3.2 km) restricting larger commercial navigation, although in the 18th and early 19th century its three deepest channels could be traversed by a wide variety of craft then in use. In 1830, the Louisville and Portland Canal (now the McAlpine Locks and Dam ) bypassed the rapids, allowing even larger commercial and modern navigation from the Forks of the Ohio at Pittsburgh to the Port of New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi on the Gulf of Mexico.
The name "Ohio" comes from the Seneca , Ohi:yo' , lit. "Good River". [4] In his Notes on the State of Virginia published in 1781–82, Thomas Jefferson stated: "The Ohio is the most beautiful river on earth. Its current gentle, waters clear, and bosom smooth and unbroken by rocks and rapids, a single instance only excepted" (though Jefferson himself had not seen the Ohio) [5] In the late 18th century, the river was the southern boundary of the Northwest Territory . It became a primary transportation route for pioneers during the westward expansion of the early U.S. Today, the Ohio River is one of the most polluted rivers in the United States.
The river is sometimes considered as the western extension of the Mason–Dixon Line that divided Pennsylvania from Maryland , and thus part of the border between free and slave territory, and between the Northern and Southern United States or Upper South . Where the river was narrow, it was crossed by thousands of slaves escaping to the North for freedom; many were helped by free blacks and whites of the Underground Railroad resistance movement.
The Ohio River is a climatic transition area, as its water runs along the periphery of the humid subtropical and humid continental climate areas. It is inhabited by fauna and flora of both climates. In winter, it regularly freezes over at Pittsburgh but rarely farther south toward Cincinnati and Louisville . Further down the river in places like Paducah and Owensboro , Kentucky, closer to its confluence with the Mississippi, the Ohio is ice-free year-round.
The name "Ohio" comes from the Seneca language (an Iroquoian language ), Ohi:yo' (roughly pronounced oh-hee-yoh, with the vowel in "hee" held longer ), a proper name derived from ohiːyoːh ("good river"), therefore literally translating to "Good River". [4] [6] "Great river" and "large creek" have also been given as translations. [7] [8]
Native Americans, including the Lenni Lenape and Iroquois , considered the Ohio and Allegheny rivers as the same, as is suggested by a New York State road sign on Interstate 86 that refers to the Allegheny River also as Ohi:yo' . [9] Similarly, the Geographic Names Information System lists O-hee-yo and O-hi-o as variant names for the Allegheny. [10]
An earlier Miami-Illinois language name was also applied to the Ohio River, Mosopeleacipi ("river of the Mosopelea " tribe). Shortened in the Shawnee language to pelewa thiipi , spelewathiipi or peleewa thiipiiki , the name evolved through variant forms such as "Polesipi", "Peleson", "Pele Sipi" and "Pere Sipi", and eventually stabilized to the variant spellings "Pelisipi", "Pelisippi" and "Pellissippi". Originally applied just to the Ohio River, the "Pelisipi" name later was variously applied back and forth between the Ohio River and the Clinch River in Virginia and Tennessee . [11] [12] In his original draft of the Land Ordinance of 1784 , Thomas Jefferson proposed a new state called "Pelisipia", to the south of the Ohio River, which would have included parts of present-day Eastern Kentucky , Virginia and West Virginia . [11]
The river had great significance in the history of the Native Americans , as numerous prehistoric and historic civilizations formed along its valley. [13] For thousands of years, Native Americans used the river as a major transportation and trading route. [14] Its waters connected communities.
In the five centuries before European colonization, the Mississippian culture built numerous regional chiefdoms and major earthwork mounds in the Ohio Valley like the Angel Mounds near Evansville, Indiana as well as in the Mississippi Valley and the Southeast. The historic Osage , Omaha , Ponca , and Kaw peoples lived in the Ohio Valley. Under pressure over the fur trade from the Iroquois nations to the northeast, they migrated west of the Mississippi River in the 17th century to the territory now defined as Missouri , Arkansas , and Oklahoma .
Several accounts exist of the discovery and traversal of the Ohio River by Europeans in the latter half of the 17th century: Virginian colonist Abraham Wood 's trans-Appalachian expeditions between 1654 and 1664; [15] Frenchman Robert de La Salle 's putative Ohio expedition of 1669; [16] and two expeditions of Virginians sponsored by Colonel Wood: the Batts and Fallam expedition of 1671, [17] and the Needham and Arthur expedition of 1673-74. [18] [19] The first known European to traverse the length of the river, from the headwaters of the Allegheny to its mouth on the Mississippi, was a Dutchman from New York, Arnout Viele , in 1692. [20] [21]
In 1749, the Ohio Company was established in the Thirteen Colonies to settle and trade in the Ohio River region. Exploration of the territory and trade with the Indians in the region near the Forks brought white colonists from both Pennsylvania and Virginia across the mountains, and both colonies claimed the territory. The movement across the Allegheny Mountains of Anglo-American settlers and the claims of the area near modern-day Pittsburgh led to conflict with the French, who had forts in the Ohio River Valley . This conflict was called the French and Indian War , and would merge into the global Anglo-French struggle, the Seven Years' War . In 1763, following its defeat in the war, France ceded its area east of the Mississippi River to Britain and its area west of the Mississippi River to Spain in the 1763 Treaty of Paris .
The 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix with several tribes opened Kentucky to colonial settlement and established the Ohio River as a southern boundary for American Indian territory. [22] In 1774 the Quebec Act restored the land east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River to Quebec , in effect making the Ohio the southern boundary of Canada . This appeased French Canadians in Quebec but angered the colonists of the Thirteen Colonies . Lord Dunmore's War south of the Ohio river also contributed to cession of land north to Quebec to prevent colonial expansion onto Native American territory. During the Revolutionary War . in 1776 the British military engineer John Montrésor created a map of the river showing the strategic location of Fort Pitt , including specific navigational information about the Ohio River's rapids and tributaries in that area. [23] However, the 1783 Treaty of Paris gave the entire Ohio Valley to the United States , and numerous white settlers entered the region.
The economic connection of the Ohio Country to the East was significantly increased in 1818 when the National Road being built westward from Cumberland, Maryland , reached Wheeling, Virginia , (now West Virginia ), providing an easier overland connection from the Potomac River to the Ohio River. [24] The Wheeling Suspension Bridge was built over the river at Wheeling from 1847 to 1849, making the trip west easier. For a brief time, until 1851, it was the world's largest suspension bridge. The bridge survived the American Civil War , after having been improved in 1859. It was renovated again in 1872, and remains in use as the oldest vehicular suspension bridge in the U.S.
Louisville was founded in 1779 at the only major natural navigational barrier on the river, the Falls of the Ohio . The Falls were a series of rapids where the river dropped 26 feet (7.9 m) in a stretch of about 2 miles (3.2 km). In this area, the river flowed over hard, fossil-rich beds of limestone . The first locks on the river – the Louisville and Portland Canal – were built between 1825 and 1830 to circumnavigate the falls. Fears that Louisville's transshipment industry would collapse proved ill-founded: but the increasing size of steamships and barges on the river meant that the outdated locks could serve only the smallest vessels until well after the Civil War when improvements were made. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers improvements were expanded again in the 1960s, forming the present-day McAlpine Locks and Dam .
During the nineteenth century, emigrants from Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky traveled by the river and settled along its northern bank. Known as butternuts , they formed the dominant culture in the southern portions of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois with a society that was primarily Southern in culture. Largely devoted to agricultural pursuits, they shipped much of their produce along the river to ports such as Cincinnati. [25]
Because the Ohio River flowed westward, it became a convenient means of westward movement by pioneers traveling from western Pennsylvania. After reaching the mouth of the Ohio, settlers would travel north on the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri . There, some continued on up the Missouri River , some up the Mississippi, and some farther west over land routes. In the early 19th century, river pirates such as Samuel Mason , operating out of Cave-In-Rock, Illinois , waylaid travelers on their way down the river. They killed travelers, stealing their goods and scuttling their boats. The folktales about Mike Fink recall the keelboats used for commerce in the early days of American settlement. The Ohio River boatmen inspired performer Dan Emmett , who in 1843 wrote the song " The Boatman's Dance ".
Trading boats and ships traveled south on the Mississippi to New Orleans , and sometimes beyond to the Gulf of Mexico and other ports in the Americas and Europe. This provided a much-needed export route for goods from the west since the trek east over the Appalachian Mountains was long and arduous. The need for access to the port of New Orleans by settlers in the Ohio Valley is one of the factors that led to the United States' Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
Because the river is the southern border of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, it was part of the border between free states and slave states in the years before the American Civil War . The expression "sold down the river" originated as a lament of Upper South slaves, especially from Kentucky, who were shipped via the Ohio and Mississippi to cotton and sugar plantations in the Deep South . Changes in crops cultivated in the Upper South resulted in slaves available to be sold to the South, where the expansion of cotton plantations was doing very well. Invention of the cotton gin made cultivation of short-staple cotton profitable throughout the Black Belt of this region. [26] [27]
Before and during the Civil War, the Ohio River was called the " River Jordan " by slaves crossing it to escape to freedom in the North via the Underground Railroad . [28] More escaping slaves, estimated in the thousands, made their perilous journey north to freedom across the Ohio River than anywhere else across the north-south frontier. Harriet Beecher Stowe 's Uncle Tom's Cabin , the bestselling novel that fueled abolitionist work, was the best known of the anti-slavery novels that portrayed such escapes across the Ohio. The times have been expressed by 20th-century novelists as well, such as the Nobel Prize -winning Toni Morrison , whose novel Beloved was adapted as a film of the same name. She also composed the libretto for the opera Margaret Garner (2005), based on the life and trial of an enslaved woman who escaped with her family across the river.
The colonial charter for Virginia defined its territory as extending to the north shore of the Ohio, so that the riverbed was "owned" by Virginia. Where the river serves as a boundary between states today, Congress designated the entire river to belong to the states on the east and south, i.e., West Virginia and Kentucky at the time of admission to the Union, that were divided from Virginia. Thus Wheeling Island , the largest inhabited island in the Ohio River, belongs to West Virginia, although it is closer to the Ohio shore than to the West Virginia shore. Kentucky sued the state of Indiana in the early 1980s because of their construction of the never-completed Marble Hill Nuclear Power Plant in Indiana, which would have discharged its waste water into the river. This would have adversely affected Kentucky's water supplies.
The U.S. Supreme Court held that Kentucky's jurisdiction (and, implicitly, that of West Virginia) extended only to the low-water mark of 1793 (important because the river has been extensively dammed for navigation so that the present river bank is north of the old low-water mark.) Similarly, in the 1990s, Kentucky challenged Illinois's right to collect taxes on a riverboat casino docked in Metropolis , citing its own control of the entire river. A private casino riverboat that docked in Evansville, Indiana , on the Ohio River opened about the same time. Although such boats cruised on the Ohio River in an oval pattern up and down, the state of Kentucky soon protested. Other states had to limit their cruises to going forward, then reversing and going backward on the Indiana shore only. Both Illinois and Indiana have long since changed their laws to allow riverboat casinos to be permanently docked, with Illinois changing in 1999 and Indiana in 2002.
The Silver Bridge at Point Pleasant, West Virginia collapsed into the river on December 15, 1967. The collapse killed 46 people who had been crossing when the bridge failed. The bridge had been built in 1929, and by 1967 was carrying too heavy a load for its design. [29] The bridge was rebuilt about one mile downstream and in service as the Silver Memorial Bridge in 1969.
The Ohio River as a whole is ranked as the most polluted river in the United States, based on 2009 and 2010 data. The more industrial and regional West Virginia/Pennsylvania tributary, the Monongahela River , ranked 17th for water pollution , behind 16 other American rivers. [30] The Ohio again ranked as the most polluted in 2013, and has been the most polluted river since at least 2001, according to the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). The Commission found that 92% of toxic discharges were nitrates , including farm runoff and waste water from industrial processes such as steel production. The Commission also noted mercury pollution as an ongoing concern, citing a 500% increase in mercury discharges between 2007 and 2013. [31]
For several decades beginning in the 1950s, the Ohio River was polluted with hundreds of thousands of pounds of PFOA , a fluoride-based chemical used in making teflon , among other things, by the DuPont chemical company from an outflow pipe at its Parkersburg, West Virginia , facility. [32]
The Ohio River is extensively industrialized and populated. Regular barge traffic carries cargoes of oil, steel and other industrial goods produced in the region. Major cities located along the northern and southern banks of the river include Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ; Louisville, Kentucky ; Evansville, Indiana ; and Cincinnati, Ohio . [14]
The combined Allegheny-Ohio river is 1,310 miles (2,110 km) long and carries the largest volume of water of any tributary of the Mississippi. The Indians and early European explorers and settlers of the region often considered the Allegheny to be part of the Ohio. The forks (the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at what is now Pittsburgh) were considered a strategic military location by colonial French and British, and later independent American military authorities.
The Ohio River is formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at what is now Point State Park in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . From there, it flows northwest through Allegheny and Beaver counties, before making an abrupt turn to the south-southwest at the West Virginia –Ohio–Pennsylvania triple-state line (near East Liverpool, Ohio ; Chester, West Virginia ; and Ohioville, Pennsylvania ). From there, it forms the border between West Virginia and Ohio, upstream of Wheeling, West Virginia .
The river follows a roughly southwest and then west-northwest course until Cincinnati, before bending to a west-southwest course for most of the remainder of its length. The course forms the northern borders of West Virginia and Kentucky ; and the southern borders of Ohio , Indiana and Illinois , until it joins the Mississippi River at the city of Cairo, Illinois . Where the Ohio joins the Mississippi is the lowest elevation in the state of Illinois, at 315 feet (96 m).
The Mississippi River flows to the Gulf of Mexico on the Atlantic Ocean . Among rivers wholly or mostly in the United States, the Ohio is the second largest by discharge volume and the tenth longest and has the eighth largest drainage basin. It serves to separate the Midwestern Great Lakes states from the Upper South states, which were historically border states in the Civil War.
The Ohio River is a left (east) and the largest tributary by volume of the Mississippi River in the United States . At the confluence , the Ohio is considerably bigger than the Mississippi, measured by long-term mean discharge. The Ohio River at Cairo is 281,500 cu ft/s (7,960 m 3 /s); [1] and the Mississippi River at Thebes, Illinois , which is upstream of the confluence, is 208,200 cu ft/s (5,897 m 3 /s). [33] The Ohio River flow is greater than that of the Mississippi River, so hydrologically the Ohio River is the main stream of the river system.
The Ohio River is a naturally shallow river that was artificially deepened by a series of dams . The natural depth of the river varied from about 3 to 20 feet (1 to 6 m). The dams raise the water level and have turned the river largely into a series of reservoirs , eliminating shallow stretches and allowing for commercial navigation. From its origin to Cincinnati, the average depth is approximately 15 feet (5 m). The largest immediate drop in water level is below the McAlpine Locks and Dam at the Falls of the Ohio at Louisville, Kentucky , where flood stage is reached when the water reaches 23 feet (7 m) on the lower gauge. However, the river's deepest point is 168 feet (51 m) on the western side of Louisville, Kentucky. From Louisville, the river loses depth very gradually until its confluence with the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois , where it has an approximate depth of 19 feet (6 m).
Water levels for the Ohio River from Smithland Lock and Dam upstream to Pittsburgh are predicted daily by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 's Ohio River Forecast Center. [34] The water depth predictions are relative to each local flood plain based upon predicted rainfall in the Ohio River basin in five reports as follows:
The water levels for the Ohio River from Smithland Lock and Dam to Cairo, Illinois, are predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 's Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center. [35]
The largest tributaries of the Ohio by discharge volume are:
- Tennessee River 70,575 cu ft (1,998.5 m 3 )/sec
- Cumberland River 37,250 cu ft (1,055 m 3 )/sec
- Wabash River 35,350 cu ft (1,001 m 3 )/sec
- Allegheny River 19,750 cu ft (559 m 3 )/sec
- Kanawha River 15,240 cu ft (432 m 3 )/sec
- Green River 14,574 cu ft (412.7 m 3 )/sec
- Monongahela River 12,650 cu ft (358 m 3 )/sec
- Kentucky River 10,064 cu ft (285.0 m 3 )/sec
- Muskingum River 8,973 cu ft (254.1 m 3 )/sec
- Scioto River 6,674 cu ft (189.0 m 3 )/sec
By drainage basin area, the largest tributaries are: [36]
- Tennessee River 40,910 sq mi (106,000 km 2 )
- Wabash River 33,100 sq mi (86,000 km 2 )
- Cumberland River 17,920 sq mi (46,400 km 2 )
- Kanawha River 12,200 sq mi (32,000 km 2 )
- Allegheny River 11,700 sq mi (30,000 km 2 )
- Green River 9,230 sq mi (23,900 km 2 )
- Muskingum River 8,040 sq mi (20,800 km 2 )
- Monongahela River 7,400 sq mi (19,000 km 2 )
- Kentucky River 6,970 sq mi (18,100 km 2 )
- Scioto River 6,510 sq mi (16,900 km 2 )
The largest tributaries by length are: [36]
- Cumberland River 693 mi (1,115 km)
- Tennessee River 652 mi (1,049 km)
- Wabash River 474 mi (763 km)
- Green River 370 mi (600 km)
- Allegheny River 325 mi (523 km)
- Licking River 320 mi (510 km).
- Kentucky River 255 mi (410 km)
- Scioto River 237 mi (381 km)
- Great Miami River161 mi (259 km)
- Little Kanawha River 160 mi (260 km)
Major tributaries of the river, in order from the head to the mouth of the Ohio, include: [36] | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_River | 150 |
where does the ohio river start and finish | Ohio River - Wikipedia | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|Ohio River|
|Location|
|Country||United States|
|States||Pennsylvania , Ohio , West Virginia , Kentucky , Indiana , Illinois , Missouri (through the Mississippi River )|
|Cities||Pittsburgh, PA , East Liverpool, OH , Wheeling, WV , Parkersburg, WV , Huntington, WV , Ashland, KY , Portsmouth, OH , Cincinnati, OH , Louisville, KY , Owensboro, KY , Evansville, IN , Henderson, KY , Paducah, KY , Cairo, IL|
|Physical characteristics|
|Source||Allegheny River|
|• location||Allegany Township , Potter County , Pennsylvania|
|• coordinates||41°52′22″N 77°52′30″W|
|• elevation||2,240 ft (680 m)|
|2nd source||Monongahela River|
|• location||Fairmont , West Virginia|
|• coordinates||39°27′53″N 80°09′13″W|
|• elevation||880 ft (270 m)|
|Source confluence|
|• location||Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania|
|• coordinates||40°26′32″N 80°00′52″W|
|• elevation||730 ft (220 m)|
|Mouth||Mississippi River|
• location
|at Cairo, Illinois / Ballard County, Kentucky|
• coordinates
|36°59′12″N 89°07′50″W Coordinates : 36°59′12″N 89°07′50″W|
• elevation
|290 ft (88 m)|
|Length||981 mi (1,579 km)|
|Basin size||189,422 sq mi (490,600 km 2 )|
|Discharge|
|• location||Cairo, Illinois (1951–80) [1]|
|• average||281,000 cu ft/s (8,000 m 3 /s)(1951–80) [1]|
|• maximum||1,850,000 cu ft/s (52,000 m 3 /s)|
|Basin features|
|Progression||Ohio River → Mississippi River → Gulf of Mexico|
|Tributaries|
|• left||Little Kanawha River , Kanawha River , Guyandotte River , Big Sandy River , Little Sandy River , Licking River , Kentucky River , Salt River , Green River , Cumberland River , Tennessee River|
|• right||Beaver River , Little Muskingum River , Muskingum River , Little Hocking River , Hocking River , Shade River , Scioto River , Little Miami River , Great Miami River , Wabash River|
The Ohio River is a 981-mile (1,579 km) long river in the United States . It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States , flowing in a southwesterly direction from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinois . It is the third largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largest tributary by volume of the north-south flowing Mississippi River that divides the eastern from western United States. [2] It is also the 6th oldest river on the North American continent. The river flows through or along the border of six states , and its drainage basin includes parts of 14 states. Through its largest tributary, the Tennessee River , the basin includes several states of the southeastern U.S. It is the source of drinking water for five million people. [3]
The lower Ohio River just below Louisville is obstructed by rapids known as the Falls of the Ohio where the elevation falls 26 feet (7.9 m) in 2 miles (3.2 km) restricting larger commercial navigation, although in the 18th and early 19th century its three deepest channels could be traversed by a wide variety of craft then in use. In 1830, the Louisville and Portland Canal (now the McAlpine Locks and Dam ) bypassed the rapids, allowing even larger commercial and modern navigation from the Forks of the Ohio at Pittsburgh to the Port of New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi on the Gulf of Mexico.
The name "Ohio" comes from the Seneca , Ohi:yo' , lit. "Good River". [4] In his Notes on the State of Virginia published in 1781–82, Thomas Jefferson stated: "The Ohio is the most beautiful river on earth. Its current gentle, waters clear, and bosom smooth and unbroken by rocks and rapids, a single instance only excepted" (though Jefferson himself had not seen the Ohio) [5] In the late 18th century, the river was the southern boundary of the Northwest Territory . It became a primary transportation route for pioneers during the westward expansion of the early U.S. Today, the Ohio River is one of the most polluted rivers in the United States.
The river is sometimes considered as the western extension of the Mason–Dixon Line that divided Pennsylvania from Maryland , and thus part of the border between free and slave territory, and between the Northern and Southern United States or Upper South . Where the river was narrow, it was crossed by thousands of slaves escaping to the North for freedom; many were helped by free blacks and whites of the Underground Railroad resistance movement.
The Ohio River is a climatic transition area, as its water runs along the periphery of the humid subtropical and humid continental climate areas. It is inhabited by fauna and flora of both climates. In winter, it regularly freezes over at Pittsburgh but rarely farther south toward Cincinnati and Louisville . Further down the river in places like Paducah and Owensboro , Kentucky, closer to its confluence with the Mississippi, the Ohio is ice-free year-round.
The name "Ohio" comes from the Seneca language (an Iroquoian language ), Ohi:yo' (roughly pronounced oh-hee-yoh, with the vowel in "hee" held longer ), a proper name derived from ohiːyoːh ("good river"), therefore literally translating to "Good River". [4] [6] "Great river" and "large creek" have also been given as translations. [7] [8]
Native Americans, including the Lenni Lenape and Iroquois , considered the Ohio and Allegheny rivers as the same, as is suggested by a New York State road sign on Interstate 86 that refers to the Allegheny River also as Ohi:yo' . [9] Similarly, the Geographic Names Information System lists O-hee-yo and O-hi-o as variant names for the Allegheny. [10]
An earlier Miami-Illinois language name was also applied to the Ohio River, Mosopeleacipi ("river of the Mosopelea " tribe). Shortened in the Shawnee language to pelewa thiipi , spelewathiipi or peleewa thiipiiki , the name evolved through variant forms such as "Polesipi", "Peleson", "Pele Sipi" and "Pere Sipi", and eventually stabilized to the variant spellings "Pelisipi", "Pelisippi" and "Pellissippi". Originally applied just to the Ohio River, the "Pelisipi" name later was variously applied back and forth between the Ohio River and the Clinch River in Virginia and Tennessee . [11] [12] In his original draft of the Land Ordinance of 1784 , Thomas Jefferson proposed a new state called "Pelisipia", to the south of the Ohio River, which would have included parts of present-day Eastern Kentucky , Virginia and West Virginia . [11]
The river had great significance in the history of the Native Americans , as numerous prehistoric and historic civilizations formed along its valley. [13] For thousands of years, Native Americans used the river as a major transportation and trading route. [14] Its waters connected communities.
In the five centuries before European colonization, the Mississippian culture built numerous regional chiefdoms and major earthwork mounds in the Ohio Valley like the Angel Mounds near Evansville, Indiana as well as in the Mississippi Valley and the Southeast. The historic Osage , Omaha , Ponca , and Kaw peoples lived in the Ohio Valley. Under pressure over the fur trade from the Iroquois nations to the northeast, they migrated west of the Mississippi River in the 17th century to the territory now defined as Missouri , Arkansas , and Oklahoma .
Several accounts exist of the discovery and traversal of the Ohio River by Europeans in the latter half of the 17th century: Virginian colonist Abraham Wood 's trans-Appalachian expeditions between 1654 and 1664; [15] Frenchman Robert de La Salle 's putative Ohio expedition of 1669; [16] and two expeditions of Virginians sponsored by Colonel Wood: the Batts and Fallam expedition of 1671, [17] and the Needham and Arthur expedition of 1673-74. [18] [19] The first known European to traverse the length of the river, from the headwaters of the Allegheny to its mouth on the Mississippi, was a Dutchman from New York, Arnout Viele , in 1692. [20] [21]
In 1749, the Ohio Company was established in the Thirteen Colonies to settle and trade in the Ohio River region. Exploration of the territory and trade with the Indians in the region near the Forks brought white colonists from both Pennsylvania and Virginia across the mountains, and both colonies claimed the territory. The movement across the Allegheny Mountains of Anglo-American settlers and the claims of the area near modern-day Pittsburgh led to conflict with the French, who had forts in the Ohio River Valley . This conflict was called the French and Indian War , and would merge into the global Anglo-French struggle, the Seven Years' War . In 1763, following its defeat in the war, France ceded its area east of the Mississippi River to Britain and its area west of the Mississippi River to Spain in the 1763 Treaty of Paris .
The 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix with several tribes opened Kentucky to colonial settlement and established the Ohio River as a southern boundary for American Indian territory. [22] In 1774 the Quebec Act restored the land east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River to Quebec , in effect making the Ohio the southern boundary of Canada . This appeased French Canadians in Quebec but angered the colonists of the Thirteen Colonies . Lord Dunmore's War south of the Ohio river also contributed to cession of land north to Quebec to prevent colonial expansion onto Native American territory. During the Revolutionary War . in 1776 the British military engineer John Montrésor created a map of the river showing the strategic location of Fort Pitt , including specific navigational information about the Ohio River's rapids and tributaries in that area. [23] However, the 1783 Treaty of Paris gave the entire Ohio Valley to the United States , and numerous white settlers entered the region.
The economic connection of the Ohio Country to the East was significantly increased in 1818 when the National Road being built westward from Cumberland, Maryland , reached Wheeling, Virginia , (now West Virginia ), providing an easier overland connection from the Potomac River to the Ohio River. [24] The Wheeling Suspension Bridge was built over the river at Wheeling from 1847 to 1849, making the trip west easier. For a brief time, until 1851, it was the world's largest suspension bridge. The bridge survived the American Civil War , after having been improved in 1859. It was renovated again in 1872, and remains in use as the oldest vehicular suspension bridge in the U.S.
Louisville was founded in 1779 at the only major natural navigational barrier on the river, the Falls of the Ohio . The Falls were a series of rapids where the river dropped 26 feet (7.9 m) in a stretch of about 2 miles (3.2 km). In this area, the river flowed over hard, fossil-rich beds of limestone . The first locks on the river – the Louisville and Portland Canal – were built between 1825 and 1830 to circumnavigate the falls. Fears that Louisville's transshipment industry would collapse proved ill-founded: but the increasing size of steamships and barges on the river meant that the outdated locks could serve only the smallest vessels until well after the Civil War when improvements were made. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers improvements were expanded again in the 1960s, forming the present-day McAlpine Locks and Dam .
During the nineteenth century, emigrants from Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky traveled by the river and settled along its northern bank. Known as butternuts , they formed the dominant culture in the southern portions of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois with a society that was primarily Southern in culture. Largely devoted to agricultural pursuits, they shipped much of their produce along the river to ports such as Cincinnati. [25]
Because the Ohio River flowed westward, it became a convenient means of westward movement by pioneers traveling from western Pennsylvania. After reaching the mouth of the Ohio, settlers would travel north on the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri . There, some continued on up the Missouri River , some up the Mississippi, and some farther west over land routes. In the early 19th century, river pirates such as Samuel Mason , operating out of Cave-In-Rock, Illinois , waylaid travelers on their way down the river. They killed travelers, stealing their goods and scuttling their boats. The folktales about Mike Fink recall the keelboats used for commerce in the early days of American settlement. The Ohio River boatmen inspired performer Dan Emmett , who in 1843 wrote the song " The Boatman's Dance ".
Trading boats and ships traveled south on the Mississippi to New Orleans , and sometimes beyond to the Gulf of Mexico and other ports in the Americas and Europe. This provided a much-needed export route for goods from the west since the trek east over the Appalachian Mountains was long and arduous. The need for access to the port of New Orleans by settlers in the Ohio Valley is one of the factors that led to the United States' Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
Because the river is the southern border of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, it was part of the border between free states and slave states in the years before the American Civil War . The expression "sold down the river" originated as a lament of Upper South slaves, especially from Kentucky, who were shipped via the Ohio and Mississippi to cotton and sugar plantations in the Deep South . Changes in crops cultivated in the Upper South resulted in slaves available to be sold to the South, where the expansion of cotton plantations was doing very well. Invention of the cotton gin made cultivation of short-staple cotton profitable throughout the Black Belt of this region. [26] [27]
Before and during the Civil War, the Ohio River was called the " River Jordan " by slaves crossing it to escape to freedom in the North via the Underground Railroad . [28] More escaping slaves, estimated in the thousands, made their perilous journey north to freedom across the Ohio River than anywhere else across the north-south frontier. Harriet Beecher Stowe 's Uncle Tom's Cabin , the bestselling novel that fueled abolitionist work, was the best known of the anti-slavery novels that portrayed such escapes across the Ohio. The times have been expressed by 20th-century novelists as well, such as the Nobel Prize -winning Toni Morrison , whose novel Beloved was adapted as a film of the same name. She also composed the libretto for the opera Margaret Garner (2005), based on the life and trial of an enslaved woman who escaped with her family across the river.
The colonial charter for Virginia defined its territory as extending to the north shore of the Ohio, so that the riverbed was "owned" by Virginia. Where the river serves as a boundary between states today, Congress designated the entire river to belong to the states on the east and south, i.e., West Virginia and Kentucky at the time of admission to the Union, that were divided from Virginia. Thus Wheeling Island , the largest inhabited island in the Ohio River, belongs to West Virginia, although it is closer to the Ohio shore than to the West Virginia shore. Kentucky sued the state of Indiana in the early 1980s because of their construction of the never-completed Marble Hill Nuclear Power Plant in Indiana, which would have discharged its waste water into the river. This would have adversely affected Kentucky's water supplies.
The U.S. Supreme Court held that Kentucky's jurisdiction (and, implicitly, that of West Virginia) extended only to the low-water mark of 1793 (important because the river has been extensively dammed for navigation so that the present river bank is north of the old low-water mark.) Similarly, in the 1990s, Kentucky challenged Illinois's right to collect taxes on a riverboat casino docked in Metropolis , citing its own control of the entire river. A private casino riverboat that docked in Evansville, Indiana , on the Ohio River opened about the same time. Although such boats cruised on the Ohio River in an oval pattern up and down, the state of Kentucky soon protested. Other states had to limit their cruises to going forward, then reversing and going backward on the Indiana shore only. Both Illinois and Indiana have long since changed their laws to allow riverboat casinos to be permanently docked, with Illinois changing in 1999 and Indiana in 2002.
The Silver Bridge at Point Pleasant, West Virginia collapsed into the river on December 15, 1967. The collapse killed 46 people who had been crossing when the bridge failed. The bridge had been built in 1929, and by 1967 was carrying too heavy a load for its design. [29] The bridge was rebuilt about one mile downstream and in service as the Silver Memorial Bridge in 1969.
The Ohio River as a whole is ranked as the most polluted river in the United States, based on 2009 and 2010 data. The more industrial and regional West Virginia/Pennsylvania tributary, the Monongahela River , ranked 17th for water pollution , behind 16 other American rivers. [30] The Ohio again ranked as the most polluted in 2013, and has been the most polluted river since at least 2001, according to the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). The Commission found that 92% of toxic discharges were nitrates , including farm runoff and waste water from industrial processes such as steel production. The Commission also noted mercury pollution as an ongoing concern, citing a 500% increase in mercury discharges between 2007 and 2013. [31]
For several decades beginning in the 1950s, the Ohio River was polluted with hundreds of thousands of pounds of PFOA , a fluoride-based chemical used in making teflon , among other things, by the DuPont chemical company from an outflow pipe at its Parkersburg, West Virginia , facility. [32]
The Ohio River is extensively industrialized and populated. Regular barge traffic carries cargoes of oil, steel and other industrial goods produced in the region. Major cities located along the northern and southern banks of the river include Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ; Louisville, Kentucky ; Evansville, Indiana ; and Cincinnati, Ohio . [14]
The combined Allegheny-Ohio river is 1,310 miles (2,110 km) long and carries the largest volume of water of any tributary of the Mississippi. The Indians and early European explorers and settlers of the region often considered the Allegheny to be part of the Ohio. The forks (the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at what is now Pittsburgh) were considered a strategic military location by colonial French and British, and later independent American military authorities.
The Ohio River is formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at what is now Point State Park in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . From there, it flows northwest through Allegheny and Beaver counties, before making an abrupt turn to the south-southwest at the West Virginia –Ohio–Pennsylvania triple-state line (near East Liverpool, Ohio ; Chester, West Virginia ; and Ohioville, Pennsylvania ). From there, it forms the border between West Virginia and Ohio, upstream of Wheeling, West Virginia .
The river follows a roughly southwest and then west-northwest course until Cincinnati, before bending to a west-southwest course for most of the remainder of its length. The course forms the northern borders of West Virginia and Kentucky ; and the southern borders of Ohio , Indiana and Illinois , until it joins the Mississippi River at the city of Cairo, Illinois . Where the Ohio joins the Mississippi is the lowest elevation in the state of Illinois, at 315 feet (96 m).
The Mississippi River flows to the Gulf of Mexico on the Atlantic Ocean . Among rivers wholly or mostly in the United States, the Ohio is the second largest by discharge volume and the tenth longest and has the eighth largest drainage basin. It serves to separate the Midwestern Great Lakes states from the Upper South states, which were historically border states in the Civil War.
The Ohio River is a left (east) and the largest tributary by volume of the Mississippi River in the United States . At the confluence , the Ohio is considerably bigger than the Mississippi, measured by long-term mean discharge. The Ohio River at Cairo is 281,500 cu ft/s (7,960 m 3 /s); [1] and the Mississippi River at Thebes, Illinois , which is upstream of the confluence, is 208,200 cu ft/s (5,897 m 3 /s). [33] The Ohio River flow is greater than that of the Mississippi River, so hydrologically the Ohio River is the main stream of the river system.
The Ohio River is a naturally shallow river that was artificially deepened by a series of dams . The natural depth of the river varied from about 3 to 20 feet (1 to 6 m). The dams raise the water level and have turned the river largely into a series of reservoirs , eliminating shallow stretches and allowing for commercial navigation. From its origin to Cincinnati, the average depth is approximately 15 feet (5 m). The largest immediate drop in water level is below the McAlpine Locks and Dam at the Falls of the Ohio at Louisville, Kentucky , where flood stage is reached when the water reaches 23 feet (7 m) on the lower gauge. However, the river's deepest point is 168 feet (51 m) on the western side of Louisville, Kentucky. From Louisville, the river loses depth very gradually until its confluence with the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois , where it has an approximate depth of 19 feet (6 m).
Water levels for the Ohio River from Smithland Lock and Dam upstream to Pittsburgh are predicted daily by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 's Ohio River Forecast Center. [34] The water depth predictions are relative to each local flood plain based upon predicted rainfall in the Ohio River basin in five reports as follows:
The water levels for the Ohio River from Smithland Lock and Dam to Cairo, Illinois, are predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 's Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center. [35]
The largest tributaries of the Ohio by discharge volume are:
- Tennessee River 70,575 cu ft (1,998.5 m 3 )/sec
- Cumberland River 37,250 cu ft (1,055 m 3 )/sec
- Wabash River 35,350 cu ft (1,001 m 3 )/sec
- Allegheny River 19,750 cu ft (559 m 3 )/sec
- Kanawha River 15,240 cu ft (432 m 3 )/sec
- Green River 14,574 cu ft (412.7 m 3 )/sec
- Monongahela River 12,650 cu ft (358 m 3 )/sec
- Kentucky River 10,064 cu ft (285.0 m 3 )/sec
- Muskingum River 8,973 cu ft (254.1 m 3 )/sec
- Scioto River 6,674 cu ft (189.0 m 3 )/sec
By drainage basin area, the largest tributaries are: [36]
- Tennessee River 40,910 sq mi (106,000 km 2 )
- Wabash River 33,100 sq mi (86,000 km 2 )
- Cumberland River 17,920 sq mi (46,400 km 2 )
- Kanawha River 12,200 sq mi (32,000 km 2 )
- Allegheny River 11,700 sq mi (30,000 km 2 )
- Green River 9,230 sq mi (23,900 km 2 )
- Muskingum River 8,040 sq mi (20,800 km 2 )
- Monongahela River 7,400 sq mi (19,000 km 2 )
- Kentucky River 6,970 sq mi (18,100 km 2 )
- Scioto River 6,510 sq mi (16,900 km 2 )
The largest tributaries by length are: [36]
- Cumberland River 693 mi (1,115 km)
- Tennessee River 652 mi (1,049 km)
- Wabash River 474 mi (763 km)
- Green River 370 mi (600 km)
- Allegheny River 325 mi (523 km)
- Licking River 320 mi (510 km).
- Kentucky River 255 mi (410 km)
- Scioto River 237 mi (381 km)
- Great Miami River161 mi (259 km)
- Little Kanawha River 160 mi (260 km)
Major tributaries of the river, in order from the head to the mouth of the Ohio, include: [36] | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_River | 150 |
where does the ohio river start and finish | Where Does the Ohio River Start? | Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day.
- The Ohio River begins at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, PA, and flows 981 miles to its ending point in Cairo, Illinois.
- The Ohio drainage basin spreads across 14 states and spans 205,000 square miles.
- Beyond being home to the main ports of Cincinnati, Louisville, and Pittsburgh, the Ohio River is a significant transportation route for the states through which it courses.
The Ohio River flows across six states, and its basin spreads over 14 different states. As with most waterways, this one also supports many cities and a thriving commercial shipping industry that contributes significantly to the states’ economies through which the river flows.
Besides this, the Ohio River sustains a vast selection of wildlife, with some animals on endangered and protected lists. So, if the Ohio River and its tributaries flow across 14 states, where does the Ohio River start?
The Ohio River is one of the major rivers in the United States. It flows over 981 miles from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Cairo, Illinois, where it meets the Mississippi River. This historic river has played a significant role in the development of the region and continues to be an important resource today.
With that said, here are some cool facts about the Ohio River:
- The Ohio River consists of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
- The Ohio River flows through the borders of six different states: Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
- The Ohio River is the source of drinking water for over five million people in many different areas.
- More than 25 million people live along the Ohio River Basin.
- There are actually 20 dams on the Ohio River.
The headwaters of the Ohio River are at the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Ohio River then flows for 981 miles and ends in Cairo, Illinois. The Ohio River ends by flowing into the Mississippi River and is one of its many tributaries.
The Ohio River passes through six U.S. states in total. Do you wonder what it would look like on a map? Here’s a glimpse of it below. Zooming in will make it more detectable, but check out the meandering dotted line that travels southwest from Cincinnati for an idea.
After forming at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, the Ohio River flows through the Allegheny and Beaver counties. Next, it courses through the West Virginia–Ohio–Pennsylvania triple-state line before forming the border between West Virginia and Ohio.
At this point, it flows until it reaches Cincinnati and eventually forms the border of West Virginia and Kentucky. Its path also includes the borders of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Finally, the Ohio River ends and empties into the Mississippi River in Cairo, Illinois.
The Ohio River begins in Pennsylvania and eventually ends in Illinois. The other four states in which the river flows are:
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Ohio
- West Virginia
The Ohio River’s drainage basin spans 205,000 square miles. Despite the river only crossing six states, its basin spreads across 14 states. In reality, the river basin covers roughly 5% of the U.S. mainland, including many of the southeastern states and eastern sections of the Mississippi basin. The 14 states that the Ohio River basin covers include:
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Ohio
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Maryland
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Mississippi
Although Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina lie to the east of the Appalachian Mountains Continental Divide, the Ohio River basin still makes small inroads into these states. Notably, a small strip on the western border along the Youghiogheny River enters Maryland. The Ohio River basin covers much of southwest Virginia and the western part of North Carolina.
The average width of the Ohio River is narrow at about half a mile, but its widest point reaches roughly one mile. This point is at the Smithland Dam in Kentucky. Also, the Ohio River’s depth varies, with many parts differing due to human intervention in the form of dam construction.
On average, though, the Ohio River’s depth is 24 feet, with the deepest point of the river being 168 feet near Louisville, Kentucky. This Louisville area is also where many large shipping vessels travel up and down the Ohio River.
Just as the Ohio River starts in a specific area, it also gives life and leads to the spouting of many major cities near its banks. Many of these major cities include:
- Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania
- Cincinnati in Ohio
- Louisville in Kentucky
- Evansville in Indiana
- Huntington in West Virginia
Cincinnati, Louisville, and Pittsburgh are home to the main ports of the river. Also, because the Ohio River is almost 1,000 miles long, it is a significant transportation route for the states through which it courses. Besides, the Ohio River has a stable flow of water and only has one major obstacle, the Falls of Ohio close to Louisville.
As a result, authorities have built locks at the falls, controlling the descent and navigation of ships past the falls for commerce. Other than the falls, there are 13 dams and locks along the river, ensuring the smooth travel of vessels for longer distances. Ships transport coal, oil, steel, gravel, petroleum products, and manufactured goods up and down the Ohio River.
Fishing is a popular activity on the Ohio River. Anglers catch a selection of fish like largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rock bass, black bass, white bass, striped bass, sauger, walleye, blue catfish, channel catfish, and flathead catfish.
Bass are common in creeks during the spring and in deeper water during the summer. Sauger and walleye live in the tailwater areas during the spring, fall, and winter and in streams during the summer. Catfish are another species that make the Ohio River their home.
The Ohio River is where various endangered animals and wildlife live. Several endangered birds you can spot along the Ohio River include the Kirtland’s warblers and piping plover. An endangered fish that you can find in the Ohio River is the Scioto madtom. The Ohio River is also home to threatened marine life like club shell mussels, fan shell mussels, northern rifle shell mussels, and the pink mucket pearly mussel.
Mussels live throughout the Ohio River, with 45 different species of native freshwater mussels making this river their breeding grounds. These shellfish filter the river’s water and reduce silt, sediment, and pollutants in the river’s water as they feed.
You might also be lucky to spot two official state animals on the Ohio River. One is the spotted salamander , the official state amphibian of Ohio. Spotted salamanders live in woodlands around creeks, swamps, and ponds. The second is the bullfrog , the official state frog of Ohio. This frog is the largest in the U.S. and lives in ponds, slow streams, and marshes.
Mammals also live along the Ohio River. For instance, the carnivorous North American black bear lives along the Ohio River. This bear is known to hunt fish and other mammals and could attack humans, so be careful if you spot one. You might also see the white-tail deer here, the official state mammal of Ohio, with a population of over 600,000. | https://a-z-animals.com/blog/where-does-the-ohio-river-start/ | 150 |
where does the ohio river start and finish | Where Does The Ohio River Start, Is It Navigable? - Keystone Answers | Most everyone has heard of the Ohio River. But where does the Ohio River actually start?
The Ohio River starts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the Monongahela and the Allegheny Rivers meet. It flows southwest joining the Mississippi River near Cairo, Illinois, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The Ohio River is a navigable waterway vital to regional trade and commerce.
The Ohio (derived from a Seneca word) is integral to the economy of the states it flows through or borders. So how deep is the Ohio River? Is it freshwater or saltwater? Can you boat on the Ohio River? Discover more about the Ohio River in the following sections.
The Ohio River is one of the most important rivers in the United States . The river has played a significant role in the development of cities like Pittsburgh , Cincinnati, and Louisville as it connects these cities with the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. Even before modern industrial society existed, the Ohio River was a significant waterway.
The earliest users of the Ohio are believed to have been the Hopewell People , indigenous Americans who lived in the Ohio River Valley and across the eastern Americas between about 0 and 500 AD.
The Hopewell was a mound-building people known mainly for their massive and complex earthworks. However, the Hopewell People are also well-known for their interesting artwork. If you want to learn more, you should visit the National Historical Park dedicated to the Hopewell People next time you’re on the river.
The coming of European settlers to North America brought a new group of users to the Ohio River. One of the first known Europeans to travel along the Ohio River was a Frenchman named Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle , who navigated the river in 1669. Cavelier went on to explore more middle-American waterways before his unfortunate death at the hands of his own men in 1687.
In 1749, King George II of Britain approved the exploration of the headwaters of the Ohio near modern-day Pittsburgh. This action inevitably led to conflict with the French, who controlled the lands along the western run of the Ohio River. The dispute over the Ohio River was a major factor in the French and Indian War .
Eventually, the British wrested control of the Ohio River from the French. In 1774, to punish the rebellious colonies, Parliament passed legislation granting lands “east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River” to the French-speaking Catholics of the colony of Quebec. This act was a source of profound irritation to American colonists, so much so that the Quebec Act is sometimes considered one of the Intolerable Acts which led to the American Revolution.
In the 1800s, the Ohio River flourished as new settlements grew and expanded, sending human and material traffic up and down the river. Then, as the prelude to the American Civil War began brewing in the mid-1800s, the Ohio became a regular stop on the Underground Railroad as escaped slaves made their way to freedom in the Northern states.
The Ohio River remains critically important today. More than $43 billion worth of goods travels along the Ohio River every year. In Pittsburgh alone, more than 120 companies are located along the banks of the Ohio River and the immediately adjacent Monongahela.
The Ohio River is also important to agriculture. Millions of gallons of water from the Ohio are used to irrigate a variety of crops in farms throughout the Ohio River Valley. The river even powers multiple hydroelectric power plants, which generate about 5% of the total electricity used in the United States.
Unfortunately, not all users of the river are respectful of the environment. The Ohio River struggled with a serious pollution problem for a long time. Plants, animals, and fish along the Ohio died out. Finally, in the late 1950s, the Ohio River was so acidic that it would rust out 20-year boat hulls in less than four years.
After decades of sustained effort, the Ohio River of today is much cleaner . Fish, birds, and aquatic plants have returned to most sections of the river, and humans use the water for recreation all the time. However, some companies continue to discharge industrial waste into the river, and it is always a good idea to check with local authorities before eating fish from the river .
Keystone Answers Fun Fact: The Ohio River was once home to pirates! In the late 18th century, a band of pirates led by Samuel Mason began operating on the Ohio River near Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. The pirates were forced out by the Army in 1799, but continued operating until 1803, when Mason was captured and subsequently killed in an escape attempt.
Other Posts of Interest
Rivers are naturally flowing waterways that flow towards an ocean, lake, or another river. The US has over 250,000 rivers with an estimated 3,500,000 miles of riverways. You may be wondering exactly how the Ohio River ranks in that list.
The following table lists, in the order of their length, the top 10 longest rivers in the US, and the Ohio River has secured the number 10 spot. So even though the Ohio River is 981 miles long, it isn’t the longest in the US.
|Rank||River||Length||Drainage Area||States and Provinces Affected||Begins||Ends|
|1.||Mississippi||2,350 miles||1,260,000 mi2||US: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana||Itasca Lake, Minnesota||Gulf of Mexico, South of New Orleans, Louisiana|
|2.||Missouri||2,315 miles||529,350 mi2||US: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri||Missouri Headwaters State Park, Montana||Mississippi River, North of St. Louis, Missouri|
|3.||Yukon||1,980 miles||321,500 mi2||Canada: British Columbia, Yukon, and US: Alaska||Coastal Range Mountains, British Columbia, CA||Bering Sea, Alaska|
|4.||Rio Grande||1,896 miles||182,200 mi2||US: Colorado, New Mexico, Mexico: Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas, US: Texas||San Juan Mountain Range, Colorado||Gulf of Mexico, Brownsville, Texas|
|5.||Arkansas||1,469 miles||170,000 mi2||US: Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas||Leadville, Colorado||Mississippi River, Near Napoleon, Arkansas|
|6.||Colorado||1,450 miles||246,000 mi2||US: Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, Mexico: Baja California, and Sonora||La Poudre Pass Lake, Colorado||Sonoran Desert, Mexico|
|7.||Red||1,290 miles||93,000 mi2||US: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana||Texas Panhandle||Atchafalaya River, Near Simmesport, Louisiana|
|8.||Columbia||1,243 miles||258,000 mi2||Canada: British Columbia, US: Washington, and Oregon||Columbia Lake, British Columbia CA||Pacific Ocean, West of Astoria, Oregon|
|9.||Snake||1,078 miles||109,000 mi2||US: Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington||Two Ocean Plateau, Wyoming||Columbia River, Near Pasco, Washington|
|10.||Ohio||981 miles||203,940 mi2||US: Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois||Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania||Mississippi River, Cairo, Illinois|
All in all, the Ohio River runs for 981 miles and passes through or touches six states. From Pennsylvania, the river borders Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois before it joins the Mississippi River and eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Ohio River begins its course in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River. The Ohio River moves northwest and then sweeps southwest, defining the border between Ohio and West Virginia, then Ohio and Kentucky. From there, the river continues southwest, defining Kentucky’s border with Indiana and Illinois before emptying into the Mississippi River near Cairo, Illinois.
The barge is one of the most popular ways to ship freight along the Ohio River. Barges and towboats are familiar sights along the Ohio River, cruising along at about five miles per hour. Barges are frequently used to bring products like Pittsburgh steel , coal, oil, and other industrial goods to port.
The average barge can carry about 1,500 tons, or 3 million pounds, of cargo. Towboats usually push 15 barges at a time, which means that an average towboat/barge combo can weigh more than 45 million pounds. In other words, the average barge combo floating down the Ohio River weighs about twice as much as the White House!
Much like trains, barges do not stop especially fast and have a lot of mass. Therefore, boaters, paddlers, waterskiers, and swimmers should keep a respectful distance from barges.
The Ohio River is navigable. Large vessels, barges, and towboats operate on the river all the time. In addition to commercial boat traffic, the Ohio River is popular with anglers, recreational boaters, paddlers, and water enthusiasts of all kinds.
There are many locks and dams on the Ohio River that are operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and allow boat traffic to flow freely. Boaters must stay out of the restricted areas around the locks and dams and follow local port rules along the river, but otherwise, it is freely navigable.
The Ohio River is technically considered a federal waterway. As such, it is under the jurisdiction of the United States Coast Guard. However, the river is also under the jurisdiction of multiple local law enforcement agencies and is subject to state regulations.
Boaters should familiarize themselves with their prospective routes and the regulations that apply along them. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources website has a good summary of the rules of the river.
The depth of the Ohio River varies considerably along the river’s course, but the deepest section is located near Louisville, Kentucky. While the average depth of the Ohio River is about 24 feet, the section near Louisville runs about 130 feet deep! Louisville is also where the Ohio River is widest, spanning almost a mile between banks.
As the Ohio winds its way toward the Mississippi, it gradually becomes more and more shallow. Finally, at the junction of the Ohio and the Mississippi, the river is only about 20 feet deep.
The Ohio River is a freshwater river. Both the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers, which feed the Ohio, are freshwater rivers. The Mississippi, which the Ohio empties into, is also a freshwater river. There is no point at which the Ohio River comes into contact with salt water.
In fact, the fresh water of the Ohio River is a critical water source for more than 25 million people who live in the Ohio River Basin . More than 50 million gallons of water are drawn from the Ohio River daily, with more than 2 million destined for consumption. The river is also a vital source of fresh water for agriculture and industry.
The Ohio River is a vital waterway for commerce and recreation. Every day, barges push thousands of pounds of materials and products up and down the river, and pleasure-seekers use the river for boating, paddling, bird-watching, and water skiing. From its origin in Pittsburgh, the Ohio River flows to the Mississippi and the Gulf, connecting the great state of Pennsylvania with New Orleans and the rest of the world. | https://keystoneanswers.com/where-does-the-ohio-river-start-is-it-navigable/ | 150 |
where does the ohio river start and finish | Ohio River | river, United States | Ohio River , major river artery of the east-central United States . Formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at Pittsburgh, it flows northwest out of Pennsylvania , then in a general southwesterly direction to join the Mississippi River at Cairo , Illinois ( see photograph ), after a course of 981 miles (1,579 km). It marks several state boundaries: the Ohio–West Virginia , Ohio–Kentucky, Indiana–Kentucky, and Illinois–Kentucky. The Ohio River contributes more water to the Mississippi than does any other tributary and drains an area of 203,900 square miles (528,100 square km). The river’s valley is narrow, with an average width of less than 0.5 mile (0.8 km) between Pittsburgh and Wheeling (West Virginia), a little more than 1 mile (1.6 km) from Cincinnati (Ohio) to Louisville (Kentucky) and somewhat greater below Louisville.
The Ohio is navigable, and, despite seasonal fluctuations that occasionally reach flood proportions, its fairly uniform flow has supported important commerce since settlement first began. Following destructive floods at Johnstown , Pennsylvania, in 1889 and Portsmouth , Ohio, in 1937, the federal government built a series of flood-control dams. While not developed for hydropower in Ohio, the river, kept at a navigable depth of 9 feet (3 metres), carries cargoes of coal , oil, steel, and manufactured articles. It has a total fall of only 429 feet (130 metres), the one major hazard to navigation being the Falls of the Ohio at Louisville, where locks control a descent of about 24 feet (7 metres) within a distance of 2.5 miles (4 km).
The Ohio’s tributaries include the Tennessee , Cumberland , Kanawha , Big Sandy , Licking , Kentucky , and Green rivers from the south and the Muskingum , Miami , Wabash , and Scioto rivers from the north. Chief cities along the river, in addition to Pittsburgh, Cairo, Wheeling, and Louisville, are Steubenville , Marietta , Gallipolis , Portsmouth, and Cincinnati in Ohio; Madison , New Albany , Evansville , and Mount Vernon in Indiana; Parkersburg and Huntington in West Virginia; and Ashland , Covington , Owensboro , and Paducah in Kentucky .
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle , is said to have been the first European to see the Ohio, in 1669, and he descended it until obstructed by a waterfall (presumably the Falls at Louisville). In the 1750s the river’s strategic importance (especially the fork at Pittsburgh) in the struggle between the French and the English for possession of the interior of the continent became fully recognized. By the treaty of 1763 ending the French and Indian Wars , the English finally gained undisputed control of the territory along its banks. When (by an ordinance of 1787) the area was opened to settlement, most of the settlers entered the region down the headwaters of the Ohio. | https://www.britannica.com/place/Ohio-River | 150 |
where does the ohio river start and finish | Where Does The Ohio River Start, Is It Navigable? - Keystone Answers | Most everyone has heard of the Ohio River. But where does the Ohio River actually start?
The Ohio River starts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the Monongahela and the Allegheny Rivers meet. It flows southwest joining the Mississippi River near Cairo, Illinois, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The Ohio River is a navigable waterway vital to regional trade and commerce.
The Ohio (derived from a Seneca word) is integral to the economy of the states it flows through or borders. So how deep is the Ohio River? Is it freshwater or saltwater? Can you boat on the Ohio River? Discover more about the Ohio River in the following sections.
The Ohio River is one of the most important rivers in the United States . The river has played a significant role in the development of cities like Pittsburgh , Cincinnati, and Louisville as it connects these cities with the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. Even before modern industrial society existed, the Ohio River was a significant waterway.
The earliest users of the Ohio are believed to have been the Hopewell People , indigenous Americans who lived in the Ohio River Valley and across the eastern Americas between about 0 and 500 AD.
The Hopewell was a mound-building people known mainly for their massive and complex earthworks. However, the Hopewell People are also well-known for their interesting artwork. If you want to learn more, you should visit the National Historical Park dedicated to the Hopewell People next time you’re on the river.
The coming of European settlers to North America brought a new group of users to the Ohio River. One of the first known Europeans to travel along the Ohio River was a Frenchman named Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle , who navigated the river in 1669. Cavelier went on to explore more middle-American waterways before his unfortunate death at the hands of his own men in 1687.
In 1749, King George II of Britain approved the exploration of the headwaters of the Ohio near modern-day Pittsburgh. This action inevitably led to conflict with the French, who controlled the lands along the western run of the Ohio River. The dispute over the Ohio River was a major factor in the French and Indian War .
Eventually, the British wrested control of the Ohio River from the French. In 1774, to punish the rebellious colonies, Parliament passed legislation granting lands “east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River” to the French-speaking Catholics of the colony of Quebec. This act was a source of profound irritation to American colonists, so much so that the Quebec Act is sometimes considered one of the Intolerable Acts which led to the American Revolution.
In the 1800s, the Ohio River flourished as new settlements grew and expanded, sending human and material traffic up and down the river. Then, as the prelude to the American Civil War began brewing in the mid-1800s, the Ohio became a regular stop on the Underground Railroad as escaped slaves made their way to freedom in the Northern states.
The Ohio River remains critically important today. More than $43 billion worth of goods travels along the Ohio River every year. In Pittsburgh alone, more than 120 companies are located along the banks of the Ohio River and the immediately adjacent Monongahela.
The Ohio River is also important to agriculture. Millions of gallons of water from the Ohio are used to irrigate a variety of crops in farms throughout the Ohio River Valley. The river even powers multiple hydroelectric power plants, which generate about 5% of the total electricity used in the United States.
Unfortunately, not all users of the river are respectful of the environment. The Ohio River struggled with a serious pollution problem for a long time. Plants, animals, and fish along the Ohio died out. Finally, in the late 1950s, the Ohio River was so acidic that it would rust out 20-year boat hulls in less than four years.
After decades of sustained effort, the Ohio River of today is much cleaner . Fish, birds, and aquatic plants have returned to most sections of the river, and humans use the water for recreation all the time. However, some companies continue to discharge industrial waste into the river, and it is always a good idea to check with local authorities before eating fish from the river .
Keystone Answers Fun Fact: The Ohio River was once home to pirates! In the late 18th century, a band of pirates led by Samuel Mason began operating on the Ohio River near Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. The pirates were forced out by the Army in 1799, but continued operating until 1803, when Mason was captured and subsequently killed in an escape attempt.
Other Posts of Interest
Rivers are naturally flowing waterways that flow towards an ocean, lake, or another river. The US has over 250,000 rivers with an estimated 3,500,000 miles of riverways. You may be wondering exactly how the Ohio River ranks in that list.
The following table lists, in the order of their length, the top 10 longest rivers in the US, and the Ohio River has secured the number 10 spot. So even though the Ohio River is 981 miles long, it isn’t the longest in the US.
|Rank||River||Length||Drainage Area||States and Provinces Affected||Begins||Ends|
|1.||Mississippi||2,350 miles||1,260,000 mi2||US: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana||Itasca Lake, Minnesota||Gulf of Mexico, South of New Orleans, Louisiana|
|2.||Missouri||2,315 miles||529,350 mi2||US: Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri||Missouri Headwaters State Park, Montana||Mississippi River, North of St. Louis, Missouri|
|3.||Yukon||1,980 miles||321,500 mi2||Canada: British Columbia, Yukon, and US: Alaska||Coastal Range Mountains, British Columbia, CA||Bering Sea, Alaska|
|4.||Rio Grande||1,896 miles||182,200 mi2||US: Colorado, New Mexico, Mexico: Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas, US: Texas||San Juan Mountain Range, Colorado||Gulf of Mexico, Brownsville, Texas|
|5.||Arkansas||1,469 miles||170,000 mi2||US: Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas||Leadville, Colorado||Mississippi River, Near Napoleon, Arkansas|
|6.||Colorado||1,450 miles||246,000 mi2||US: Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, Mexico: Baja California, and Sonora||La Poudre Pass Lake, Colorado||Sonoran Desert, Mexico|
|7.||Red||1,290 miles||93,000 mi2||US: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana||Texas Panhandle||Atchafalaya River, Near Simmesport, Louisiana|
|8.||Columbia||1,243 miles||258,000 mi2||Canada: British Columbia, US: Washington, and Oregon||Columbia Lake, British Columbia CA||Pacific Ocean, West of Astoria, Oregon|
|9.||Snake||1,078 miles||109,000 mi2||US: Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington||Two Ocean Plateau, Wyoming||Columbia River, Near Pasco, Washington|
|10.||Ohio||981 miles||203,940 mi2||US: Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois||Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania||Mississippi River, Cairo, Illinois|
All in all, the Ohio River runs for 981 miles and passes through or touches six states. From Pennsylvania, the river borders Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois before it joins the Mississippi River and eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Ohio River begins its course in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River. The Ohio River moves northwest and then sweeps southwest, defining the border between Ohio and West Virginia, then Ohio and Kentucky. From there, the river continues southwest, defining Kentucky’s border with Indiana and Illinois before emptying into the Mississippi River near Cairo, Illinois.
The barge is one of the most popular ways to ship freight along the Ohio River. Barges and towboats are familiar sights along the Ohio River, cruising along at about five miles per hour. Barges are frequently used to bring products like Pittsburgh steel , coal, oil, and other industrial goods to port.
The average barge can carry about 1,500 tons, or 3 million pounds, of cargo. Towboats usually push 15 barges at a time, which means that an average towboat/barge combo can weigh more than 45 million pounds. In other words, the average barge combo floating down the Ohio River weighs about twice as much as the White House!
Much like trains, barges do not stop especially fast and have a lot of mass. Therefore, boaters, paddlers, waterskiers, and swimmers should keep a respectful distance from barges.
The Ohio River is navigable. Large vessels, barges, and towboats operate on the river all the time. In addition to commercial boat traffic, the Ohio River is popular with anglers, recreational boaters, paddlers, and water enthusiasts of all kinds.
There are many locks and dams on the Ohio River that are operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and allow boat traffic to flow freely. Boaters must stay out of the restricted areas around the locks and dams and follow local port rules along the river, but otherwise, it is freely navigable.
The Ohio River is technically considered a federal waterway. As such, it is under the jurisdiction of the United States Coast Guard. However, the river is also under the jurisdiction of multiple local law enforcement agencies and is subject to state regulations.
Boaters should familiarize themselves with their prospective routes and the regulations that apply along them. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources website has a good summary of the rules of the river.
The depth of the Ohio River varies considerably along the river’s course, but the deepest section is located near Louisville, Kentucky. While the average depth of the Ohio River is about 24 feet, the section near Louisville runs about 130 feet deep! Louisville is also where the Ohio River is widest, spanning almost a mile between banks.
As the Ohio winds its way toward the Mississippi, it gradually becomes more and more shallow. Finally, at the junction of the Ohio and the Mississippi, the river is only about 20 feet deep.
The Ohio River is a freshwater river. Both the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers, which feed the Ohio, are freshwater rivers. The Mississippi, which the Ohio empties into, is also a freshwater river. There is no point at which the Ohio River comes into contact with salt water.
In fact, the fresh water of the Ohio River is a critical water source for more than 25 million people who live in the Ohio River Basin . More than 50 million gallons of water are drawn from the Ohio River daily, with more than 2 million destined for consumption. The river is also a vital source of fresh water for agriculture and industry.
The Ohio River is a vital waterway for commerce and recreation. Every day, barges push thousands of pounds of materials and products up and down the river, and pleasure-seekers use the river for boating, paddling, bird-watching, and water skiing. From its origin in Pittsburgh, the Ohio River flows to the Mississippi and the Gulf, connecting the great state of Pennsylvania with New Orleans and the rest of the world. | https://keystoneanswers.com/where-does-the-ohio-river-start-is-it-navigable/ | 150 |
where does the ohio river start and finish | The Ohio River (U.S. National Park Service) | With the 1,200-mile extension of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail in May 2019, a fourth major North American river became an official part of the Trail – the Ohio River, joining the Mississippi, Missouri, and Columbia Rivers.
Beginning at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Ohio is formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. It ends 981 miles later at Cairo, Illinois when it empties into the Mississippi. The average depth is 24 feet, with the deepest section of 130 feet near Louisville, Kentucky.
The Ohio receives its name from the Iroquois word, “O-Y-O,” meaning “the great river.” France first claimed the watershed of “La Belle Viviere” (the beautiful river). England later controlled the same land based on a purchase from the Native tribes in 1744, which ultimately led to the French and Indian War from 1756 to 1763. During the late 18th century, the Ohio River served as the southern border of what would later be known as the Northwest Territory. It also was generally the dividing line between British settlements in Kentucky and Native communities in the Ohio Country.
As early settlers pushed into the Northwest Territory, most used the river as a way to transport their families and possessions, forming many new settlements along the banks, including Marietta, Steubenville, and Cincinnati. During the 19th century, the Ohio became an important commercial route for residents in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Farmers and manufacturers shipped their crops and goods on flatboats or barges downstream to the Mississippi River, eventually stopping in New Orleans where freight was loaded onto ocean-going vessels departing to eastern seaboard ports or international destinations.
The first dam was completed on the river in 1885. Today there are 20 dams along the entire river. Commercial traffic on the Ohio has increased from about 5 million tons of cargo in 1917 (the first year records were kept) to over 230 million tons per year today.
Beginning at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Ohio is formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. It ends 981 miles later at Cairo, Illinois when it empties into the Mississippi. The average depth is 24 feet, with the deepest section of 130 feet near Louisville, Kentucky.
The Ohio receives its name from the Iroquois word, “O-Y-O,” meaning “the great river.” France first claimed the watershed of “La Belle Viviere” (the beautiful river). England later controlled the same land based on a purchase from the Native tribes in 1744, which ultimately led to the French and Indian War from 1756 to 1763. During the late 18th century, the Ohio River served as the southern border of what would later be known as the Northwest Territory. It also was generally the dividing line between British settlements in Kentucky and Native communities in the Ohio Country.
As early settlers pushed into the Northwest Territory, most used the river as a way to transport their families and possessions, forming many new settlements along the banks, including Marietta, Steubenville, and Cincinnati. During the 19th century, the Ohio became an important commercial route for residents in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Farmers and manufacturers shipped their crops and goods on flatboats or barges downstream to the Mississippi River, eventually stopping in New Orleans where freight was loaded onto ocean-going vessels departing to eastern seaboard ports or international destinations.
The first dam was completed on the river in 1885. Today there are 20 dams along the entire river. Commercial traffic on the Ohio has increased from about 5 million tons of cargo in 1917 (the first year records were kept) to over 230 million tons per year today. | https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-ohio-river.htm | 150 |
where is great barrier reef located on a map | Great Barrier Reef | Map, Animals, Bleaching, & Facts | Great Barrier Reef , complex of coral reefs , shoals, and islets in the Pacific Ocean off the northeastern coast of Australia that is the longest and largest reef complex in the world. The Great Barrier Reef extends in roughly a northwest-southeast direction for more than 1,250 miles (2,000 km), at an offshore distance ranging from 10 to 100 miles (16 to 160 km), and its width ranges from 37 to 155 miles (60 to 250 km). The Great Barrier Reef has an area of some 135,000 square miles (350,000 square km), and it has been characterized , somewhat inaccurately, as the largest structure ever built by living creatures.
The reef actually consists of some 2,100 individual reefs and some 800 fringing reefs (formed around islands or bordering coastlines). Many are dry or barely awash at low tide ; some have islands of coral sand , or cays; and others fringe high islands or the mainland coast. In spite of this variety, the reefs share a common origin: each has been formed, over millions of years, from the skeletons and skeletal waste of a mass of living marine organisms. The “bricks” in the reef framework are formed by the calcareous remains of the tiny creatures known as coral polyps and hydrocorals, while the “cement” that binds these remains together is formed in large part by coralline algae and bryozoans . The interstices of this framework have been filled in by vast quantities of skeletal waste produced by the pounding of the waves and the depredations of boring organisms.
European exploration of the reef began in 1770, when the British explorer Capt. James Cook ran his ship aground on it. The work of charting channels and passages through the maze of reefs, begun by Cook, continued during the 19th century. The Great Barrier Reef Expedition of 1928–29 contributed important knowledge about coral physiology and the ecology of coral reefs. A modern laboratory on Heron Island continues scientific investigations, and several studies have been undertaken in other areas.
The reef has risen on the shallow shelf fringing the Australian continent , in warm waters that have enabled the corals to flourish (they cannot exist where average temperatures fall below 70 °F [21 °C]). Borings have established that reefs were growing on the continental shelf as early as the Miocene Epoch (23.0 million to 5.3 million years ago). Subsidence of the continental shelf has proceeded, with some reversals, since the early Miocene.
The water environment of the Great Barrier Reef is formed by the surface water layer of the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The reef waters show little seasonal variation: surface-water temperature is high, ranging from 70 to 100 °F (21 to 38 °C). The waters are generally crystal-clear, with submarine features clearly visible at depths of 100 feet (30 metres).
Forms of life include at least 450 species of hard coral as well as anemones , sponges , worms , gastropods , lobsters , crayfish , prawns , and crabs . More than 1,500 species of fishes and other vertebrates inhabit the reef. Some of the most common fishes include wrasses , damselfish , triggerfish , and angelfish , and larger species include rays and sharks (e.g., tiger sharks and whale sharks , the largest living fish). The reef is also home to six of the seven known species of sea turtles , more than a dozen sea snakes , and nearly two dozen species of birds .
The most destructive reef animal is the crown-of-thorns starfish ( Acanthaster planci ), which has reduced the colour and attraction of many of the central reefs by eating much of the living coral. Encrusting red algae Lithothamnion and Porolithon form the fortifying purplish red algal rim that is one of the Great Barrier Reef’s most characteristic features, while the green alga Halimeda flourishes almost everywhere. Above the surface, the plant life of the cays is very restricted, consisting of only some 30 to 40 species. Some varieties of mangroves occur in the northern cays.
In addition to its scientific interest, the reef has become increasingly important as a tourist attraction . Growing concern over the preservation of its natural heritage has led to increased controls on such potentially threatening activities as drilling for petroleum resources. The extensive use of tourist craft and the sustainability of commercial fishing were controversial matters in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The reef’s health, however, is also threatened by other factors. It is susceptible to periodic coral bleaching events—that is, the “whitening” of the coral skeleton, caused by breakdown of the coral’s symbiosis with algae called zooxanthellae . At least six mass bleaching events caused by climate change have taken place since 1998, resulting in the loss of substantial coral coverage. Some marine scientists noted that coral coverage on the reef fell by nearly 50 percent between 1985 and 2012 as a result of damage caused by coral bleaching, invasive species such as the crown-of-thorns starfish ( Acanthaster planci ), and tropical cyclones . In 2016 and 2017, bleaching resulted in coral coverage declines by up to one-third in the northern part of the reef. Another severe bleaching event in 2020 extended to the southern areas of the reef.
Supervision of the reef is largely the responsibility of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (declared in 1975), which encompasses the vast majority of the area. There are also smaller state and national parks. In 1981 the Great Barrier Reef was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List . | https://www.britannica.com/place/Great-Barrier-Reef | 151 |
where is great barrier reef located on a map | Great Barrier Reef | Map, Animals, Bleaching, & Facts | Great Barrier Reef , complex of coral reefs , shoals, and islets in the Pacific Ocean off the northeastern coast of Australia that is the longest and largest reef complex in the world. The Great Barrier Reef extends in roughly a northwest-southeast direction for more than 1,250 miles (2,000 km), at an offshore distance ranging from 10 to 100 miles (16 to 160 km), and its width ranges from 37 to 155 miles (60 to 250 km). The Great Barrier Reef has an area of some 135,000 square miles (350,000 square km), and it has been characterized , somewhat inaccurately, as the largest structure ever built by living creatures.
The reef actually consists of some 2,100 individual reefs and some 800 fringing reefs (formed around islands or bordering coastlines). Many are dry or barely awash at low tide ; some have islands of coral sand , or cays; and others fringe high islands or the mainland coast. In spite of this variety, the reefs share a common origin: each has been formed, over millions of years, from the skeletons and skeletal waste of a mass of living marine organisms. The “bricks” in the reef framework are formed by the calcareous remains of the tiny creatures known as coral polyps and hydrocorals, while the “cement” that binds these remains together is formed in large part by coralline algae and bryozoans . The interstices of this framework have been filled in by vast quantities of skeletal waste produced by the pounding of the waves and the depredations of boring organisms.
European exploration of the reef began in 1770, when the British explorer Capt. James Cook ran his ship aground on it. The work of charting channels and passages through the maze of reefs, begun by Cook, continued during the 19th century. The Great Barrier Reef Expedition of 1928–29 contributed important knowledge about coral physiology and the ecology of coral reefs. A modern laboratory on Heron Island continues scientific investigations, and several studies have been undertaken in other areas.
The reef has risen on the shallow shelf fringing the Australian continent , in warm waters that have enabled the corals to flourish (they cannot exist where average temperatures fall below 70 °F [21 °C]). Borings have established that reefs were growing on the continental shelf as early as the Miocene Epoch (23.0 million to 5.3 million years ago). Subsidence of the continental shelf has proceeded, with some reversals, since the early Miocene.
The water environment of the Great Barrier Reef is formed by the surface water layer of the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The reef waters show little seasonal variation: surface-water temperature is high, ranging from 70 to 100 °F (21 to 38 °C). The waters are generally crystal-clear, with submarine features clearly visible at depths of 100 feet (30 metres).
Forms of life include at least 450 species of hard coral as well as anemones , sponges , worms , gastropods , lobsters , crayfish , prawns , and crabs . More than 1,500 species of fishes and other vertebrates inhabit the reef. Some of the most common fishes include wrasses , damselfish , triggerfish , and angelfish , and larger species include rays and sharks (e.g., tiger sharks and whale sharks , the largest living fish). The reef is also home to six of the seven known species of sea turtles , more than a dozen sea snakes , and nearly two dozen species of birds .
The most destructive reef animal is the crown-of-thorns starfish ( Acanthaster planci ), which has reduced the colour and attraction of many of the central reefs by eating much of the living coral. Encrusting red algae Lithothamnion and Porolithon form the fortifying purplish red algal rim that is one of the Great Barrier Reef’s most characteristic features, while the green alga Halimeda flourishes almost everywhere. Above the surface, the plant life of the cays is very restricted, consisting of only some 30 to 40 species. Some varieties of mangroves occur in the northern cays.
In addition to its scientific interest, the reef has become increasingly important as a tourist attraction . Growing concern over the preservation of its natural heritage has led to increased controls on such potentially threatening activities as drilling for petroleum resources. The extensive use of tourist craft and the sustainability of commercial fishing were controversial matters in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The reef’s health, however, is also threatened by other factors. It is susceptible to periodic coral bleaching events—that is, the “whitening” of the coral skeleton, caused by breakdown of the coral’s symbiosis with algae called zooxanthellae . At least six mass bleaching events caused by climate change have taken place since 1998, resulting in the loss of substantial coral coverage. Some marine scientists noted that coral coverage on the reef fell by nearly 50 percent between 1985 and 2012 as a result of damage caused by coral bleaching, invasive species such as the crown-of-thorns starfish ( Acanthaster planci ), and tropical cyclones . In 2016 and 2017, bleaching resulted in coral coverage declines by up to one-third in the northern part of the reef. Another severe bleaching event in 2020 extended to the southern areas of the reef.
Supervision of the reef is largely the responsibility of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (declared in 1975), which encompasses the vast majority of the area. There are also smaller state and national parks. In 1981 the Great Barrier Reef was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List . | https://www.britannica.com/place/Great-Barrier-Reef | 151 |
where is great barrier reef located on a map | Where is the Great Barrier Reef Located? | The Great Barrier Reef is located off the east coast of the Australian state of Queensland , in the Coral Sea. The largest coral reef system on earth, the Great Barrier Reef is so huge that it can be seen from outer space. The reef has come to be noted for its astounding beauty, and tourists from all across the world visit the reef to catch a glimpse of the attractions it has to offer. The Great Barrier Reef, which has been called one of the seven natural wonders of the world by CNN, is the biggest single structure in the world that has been created by living organisms.
The Great Barrier Reef, which earned the UNESCO World Heritage Site tag in 1981, comprises some 900 islands that stretch for more than 1,400 miles, and 2,900 individual reefs. It has an area of 135,000 square miles. The Great Barrier Reef is composed of coral polyps, which are very minute organisms, and is home to exotic sea life and other natural attractions, such as 200 types of birds, 1,500 species of tropical fish, 20 kinds of reptiles, the world’s largest collection of corals, rays, and dolphins. Here visitors also come across giant clams which are over 120 years old. Among the numerous activities that one can indulge in at the Great Barrier Reef are snorkeling and scuba diving. Tourists can also take a scenic flight over the reef and witness its amazing beauty from above.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is responsible for the protection of a large part of the reef. With conservation the primary aim of the park, it helps in limiting the impact of human use, which includes fishing and tourism.
Related Maps and Info: | https://www.mapsofworld.com/answers/world/where-is-great-barrier-reef-located/ | 151 |
where is great barrier reef located on a map | Great Barrier Reef | Map, Animals, Bleaching, & Facts | Great Barrier Reef , complex of coral reefs , shoals, and islets in the Pacific Ocean off the northeastern coast of Australia that is the longest and largest reef complex in the world. The Great Barrier Reef extends in roughly a northwest-southeast direction for more than 1,250 miles (2,000 km), at an offshore distance ranging from 10 to 100 miles (16 to 160 km), and its width ranges from 37 to 155 miles (60 to 250 km). The Great Barrier Reef has an area of some 135,000 square miles (350,000 square km), and it has been characterized , somewhat inaccurately, as the largest structure ever built by living creatures.
The reef actually consists of some 2,100 individual reefs and some 800 fringing reefs (formed around islands or bordering coastlines). Many are dry or barely awash at low tide ; some have islands of coral sand , or cays; and others fringe high islands or the mainland coast. In spite of this variety, the reefs share a common origin: each has been formed, over millions of years, from the skeletons and skeletal waste of a mass of living marine organisms. The “bricks” in the reef framework are formed by the calcareous remains of the tiny creatures known as coral polyps and hydrocorals, while the “cement” that binds these remains together is formed in large part by coralline algae and bryozoans . The interstices of this framework have been filled in by vast quantities of skeletal waste produced by the pounding of the waves and the depredations of boring organisms.
European exploration of the reef began in 1770, when the British explorer Capt. James Cook ran his ship aground on it. The work of charting channels and passages through the maze of reefs, begun by Cook, continued during the 19th century. The Great Barrier Reef Expedition of 1928–29 contributed important knowledge about coral physiology and the ecology of coral reefs. A modern laboratory on Heron Island continues scientific investigations, and several studies have been undertaken in other areas.
The reef has risen on the shallow shelf fringing the Australian continent , in warm waters that have enabled the corals to flourish (they cannot exist where average temperatures fall below 70 °F [21 °C]). Borings have established that reefs were growing on the continental shelf as early as the Miocene Epoch (23.0 million to 5.3 million years ago). Subsidence of the continental shelf has proceeded, with some reversals, since the early Miocene.
The water environment of the Great Barrier Reef is formed by the surface water layer of the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The reef waters show little seasonal variation: surface-water temperature is high, ranging from 70 to 100 °F (21 to 38 °C). The waters are generally crystal-clear, with submarine features clearly visible at depths of 100 feet (30 metres).
Forms of life include at least 450 species of hard coral as well as anemones , sponges , worms , gastropods , lobsters , crayfish , prawns , and crabs . More than 1,500 species of fishes and other vertebrates inhabit the reef. Some of the most common fishes include wrasses , damselfish , triggerfish , and angelfish , and larger species include rays and sharks (e.g., tiger sharks and whale sharks , the largest living fish). The reef is also home to six of the seven known species of sea turtles , more than a dozen sea snakes , and nearly two dozen species of birds .
The most destructive reef animal is the crown-of-thorns starfish ( Acanthaster planci ), which has reduced the colour and attraction of many of the central reefs by eating much of the living coral. Encrusting red algae Lithothamnion and Porolithon form the fortifying purplish red algal rim that is one of the Great Barrier Reef’s most characteristic features, while the green alga Halimeda flourishes almost everywhere. Above the surface, the plant life of the cays is very restricted, consisting of only some 30 to 40 species. Some varieties of mangroves occur in the northern cays.
In addition to its scientific interest, the reef has become increasingly important as a tourist attraction . Growing concern over the preservation of its natural heritage has led to increased controls on such potentially threatening activities as drilling for petroleum resources. The extensive use of tourist craft and the sustainability of commercial fishing were controversial matters in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The reef’s health, however, is also threatened by other factors. It is susceptible to periodic coral bleaching events—that is, the “whitening” of the coral skeleton, caused by breakdown of the coral’s symbiosis with algae called zooxanthellae . At least six mass bleaching events caused by climate change have taken place since 1998, resulting in the loss of substantial coral coverage. Some marine scientists noted that coral coverage on the reef fell by nearly 50 percent between 1985 and 2012 as a result of damage caused by coral bleaching, invasive species such as the crown-of-thorns starfish ( Acanthaster planci ), and tropical cyclones . In 2016 and 2017, bleaching resulted in coral coverage declines by up to one-third in the northern part of the reef. Another severe bleaching event in 2020 extended to the southern areas of the reef.
Supervision of the reef is largely the responsibility of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (declared in 1975), which encompasses the vast majority of the area. There are also smaller state and national parks. In 1981 the Great Barrier Reef was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List . | https://www.britannica.com/place/Great-Barrier-Reef | 151 |
where is great barrier reef located on a map | Great Barrier Reef - Wikipedia | For other uses, see Great Barrier Reef (disambiguation) .
|UNESCO World Heritage Site|
|Location||Off the east coast of the Queensland mainland, Australia|
|Criteria||Natural: vii, viii, ix, x|
|Reference||154|
|Inscription||1981 (5th Session )|
|Area||34,870,000 ha|
|Website|| www |
|Coordinates||18°17′S 147°42′E Coordinates : 18°17′S 147°42′E|
Locator map of the protected area
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, [1] [2] composed of over 2,900 individual reefs [3] and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres (1,400 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). [4] [5] The reef is located in the Coral Sea , off the coast of Queensland , Australia , separated from the coast by a channel 100 miles wide in places and over 200 feet deep. [6] The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. [7] This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps . [8] It supports a wide diversity of life and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. [1] [2] CNN labelled it one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World in 1997. [9] Australian World Heritage places included it in its list in 2007. [10] The Queensland National Trust named it a state icon of Queensland in 2006. [11]
A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park , which helps to limit the impact of human use, such as fishing and tourism. Other environmental pressures on the reef and its ecosystem include runoff of manmade pollutants, climate change accompanied by mass coral bleaching , dumping of dredging sludge and cyclic population outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish . [12] According to a study published in October 2012 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , the reef has lost more than half its coral cover since 1985, a finding reaffirmed by a 2020 study which found over half of the reef's coral cover to have been lost between 1995 and 2017, with the effects of a widespread 2020 bleaching event not yet quantified. [13] [14]
The Great Barrier Reef has long been known to and used by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and is an important part of local groups' cultures and spirituality. The reef is a very popular destination for tourists, especially in the Whitsunday Islands and Cairns regions. Tourism is an important economic activity for the region, generating over AUD$ 3 billion per year. [15] In November 2014, Google launched Google Underwater Street View in 3D of the Great Barrier Reef. [16]
A March 2016 report stated that coral bleaching was more widespread than previously thought, seriously affecting the northern parts of the reef as a result of warming ocean temperatures . [17] In October 2016, Outside published an obituary for the reef; [18] the article was criticized for being premature and hindering efforts to bolster the resilience of the reef. [19] In March 2017, the journal Nature published a paper showing that huge sections of an 800-kilometre (500 mi) stretch in the northern part of the reef had died in the course of 2016 of high water temperatures, an event that the authors put down to the effects of global climate change. [20] The percentage of baby corals being born on the Great Barrier Reef dropped drastically in 2018 and scientists are describing it as the early stage of a "huge natural selection event unfolding". Many of the mature breeding adults died in the bleaching events of 2016–17, leading to low coral birth rates. The types of corals that reproduced also changed, leading to a "long-term reorganisation of the reef ecosystem if the trend continues." [21]
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (section 54) stipulates an Outlook Report on the Reef's health, pressures, and future every five years. The last report was published in 2019. [22] In March 2022, another mass bleaching event has been confirmed, which raised further concerns about the future of this reef system, especially when considering the possible effects of El Niño weather phenomenon. [23]
The Australian Institute of Marine Science conducts annual surveys of the Great Barrier Reef's status, and the 2022 report showed the greatest recovery in 36 years. It is mainly due to the regrowth of two-thirds of the reef by the fast-growing Acropora coral, which is the dominant coral there. [24]
The Great Barrier Reef is a distinct feature of the East Australian Cordillera division. It reaches from Torres Strait (between Bramble Cay , its northernmost island, and the south coast of Papua New Guinea ) in the north to the unnamed passage between Lady Elliot Island (its southernmost island) and Fraser Island in the south. Lady Elliot Island is located 1,915 km (1,190 mi) southeast of Bramble Cay as the crow flies . [25] It includes the smaller Murray Islands . [26]
The plate tectonic theory indicates Australia has moved northwards at a rate of 7 cm (2.8 in) per year, starting during the Cenozoic . [27] [28] : 18 Eastern Australia experienced a period of tectonic uplift , which moved the drainage divide in Queensland 400 km (250 mi) inland. Also during this time, Queensland experienced volcanic eruptions leading to central and shield volcanoes and basalt flows. [28] : 19 Some of these became volcanic islands . [28] : 26 After the Coral Sea Basin formed, coral reefs began to grow in the Basin, but until about 25 million years ago, northern Queensland was still in temperate waters south of the tropics—too cool to support coral growth. [28] : 27 The Great Barrier Reef's development history is complex; after Queensland drifted into tropical waters, it was largely influenced by reef growth and decline as sea level changed. [28] : 27–28
Reefs can increase in diameter by 1 to 3 centimetres (0.39 to 1.18 in) per year, and grow vertically anywhere from 1 to 25 cm (0.39 to 9.84 in) per year; however, they grow only above a depth of 150 metres (490 ft) due to their need for sunlight, and cannot grow above sea level. [29] When Queensland edged into tropical waters 24 million years ago, some coral grew, [28] : 29 but a sedimentation regime quickly developed with erosion of the Great Dividing Range ; creating river deltas , oozes and turbidites , unsuitable conditions for coral growth. 10 million years ago, the sea level significantly lowered, which further enabled sedimentation. The reef's substrate may have needed to build up from the sediment until its edge was too far away for suspended sediments to inhibit coral growth. In addition, approximately 400,000 years ago there was a particularly warm Interglacial period with higher sea levels and a 4 °C (7 °F) water temperature change. [28] : 37
The land that formed the substrate of the current Great Barrier Reef was a coastal plain formed from the eroded sediments of the Great Dividing Range with some larger hills (most of which were themselves remnants of older reefs [30] or, in rare cases, volcanoes [28] : 26 ). [28] : 18 The Reef Research Centre, a Cooperative Research Centre , has found coral 'skeleton' deposits that date back half a million years. [31] The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) considers the earliest evidence of complete reef structures to have been 600,000 years ago. [32] According to the GBRMPA, the current, living reef structure is believed to have begun growing on the older platform about 20,000 years ago. [32] The Australian Institute of Marine Science agrees, placing the beginning of the growth of the current reef at the time of the Last Glacial Maximum . At around that time, sea level was 120 metres (390 ft) lower than it is today. [30]
From 20,000 years ago until 6,000 years ago, sea level rose steadily around the world. As it rose, the corals could then grow higher on the newly submerged maritime margins of the hills of the coastal plain. By around 13,000 years ago the sea level was only 60 metres (200 ft) lower than the present day, and corals began to surround the hills of the coastal plain, which were, by then, continental islands . As the sea level rose further still, most of the continental islands were submerged. The corals could then overgrow the submerged hills, to form the present cays and reefs. Sea level here has not risen significantly in the last 6,000 years. [30] The CRC Reef Research Centre estimates the age of the present, living reef structure at 6,000 to 8,000 years old. [31] The shallow water reefs that can be seen in air-photographs and satellite images cover an area of 20,679 km 2 , most (about 80%) of which [33] has grown on top of limestone platforms that are relics of past (Pleistocene) phases of reef growth. [28]
The remains of an ancient barrier reef similar to the Great Barrier Reef can be found in The Kimberley , Western Australia. [34]
The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area has been divided into 70 bioregions , [35] of which 30 are reef bioregions. [36] [37] In the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef, ribbon reefs and deltaic reefs have formed; these structures are not found in the rest of the reef system. [31] A previously undiscovered reef, 500 meters tall and 1.5 km wide at the base, was found in the northern area in 2020. [38] There are no atolls in the system, [28] : 7 and reefs attached to the mainland are rare. [28] : 18
Fringing reefs are distributed widely, but are most common towards the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef, attached to high islands, for example, the Whitsunday Islands . Lagoonal reefs are found in the southern Great Barrier Reef, and further north, off the coast of Princess Charlotte Bay . Crescentic reefs are the most common shape of reef in the middle of the system, for example the reefs surrounding Lizard Island . Crescentic reefs are also found in the far north of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, and in the Swain Reefs ( 20 – 22 degrees south ). Planar reefs are found in the northern and southern parts, near Cape York Peninsula , Princess Charlotte Bay, and Cairns. Most of the islands on the reef are found on planar reefs. [28] : 158–160
Wonky holes can have localised impact on the reef, providing upwellings of fresh water, sometimes rich in nutrients contributing to eutrophication . [39] [40]
The Great Barrier Reef supports an extraordinary diversity of life, including many vulnerable or endangered species , some of which may be endemic to the reef system. [41] [42]
Thirty species of cetaceans have been recorded in the Great Barrier Reef, including the dwarf minke whale , Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin , and the humpback whale . Large populations of dugongs live there. [42] [43] [44] More than 1,500 fish species live on the reef, including the clownfish , red bass , red-throat emperor, and several species of snapper and coral trout . [43] Forty-nine species mass spawn , while eighty-four other species spawn elsewhere in their range. [45] Seventeen species of sea snake live on the Great Barrier Reef in warm waters up to 50 metres (160 ft) deep and are more common in the southern than in the northern section. None found in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area are endemic, nor are any endangered. [46]
Six species of sea turtles come to the reef to breed: the green sea turtle , leatherback sea turtle , hawksbill turtle , loggerhead sea turtle , flatback turtle , and the olive ridley . The green sea turtles on the Great Barrier Reef have two genetically distinct populations , one in the northern part of the reef and the other in the southern part. [47] Fifteen species of seagrass in beds attract the dugongs and turtles, [43] and provide fish habitat. [28] : 133 The most common genera of seagrasses are Halophila and Halodule . [48]
Saltwater crocodiles live in mangrove and salt marshes on the coast near the reef. [49] Nesting has not been reported, and the salt water crocodile population in the GBRWHA is wide-ranging but low density. [46] Around 125 species of shark , stingray , skates or chimaera live on the reef. [50] [51] Close to 5,000 species of mollusc have been recorded on the reef, including the giant clam and various nudibranchs and cone snails . [43] Forty-nine species of pipefish and nine species of seahorse have been recorded. [46] At least seven species of frog inhabit the islands. [52]
215 species of birds (including 22 species of seabirds and 32 species of shorebirds) visit the reef or nest or roost on the islands, [28] : 450–451 including the white-bellied sea eagle and roseate tern . [43] Most nesting sites are on islands in the northern and southern regions of the Great Barrier Reef, with 1.4 to 1.7 million birds using the sites to breed. [53] [54] The islands of the Great Barrier Reef also support 2,195 known plant species; three of these are endemic. The northern islands have 300–350 plant species which tend to be woody, whereas the southern islands have 200 which tend to be herbaceous; the Whitsunday region is the most diverse, supporting 1,141 species. The plants are propagated by birds. [52]
There are at least 330 species of ascidians on the reef system with the diameter of 1–10 cm (0.4–4 in). Between 300 and 500 species of bryozoans live on the reef. [51] Four hundred coral species, both hard corals and soft corals inhabit the reef. [43] The majority of these spawn gametes , breeding in mass spawning events that are triggered by the rising sea temperatures of spring and summer, the lunar cycle, and the diurnal cycle. Reefs in the inner Great Barrier Reef spawn during the week after the full moon in October, while the outer reefs spawn in November and December. [55] Its common soft corals belong to 36 genera. [56] Five hundred species of marine algae or seaweed live on the reef, [43] including thirteen species of genus Halimeda , which deposit calcareous mounds up to 100 metres (110 yd) wide, creating mini-ecosystems on their surface which have been compared to rainforest cover. [28] : 185
Climate change , pollution, crown-of-thorns starfish and fishing are the primary threats to the health of this reef system. Other threats include shipping accidents, oil spills , and tropical cyclones. [57] Skeletal Eroding Band , a disease of bony corals caused by the protozoan Halofolliculina corallasia , affects 31 coral species. [58] According to a 2012 study by the National Academy of Sciences , since 1985, the Great Barrier Reef has lost more than half of its corals with two-thirds of the loss occurring from 1998 due to the factors listed before. [59]
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority considers the greatest threat to the Great Barrier Reef to be climate change, causing ocean warming which increases coral bleaching . [60] [61] Mass coral bleaching events due to marine heatwaves occurred in the summers of 1998, 2002, 2006, 2016, 2017 and 2020, [62] [13] [63] and coral bleaching is expected to become an annual occurrence. [64] In 2020, a study found that the Great Barrier Reef has lost more than half of its corals since 1995 due to warmer seas driven by climate change. [63] [65] As global warming continues, corals will not be able to keep up with increasing ocean temperatures. Coral bleaching events lead to increased disease susceptibility, which causes detrimental ecological effects for reef communities. [66]
In July 2017 UNESCO published in a draft decision, expressing serious concern about the impact of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. The draft decision also warned Australia that it will not meet the targets of the Reef 2050 report without considerable work to improve water quality. [67]
Climate change has implications for other forms of reef life—some fish's preferred temperature range leads them to seek new habitat, thus increasing chick mortality in predatory seabirds. Climate change will also affect the sea turtle's population and available habitat. [68]
Bleaching events in benthic coral communities (deeper than 20 metres or 66 feet) in the Great Barrier reef are not as well documented as those at shallower depths, but recent research has shown that benthic communities are just as negatively impacted in the face of rising ocean temperatures. Five Great Barrier Reef species of large benthic corals were found bleached under elevated temperatures, affirming that benthic corals are vulnerable to thermal stress. [69]
Another key threat faced by the Great Barrier Reef is pollution and declining water quality . The rivers of north-eastern Australia pollute the Reef during tropical flood events. Over 90% of this pollution comes from farm runoff . [70] 80% of the land adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef is used for farming including intensive cropping of sugar cane, and major beef cattle grazing. Farming practices damage the reef due to overgrazing , increased run-off of agricultural sediments, nutrients and chemicals including fertilisers , herbicides and pesticides representing a major health risk for the coral and biodiversity of the reefs. [71]
According to a 2016 report, while higher regulation contributes to less overall pollution from "other land uses, such as industrial, mining, port development, dredging and urban development", these can still be locally significant. [72] Sediments containing high levels of copper and other heavy metals sourced from the Ok Tedi Mine in Papua New Guinea are a potential pollution risk for the far northern Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait regions. [73] Some 67% of corals died in the reef's worst-hit northern section, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies report said. [74]
The runoff problem is exacerbated by the loss of coastal wetlands which act as a natural filter for toxins and help deposit sediment. [75] [76] [77] It is thought that the poor water quality is due to increased light and oxygen competition from algae . [78]
Farming fertiliser runoff release nitrogen , phosphorus , and potassium into the oceanic ecosystem, and these limiting nutrients cause massive algal growth which eventually leads to a reduction in oxygen available for other creatures in a process called eutrophication . This decreases the biodiversity in the affected areas, altering the species composition . A study by Katharina Fabricius and Glen Death of Australian Institute of Marine Science found that hard corals numbers were almost double on reefs that were far from agricultural areas. [71]
Fertilizers also increase the amount of phytoplankton available for the crown-of-thorns starfish larvae to consume. A study showed that a doubling of the chlorophyll in the water leads to a tenfold increase in the crown-of-thorns starfish larvae's survival rate. [71]
Sediment runoff from farming carries chemicals into the reef environment also reduces the amount of light available to the corals decreasing their ability to extract energy from their environment. [71]
Pesticides used in farming are made up of heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic and other toxins are released into the wider environment due to erosion of farm soil, which has a detrimental effect on the coral. [71]
Mining company Queensland Nickel discharged nitrate-laden water into the Great Barrier Reef in 2009 and 2011 – on the later occasion releasing 516 tonnes (508 long tons; 569 short tons) of waste water. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) stated "We have strongly encouraged the company to investigate options that do not entail releasing the material to the environment and to develop a management plan to eliminate this potential hazard; however, GBRMPA does not have legislative control over how the Yabulu tailings dam is managed". [79]
The crown-of-thorns starfish preys on coral polyps. Large outbreaks of these starfish can devastate reefs. In 2000, an outbreak contributed to a loss of 66% of live coral cover on sampled reefs in a study by the Reef Research Centre (RRC). [80] Outbreaks are believed to occur in natural cycles, worsened by poor water quality and overfishing of the starfish's predators. [80] [81]
The unsustainable overfishing of keystone species , such as the giant Triton , can disrupt food chains vital to reef life. Fishing also impacts the reef through increased water pollution from boats, by-catch of unwanted species (such as dolphins and turtles) and habitat destruction from trawling , anchors and nets. [82] As of the middle of 2004, approximately one-third of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is protected from species removal of any kind, including fishing, without written permission. [83]
Shipping accidents are a pressing concern, as several commercial shipping routes pass through the Great Barrier Reef. [84] Although the route through the Great Barrier Reef is not easy, reef pilots consider it safer than outside the reef in the event of mechanical failure, since a ship can sit safely while being repaired. [85] There have been over 1,600 known shipwrecks in the Great Barrier Reef region. [86] On 3 April 2010, the bulk coal carrier Shen Neng 1 ran aground on Douglas Shoals, [87] spilling up to four tonnes of oil into the water and causing extensive damage to the reef. [88]
Main article: Shark culling
The government of Queensland has a "shark control" program ( shark culling ) that deliberately kills sharks throughout Queensland, including in the Great Barrier Reef. [89] [90] Environmentalists and scientists say that this program harms the marine ecosystem ; they also say it is "outdated, cruel and ineffective". [90] The Queensland "shark control" program uses shark nets and drum lines with baited hooks to kill sharks in the Great Barrier Reef – there are 173 lethal drum lines in the Great Barrier Reef. [89] [90] [91] In Queensland, sharks found alive on the baited hooks are shot. [92] Queensland's "shark control" program killed about 50,000 sharks from 1962 to 2018. [93] Also, Queensland's "shark control" program has also killed many other animals (such as dolphins and turtles ) — the program killed 84,000 marine animals from 1962 to 2015, including in the Great Barrier Reef. [94] In 2018, Humane Society International filed a lawsuit against the government of Queensland to stop shark culling in the Great Barrier Reef. [91]
In March 2015, the Australian and Queensland's governments formed a plan for the protection and preservation of the reef's universal heritage until 2050. This 35 years plan, titled "Reef 2050 Plan" is a document proposing possible measures for the long-term management of the pollution, climate change and other issues that threaten the life span and value of this global heritage. The plan contains all the elements for measurement and improvements, including; long-term sustainability plan, water quality improvement plan and the investment plan for the protection and preservation of The Reef until 2050. [95]
However, whereas the 2050 plan aims to incorporate protective measures such as improving water quality, reef restoration, killing of predatory starfish, it does not incorporate additional measures to address what may be the root cause the problem – climate change, which is caused by greenhouse gas emissions. As such, experts doubted whether it would be enough to save the fragile environment. [67] [96] [97] Another issue is that the time left to the 1.5 °C warming threshold (the temperature limit that coral reefs can still cope with [98] ) is very limited. [99]
As part of the Reef 2050 plan, an AUD$443 million grant was given to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation in 2018. The announcement of the grant was subject to backlash as the grant had avoided proper tender and transparency processes.
The Great Barrier Reef contributes to the overall wellbeing of the marine biome. [100] Numerous species of aquatic plants, fish and megafauna use the reef for feeding, shelter and mating. [101] Threats such as ocean acidification , pollution runoff and outbreaks of destructive species like the crown-of-thorns starfish have brought about the decline of this ecosystem. [102] These threats to the reef are not only a danger to the organisms inhabiting it, but also the economy of this region, a large part of which relies on revenue from ecotourism of the Great Barrier Reef. [103]
The Australian government has had the goal of protecting this World Heritage Site since 1972 when they created The Australian Institute of Marine Science. [104] The Australian and Queensland governments have contributed about $142.5 million to their National Environmental Science Program which is how they've collected much of their data regarding threats to the Great Barrier Reef. [104] In addition, the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan was announced in 2018 in order to help transition local communities, agricultural organizations and industries to more sustainable practices. [105] This plan will join the Queensland government and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to manage the amounts of runoff that reach the Great Barrier Reef as well as mitigating crown-of-thorns starfish population flare-ups. [105]
The Great Barrier Reef has long been known to and used by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Aboriginal Australians have been living in the area for at least 40,000 years, [106] and Torres Strait Islanders since about 10,000 years ago. [107] For these 70 or so clan groups , the reef is also an important cultural feature. [108]
In 1768 Louis de Bougainville found the reef during an exploratory mission, but did not claim the area for the French. [109] On 11 June 1770, HM Bark Endeavour , captained by explorer James Cook , ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef, sustaining considerable damage. Lightening the ship and re-floating it during an incoming tide eventually saved it. [110] One of the most famous wrecks was HMS Pandora , which sank on 29 August 1791, killing 35 men. The Queensland Museum has led archaeological digs to wreck of Pandora since 1983. [111] Because the reef had no atolls, it was largely unstudied in the 19th century. [28] : 7 During this time, some of the reef's islands were mined for deposits of guano , and lighthouses were built as beacons throughout the system. [28] : 452 as in Raine Island , the earliest example. [112] In 1922, the Great Barrier Reef Committee began carrying out much of the early research on the reef. [28] : 9
Royal Commissions disallowed oil drilling in the Great Barrier Reef, in 1975 the Government of Australia created the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and prohibited various activities. [113] The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park does not include the entire Great Barrier Reef Province. [25] The park is managed, in partnership with the Government of Queensland , through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to ensure that it is used in a sustainable manner. A combination of zoning , management plans, permits, education and incentives (such as eco-tourism certification) are employed in the effort to conserve the reef. [57] [114]
In 1999, the Australian Parliament passed the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act , which improved the operation of national environmental law by providing guidance about regional biodiversity conservation priorities. The marine bioregional planning process came from the implementation of this law. This process conserves marine biodiversity by considering the whole ecosystem a species is in and how different species interact in the marine environment.
There are two steps to this process. The first step is to identify regional conservation priorities in the five (currently) different marine regions. The second step is to identify marine reserves (protected areas or marine parks) to be added to Australia's National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas. Like protected areas on land, marine reserves are created to protect biodiversity for generations to come. Marine reserves are identified based on criteria written in a document created by Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council called "Guidelines for establishing the national representative system of marine protected areas", also known as just "the Guidelines". These guidelines are nationally recognised and implemented at the local level based on the Australian policy for implementation outlined in the "Goals and Principles for the Establishment of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas in Commonwealth Waters". These policies are in place to make sure that a marine reserve is only added to the NRSMPA after careful evaluation of different data.
The priorities for each region are created based on human and environmental threats and the Marine Bioregional Plans are drafted to address these priorities. To assess different region's priorities, three steps are taken, first, a bioregional profile is created, second, a bioregional plan is drafted, and third, the plan is finalised. After the plan is finalised, activity in different bioregions may become limited based on particular threats an activity may pose. [115]
In 2001, the GBRMPA released a report about the declining water quality in the Great Barrier Reef and detailed the importance of this issue. In response to this report, in 2003, the Australian and Queensland governments launched a joint initiative to improve the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef. [116] The decline in the quality of water over the past 150 years (due to development) has contributed to coral bleaching, algal blooms , and pesticide pollution . These forms of pollution have made the reef less resilient to climate change.
When the plan was introduced in October 2003, it originally contained 65 actions built on previous legislation. Their immediate goal was to halt and reverse the decline in water quality entering the reef by 2013. By 2020, they hope that the quality of the water entering in the reef improves enough so that it doesn't have a detrimental impact on the health of the Great Barrier Reef. To achieve these goals they decided to reduce pollutants in the water entering the reef and to rehabilitate and conserve areas of the reef that naturally help reduce water pollutants. To achieve the objectives described above, this plan focuses on non-point sources of pollution, which cannot be traced to a single source such as a waste outlet.
The plan specifically targets nutrients, pesticides and sediment that make their way into the reef as a result of agricultural activities. Other non-point sources of pollution that are attributed to urban areas are covered under different legislation. In 2009, the plan was updated. The updated version states that to date, none of the efforts undertaken to improve the quality of water entering the reef has been successful. The new plan attempts to address this issue by "targeting priority outcomes, integrating industry and community initiatives and incorporating new policy and regulatory frameworks (Reef Plan 5)". This updated version has improved the clarity of the previous plan and targets set by that plan, have improved accountability and further improved monitoring and assessment. The 2009 report found that 41 out of the 65 actions met their original goals, however, 18 were not progressing well according to evaluation criteria as well as 6 were rated as having unsatisfactory levels of progress.
Some key achievements made since the plan's initial passing in 2003 were the establishment of the Reef Quality Partnership to set targets, report findings and monitor progress towards targets, improved land condition by landowners was rewarded with extended leases, Water Quality Improvement Plans were created to identify regional targets and identified management changes that needed to be made to reach those targets, Nutrient Management Zones have been created to combat sediment loss in particular areas, education programs have been started to help gather support for sustainable agriculture, changes to land management practices have taken place through the implementation of the Farm Management Systems and codes of practice, the creation of the Queensland Wetland program and other achievements were made to help improve the water quality flowing into the coral reefs.
A taskforce of scientists was also created to assess the impact of different parts of the plan on the quality of water flowing into the coral reefs. They found that many of the goals have yet to be reached but found more evidence that states that improving the water quality of the Great Barrier Reef will improve its resilience to climate change. The Reefocus summit in 2008, which is also detailed in the report, came to similar conclusions. After this, a stakeholder working group was formed that worked between several groups as well as the Australian and Queensland governments to update reef goals and objectives. The updated version of the plan focuses on strategic priority areas and actions to achieve 2013 goals. Also quantitative targets have been made to critically assess whether targets are being met.
Some examples of the water quality goals outlined by this plan are that by 2013, there will be a 50% reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus loads at the end of catchments and that by 2020, there will be a reduction in sediment load by 20%. The plan also outlines a number of steps that must be taken by landholders to help improve grazing, soil, nutrient, and chemical management practices. There are also a number of supporting initiatives to take place outlined in the plan to help create a framework to improve land use practices which will in turn improve water quality.
Through these means the governments of Australia and Queensland hope to improve water quality by 2013. The 2013 outlook report and revised water quality plan will assess what needs to be done in the future to improve water quality and the livelihoods of the wildlife that resides there. [117]
In July 2004, a new zoning plan took effect for the entire Marine Park, and has been widely acclaimed as a new global benchmark for marine ecosystem conservation. [118] The rezoning was based on the application of systematic conservation planning techniques, using marxan software. [119] While protection across the Marine Park was improved, the highly protected zones increased from 4.5% to over 33.3%. [120] At the time, it was the largest Marine Protected Area in the world, although in 2006, the new Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument became the largest. [121]
In 2006, a review of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act of 1975 recommended that there should be no further zoning plan changes until 2013, and that every five years, a peer-reviewed outlook report should be published, examining the reef's health, management, and environmental pressures. [5] [122] In each outlook report, several assessments are required. Each assessment has a set of assessment criteria that allows for better presentation of available evidence. Each assessment is judged by these criteria and given a grade. Every outlook report follows the same judging and grading process so that information can be tracked over time. No new research is done to produce the report. Only readily available information goes into the report so little of what is known about the Reef is actually featured in each outlook report. [123]
In December 2013, Greg Hunt , the Australian environment minister , approved a plan for dredging to create three shipping terminals as part of the construction of a coalport. According to corresponding approval documents, the process will create around 3 million cubic metres of dredged seabed that will be dumped within the Great Barrier Reef marine park area. [124]
On 31 January 2014, the GBRMPA issued a dumping permit that will allow three million cubic metres of sea bed from Abbot Point , north of Bowen, to be transported and unloaded in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Potential significant harms have been identified in relation to dredge spoil and the process of churning up the sea floor in the area and exposing it to air: firstly, new research shows the finer particles of dredge spoil can cloud the water and block sunlight, thereby starving sea grass and coral up to distances of 80 km away from the point of origin due to the actions of wind and currents. Furthermore, dredge spoil can literally smother reef or sea grass to death, while storms can repeatedly resuspend these particles so that the harm caused is ongoing; secondly, disturbed sea floor can release toxic substances into the surrounding environment. [125]
The dredge spoil from the Abbot Point port project is to be dumped 24 kilometres (15 mi) away, near Bowen in north Queensland, and the approval from the Authority will result in the production of an extra 70 million tonnes of coal annually, worth between A$1.4 billion and $2.8 billion. [125] Authority chairman, Dr Russell Reichelt, stated after the confirmation of the approval:
This approval is in line with the agency's view that port development along the Great Barrier Reef coastline should be limited to existing ports. As a deepwater port that has been in operation for nearly 30 years, Abbot Point is better placed than other ports along the Great Barrier Reef coastline to undertake expansion as the capital and maintenance dredging required will be significantly less than what would be required in other areas. It's important to note the seafloor of the approved disposal area consists of sand, silt and clay and does not contain coral reefs or seagrass beds. [125]
The approval was provided with a corresponding set of 47 new environmental conditions that include the following:
- A long-term water quality monitoring plan extending five years after the disposal activity is completed.
- A heritage management plan to protect the Catalina second world war aircraft wreck in Abbot Bay.
- The establishment of an independent dredging and disposal technical advice panel and a management response group, to include community representatives. [125] [126]
The Australian Federal Government announced on 13 November that there would now be a ban on the dumping of dredge spoil in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The World Heritage Committee asked Environment Minister Greg Hunt to investigate alternative options to dump on land instead. The Queensland government and the Commonwealth have now accepted the alternative option and advice from The World Heritage Committee and will now commence dumping on land. [127]
Due to its vast biodiversity , warm clear waters and accessibility from the tourist boats called " live aboards ", the reef is a very popular destination, especially for scuba divers . Tourism on the Great Barrier Reef is concentrated in Cairns and also The Whitsundays due to their accessibility. These areas make up 7%–8% of the park's area. [57] The Whitsundays and Cairns have their own Plans of Management. [128] Many cities along the Queensland coast offer daily boat trips. Several continental and coral cay islands are now resorts , including Green Island and Lady Elliot Island . As of 1996, 27 islands on the Great Barrier Reef supported resorts. [57]
In 1996, most of the tourism in the region was domestically generated and the most popular visiting times were during the Australian winter. At this time, it was estimated that tourists to the Great Barrier Reef contributed A$ 776 million per annum. [129] As the largest commercial activity in the region, it was estimated in 2003 that tourism generated over A$4 billion annually, [130] and the 2005 estimate increased to A$5.1 billion. [128] A Deloitte report published by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in March 2013 states that the Reef's 2,000 kilometres of coastline attracts tourism worth A$6.4 billion annually and employs more than 64,000 people. [131]
Approximately two million people visit the Great Barrier Reef each year. [132] Although most of these visits are managed in partnership with the marine Tourism industry, there is a concern among the general public that tourism is harmful to the Great Barrier Reef. [57]
A variety of boat tours and cruises are offered, from single day trips, to longer voyages. Boat sizes range from dinghies to superyachts . [133] Glass-bottomed boats and underwater observatories are also popular, as are helicopter flights. [134] [135] By far, the most popular tourist activities on the Great Barrier Reef are snorkelling and diving, for which pontoons are often used, and the area is often enclosed by nets. The outer part of the Great Barrier Reef is favoured for such activities, due to water quality. [ citation needed ]
Management of tourism in the Great Barrier Reef is geared towards making tourism ecologically sustainable . A daily fee is levied that goes towards research of the Great Barrier Reef. [128] This fee ends up being 20% of the GBRMPA's income. [136] Policies on cruise ships , bareboat charters , and anchorages limit the traffic on the Great Barrier Reef. [128]
The problems that surround ecotourism in the Great Barrier Reef revolve around permanent tourism platforms. Platforms are large, ship-like vessels that act as a base for tourists while scuba diving and snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef. Seabirds will land on the platforms and defecate which will eventually be washed into the sea. The feces carry nitrogen, phosphorus and often DDT and mercury , which cause aspergillosis , yellow-band disease , and black band disease . Areas without tourism platforms have 14 out of 9,468 (1.1%) diseased corals versus areas with tourism platforms that have 172 out of 7,043 (12%) diseased corals. [137] Tourism is a major economic activity for the region. Thus, while non-permanent platforms could be possible in some areas, overall, permanent platforms are likely a necessity. Solutions have been suggested to siphon bird waste into gutters connecting to tanks helping lower runoff that causes coral disease. [138]
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has also placed many permanent anchorage points around the general use areas. These act to reduce damage to the reef due to anchoring destroying soft coral, chipping hard coral, and disturbing sediment as it is dragged across the bottom. Tourism operators also must comply with speed limits when travelling to or from tourist destinations, to prevent excessive wake from the boats disturbing the reef ecosystem. [ citation needed ]
The fishing industry in the Great Barrier Reef, controlled by the Queensland Government, is worth A$ 1 billion annually. [15] It employs approximately 2000 people, and fishing in the Great Barrier Reef is pursued commercially, for recreation, and as a traditional means for feeding one's family. [108]
- ^ Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. "Number of Tourists Visiting The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park" . Archived from the original on 27 February 2012 . Retrieved 19 October 2011 .
- ^ Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (2005). "What You Do" . Onboard – The Tourism Operator's Handbook for the Great Barrier Reef . Archived from the original on 20 September 2006 . Retrieved 14 November 2006 .
- ^ Saltzer, Rebecca (February 2002). "Understanding Great Barrier Reef visitors preliminary results" (PDF) . CRC Reef Project B2.1.1: Understanding Tourist Use of the GBRWHA . Cooperative Research Centre for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2005 . Retrieved 14 March 2009 .
- ^ Hildebrandt, Amy (January 2003). "Understanding Tourist Use of the Great Barrier Reef: The Whitsundays Visitor" (PDF) . CRC Reef Project B2.1.1: Understanding Tourist Use of the GBRWHA . Cooperative Research Centre for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2005 . Retrieved 14 March 2009 .
- ^ Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (2005). "How is the Money Used?" . Onboard – The Tourism Operator's Handbook for the Great Barrier Reef . Archived from the original on 20 September 2006 . Retrieved 11 November 2006 .
- ^ Lamb, Joleah; Bette Willis (August 2011). "Using coral disease prevalence to assess the effects of concentrating tourism activities on offshore reefs in a tropical marine park". Conservation Biology . 25 (5): 1044–1052. doi : 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2011.01724.x . PMID 21848962 . S2CID 12979332 .
- ^ Kight, Caitlin. "Are Coral Reefs Literally Sick of Ecotourists?" . Archived from the original on 29 April 2012 . Retrieved 15 March 2012 .
- ^ "DUGONGS AND TURTLES" . Archived from the original on 11 June 2014 . Retrieved 3 June 2014 .
- ^ "Turtle and dugong footage causes controversy" . Archived from the original on 18 October 2016 . Retrieved 16 October 2016 .
- Bell, Peter (1998). AIMS: The First Twenty-five Years . Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science. ISBN 978-0-642-32212-8 .
- Bowen, James; Bowen, Margarita (2002). The Great Barrier Reef : history, science, heritage . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-82430-3 .
- Done, T.J. (1982). "Patterns in the distribution of coral communities across the central Great Barrier Reef". Coral Reefs . 1 (2): 95–107. Bibcode : 1982CorRe...1...95D . doi : 10.1007/BF00301691 . S2CID 38013851 . | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef | 151 |
where is great barrier reef located on a map | Great Barrier Reef Map | GreatBarrierReef.com.au | Map of the Great Barrier Reef Regions, individual reefs and more. The Great Barrier Reef spans for several thousand kilometres off the QLD coast – we look at the regions it encompasses on a map here. | https://greatbarrierreef.com.au/map/ | 151 |
where is great barrier reef located on a map | Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia Map | The Australian Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef structure and is one of the largest ecosystems in the World. The long reef is made up of over 2,900 smaller reefs and over 900 cays and islands spanning for over 2,300 kilometers over an region of approximately 344,000+ square kilometers. The reef is located in the western Coral Sea, off the east coast of Queensland, Australia.
The Great Barrier Reef made from tiny micro-organisms can be seen from outer space and is the world's largest single solid structure made by living organisms. The reef structure is made by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps which die and keep building on top of dead calcified polyps. The reef(s) supports a wide diversity of life and was selected as a protected World Heritage Site back in 1981. Many label it as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Queensland National Trust named it a state icon of Queensland. As the largest tourist activity in the region, it was estimated in 2003 that tourism generated over $4 billion annually for Australia, and the 2005 estimate increased to over $5 billion.
A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which helps to limit the impact of human activity and use, such as island buildings, dumping, agriculture runoff sediment, drainage sediment, anchoring reef damage, ship bulge pumping, fertilizer runoff and other manmade hazards. Other environmental pressures on the reef and its ecosystem include over fishing; and water temperature spikes due to climate change which has caused mass coral bleaching in some areas and a unbalanced reef ecosystem. According to a main current studies by NASA, University of Queensland, University of Melbourne, the journal Science, Australian Research Council Center, World Wildlife Fund, and others that the reef has lost more than half its coral cover since the mid 1980s.
Data source: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Map Copyright CCCarto | https://www.cccarto.com/atlas/gbreef/ | 151 |
where is great barrier reef located on a map | Where is the Great Barrier Reef Located? | The Great Barrier Reef is located off the east coast of the Australian state of Queensland , in the Coral Sea. The largest coral reef system on earth, the Great Barrier Reef is so huge that it can be seen from outer space. The reef has come to be noted for its astounding beauty, and tourists from all across the world visit the reef to catch a glimpse of the attractions it has to offer. The Great Barrier Reef, which has been called one of the seven natural wonders of the world by CNN, is the biggest single structure in the world that has been created by living organisms.
The Great Barrier Reef, which earned the UNESCO World Heritage Site tag in 1981, comprises some 900 islands that stretch for more than 1,400 miles, and 2,900 individual reefs. It has an area of 135,000 square miles. The Great Barrier Reef is composed of coral polyps, which are very minute organisms, and is home to exotic sea life and other natural attractions, such as 200 types of birds, 1,500 species of tropical fish, 20 kinds of reptiles, the world’s largest collection of corals, rays, and dolphins. Here visitors also come across giant clams which are over 120 years old. Among the numerous activities that one can indulge in at the Great Barrier Reef are snorkeling and scuba diving. Tourists can also take a scenic flight over the reef and witness its amazing beauty from above.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is responsible for the protection of a large part of the reef. With conservation the primary aim of the park, it helps in limiting the impact of human use, which includes fishing and tourism.
Related Maps and Info: | https://www.mapsofworld.com/answers/world/where-is-great-barrier-reef-located/ | 151 |
where did the spanish armada land in ireland | Spanish Armada in Ireland - Wikiwand | Can you list the top facts and stats about Spanish Armada in Ireland?
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The Spanish Armada in Ireland refers to the landfall made upon the coast of Ireland in September 1588 of a large portion of the 130-strong fleet sent by Philip II to invade England .
Following its defeat at the naval battle of Gravelines the Armada had attempted to return home through the North Atlantic , when it was driven from its course by violent storms, toward the west coast of Ireland. The prospect of a Spanish landing alarmed the Dublin government of Queen Elizabeth I , which prescribed harsh measures for the Spanish invaders and any Irish who might assist them.
Up to 24 ships of the Armada were wrecked on a rocky coastline spanning 500 km, from Antrim in the north to Kerry in the south, and the threat to Crown authority was readily defeated. Many of the survivors of the multiple wrecks were put to death, and the remainder fled across the sea to Scotland. It is estimated that some 6,000 members of the fleet perished in Ireland or off its coasts.
The Spanish Armada was a fleet of 130 ships that sailed from A Coruña in August 1588 under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England . It met with armed resistance in the English Channel , when a fireship attack off Calais broke its formation, and was driven into the North Sea after the Battle of Gravelines .
When the fleet entered the North Sea, 110 ships remained under Medina Sidonia's command. Many were damaged by gunfire or were running low on supplies, making them unfit for service in the Atlantic Ocean. Some had cut their anchors in the flight from the fireships, which severely diminished their ability to navigate close to shore. Also, the Armada commanders made a large navigational error that brought the fleet too close to the dangerous Atlantic coasts of Scotland and Ireland.
After Gravelines the commanders of the Armada held a conference on Sidonia's flagship. Some proposed a course for Norway, others for Ireland. The admiral made his choice, and orders were issued to the fleet:
The course that is first to be held is to the north/north-east until you be found under 61 degrees and a half; and then to take great heed lest you fall upon the Island of Ireland for fear of the harm that may happen unto you upon that coast. Then, parting from those islands and doubling the Cape in 61 degrees and a half, you shall run west/south-west until you be found under 58 degrees ; and from thence to the south-west to the height of 53 degrees ; and then to the south/south-west, making to the Cape Finisterre , and so to procure your entrance into The Groyne A Coruña or to Ferrol , or to any other port of coast of Galicia .
The fleet was to approach the coast of Norway, before steering to the meridian of the Shetland Islands and on to Rockall . This allowed passage outside the northern tip of Shetland, clearing the coast of Scotland at a distance of 160 km. Once out in the broad Atlantic, the ships were to steer to a point 645 km beyond the Shannon estuary on the west coast of Ireland, giving themselves a clear run to northern Spain.
The Armada's sailing orders were almost impossible to follow. The weather was difficult. Many of the ships and their crew members were in great distress. The navigators' charts were primitive, and their best training and experience in the techniques of dead reckoning and latitude sailing fell far short of what was needed to bring the fleet safely home.
The Armada failed to keep its course around the north of Shetland at 61 1 ⁄ 2 'N. Instead, on 20 August, it passed safely to the south, between Orkney and Fair Isle , and was carried into the Atlantic at about 59 1 ⁄ 2 'N. From there it was due to sail from North Uist in the Hebrides Islands until it caught sight of the distant islet of Rockall , but failed again. Southerly winds blew from 21 August to 3 September, stirred up by an anticyclone over Scandinavia, which prevented the fleet from running west-south-west as ordered. One report reflects the frustration of the navigators: "We sailed without knowing whither through constant fogs, storms and squalls".
The sailing orders were rendered useless by the weather, but the miscalculation of the Armada's position contributed greatly to its destruction. The navigators were unaware of the effect of the eastward flowing Gulf Stream , which must have hindered the fleet's progress – perhaps by as much as 30 km a day. The paymaster of the San Juan Bautista , Marcos de Aramburu, recorded a log of his progress from late August onwards, when the rest of the fleet was within sight. The inference from his observations is that his ship's estimated position as it turned for home was entirely wrong, some 480 km to the west: its real position lay in the east, perilously close to the coasts of Scotland and Ireland. This single deficiency "made the difference between safety and disaster".
After seven weeks at sea the opportunity to make landfall and take on supplies and effect repairs must have been welcome, but navigation in these waters demanded intimate knowledge. The experience of Spanish mariners in the intricacies of north Atlantic conditions was largely confined to trading voyages to the south and south-west of Ireland, and it is likely that the fleet's pilots preferred to maintain Sidonia's course, despite the hardships on board their ships.
Most of the fleet – 84 ships – avoided land, and most of those made it home, although in varying degrees of distress. The remainder were forced toward the coast of Ireland – perhaps 28 – and included several galleons and many merchantmen. The latter had been converted for battle and were leaking heavily, making sail with severely damaged masts and rigging, and with most of their anchors missing. The ships seem to have maintained contact until the beginning of September, when they were scattered by a south-west gale (described in the contemporary account of an Irish government official as one "the like whereof hath not been seen or heard for a long time"). Within days, this lost fleet had made landfall in Ireland.
The head of the English Crown administration at Dublin was Lord Deputy William Fitzwilliam . In August 1588 he was presented with credible intelligence that the battle in the English Channel had been won by the Spanish and that the invasion of England was set to be completed. Then it was understood that the Spanish were in the Atlantic and the entire fleet was about to fall on the coast of Ireland. The degree of alarm among the English at Dublin was extreme, and Fitzwilliam put out false reports that reinforcements from England were due to arrive with 10,000 troops.
The English feared the Spanish would land in disciplined formations, with the Irish rising out to join them from territories that were almost beyond the control of the government. But reliable intelligence was soon received at Waterford and Dublin that the ships were fetching up in a chaotic manner at disparate locations in the provinces of Ulster , Connacht and Munster , along a coastline spanning 300 miles (480 km) . Fitzwilliam ordered that all Spaniards be captured and hanged summarily; and that anyone aiding them be tortured and charged as a traitor to the Crown.
The Armada first made landfall in the southern province of Munster, which had been colonised by the English in 1583 following the suppression of the last of the Desmond Rebellions . Fitzwilliam received orders from London to lead an expedition there, and intelligence from the governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , soon confirmed that further landfalls were being made throughout the west and north of the country.
Thomond: Many ships were sighted off the coast of County Clare : four at Loop Head , two of which were wrecked, including San Esteban (700 tons, 264 men) at Doonbeg, and probably the heavily damaged San Marcos (790 tons, squadron of Portugal, 409 men, 33 guns) at Lurga Point (modern day Seafield, Quilty, County Clare ) inside Mutton Island. All survivors were put to death by the sheriff of Clare, Boetius MacClancy (some, according to tradition, at Gallows Hill, but more likely at Cnoc na Crocaire, Spanish Point).
Seven ships anchored at Scattery Roads , probably with a pilot who knew the coast. Their landing party was fought off, but they did secure some supplies and managed to repair their ships. One galleon, Anunciada (703 tons, 24 guns, 275 men), was fired and scuttled off Kilrush on 12 September, and the crew transferred to Barco de Danzig , which made it safely to Spain after the squadron departed the Shannon estuary on 11 September.
Blasket Islands: One Armada commander, Juan Martínez de Recalde , did have experience of the Irish coast: in 1580 he had landed a Papal invasion force in the Dingle peninsula , in the run up to the Siege of Smerwick , and had managed to evade an English squadron of warships. In the Armada he had command of the galleon San Juan de Portugal (1,150 tons, 500 men, 50 guns) of the Biscayan squadron, which engaged with the English fleet in the Channel and held off Francis Drake in Revenge , John Hawkins in Victory , and Martin Frobisher in Triumph .
After the defeat at Gravelines Recalde's galleon led San Juan de Bautista (750 tons, 243 men) and another small vessel (almost certainly a Scottish fishing smack seized to assist with navigation and inshore work). As these ships approached the coast of Kerry , Recalde's lookouts sighted Mount Brandon on the Dingle peninsula and, to the west, the lofty Blasket Islands , a complex archipelago studded with reefs.
Recalde steered to the islands in search of shelter, riding on a swell through a tight gap at the eastern tip of the Great Blasket Island . His galleon made it through to calm water and dropped anchor over a sandy bottom beneath sheer cliffs. San Juan de Bautista and the smack soon followed. The anchorage ensured that the only wind that might drive the ships off would bring them clear to the open sea. It was a difficult manoeuvre, demanding prior knowledge of the coastline.
Recalde's ships remained within their shelter for several days, and a crown force led by Thomas Norris (brother of the soldier, John Norris ) and Edward Denny (husband of Lady Denny) arrived in Dingle to guard against a landing. Recalde sent a reconnaissance party ashore, but all eight members were captured. At one stage a westerly gale caused Portugal to collide with San Juan de Bautista , and when the wind died down another ship, Santa Maria de la Rosa (900 tons, 297 men: Guipuzcoa squadron), entered the sound from the north and fired off a gun by way of distress signal.
As the tide ebbed , Recalde's ships held their anchorage in the more sheltered part of the sound, while Santa Maria de la Rosa drifted and then simply sank — perhaps on striking Stromboli Rock — leaving one survivor for the English to interrogate. The survivor's information was that the captain of Santa Maria de la Rosa had called the pilot a traitor and run him through with a sword just as the ship began to sink; he also asserted that the Prince of Ascoli, son of the king of Spain, had gone down with the ship — this information was false, but proved useful propaganda for the English.
Two more ships entered the sound — San Juan de Ragusa (650 tons , 285 men), the other unidentified. San Juan de Ragusa was in distress and sank — perhaps on striking Dunbinna reef. San Juan de Bautista attempted to take advantage of an ebb tide and sail south out of the sound, but ended up tacking about on the flood tide to avoid the numerous reefs, before sailing through the north-west passage. After a difficult night, the crew were dismayed to find themselves at the mouth of the sound once more. But the wind blew from the south-east, and San Juan de Bautista finally escaped on 25 September and made it home to Spain through a terrible storm.
Three days later Recalde led the remaining ships out of the sound and brought them to Spain, where he instantly died. [ citation needed ] Those survivors who had fallen into Denny's custody were put to death at Dingle.
Fenit : The sloop Nuestra Senora del Socorro (75 tons) anchored at Fenit , in Tralee Bay on the coast of Kerry, where she was surrendered to crown officers. The 24 men on board were taken into custody and marched to Tralee Castle . On the orders of Lady Margaret Denny , they were all hanged from a gibbet.
Valentia Island: Trinidad (800 tons, 302 men) was wrecked on the coast of Desmond — probably at Valentia Island , off the coast of south Kerry — although there are no details of this event.
At Liscannor the oar-powered galleass Zuñiga (290, Naples) anchored off-shore with a broken rudder, having found a gap in the Cliffs of Moher , which rise sheer from the sea over 220 metres. The ship came under surveillance by the sheriff of Clare and, when a cock-boat was sent ashore in search of supplies, the Spanish were attacked by crown forces and had to withdraw to their ship. One captive was taken and sent for interrogation. Zuñiga escaped the coast with favourable winds, put in at Le Havre , and finally made it back to Naples the following year.
Donegal: La Trinidad Valencera (1,000 tons, Levant squadron, 360 men, 42 guns) had taken on more water than could be pumped out. Yet as she approached the coast she managed to rescue 264 men from the Barca de Amburgo , another ship swamped in the heavy seas. Trinidad anchored in Glenagivney Bay , where she listed to such a degree that the order was given to abandon ship. Some locals were paid for the use of a small boat, and over the course of two days all 560 men were ferried to shore.
During a seven-day march inland, the column of survivors met a force of cavalry under the command of Richard Hovenden and Henry Hovenden foster-brothers of Hugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone . [ citation needed ] Upon pledges of safe conduct for their delivery into the custody of Fitzwilliam — given in the presence of the Earl of Tyrconnell — the Spanish laid down their arms. [ citation needed ] The noblemen and officers were separated out, and 300 of the ordinary men were massacred. The surviving 150 fled through the bog, ending up either with Sorley Boy MacDonnell at Dunluce or at the house of Redmond O'Gallagher, the bishop of Derry, and were sent to Scotland. The 45 noblemen and officers were marched to Dublin, but only 30 survived to reach the capital, where they were dispatched to London for ransom.
Three further ships — unidentified — were wrecked on the Donegal coast, one at Mullaghderg, one at Rinn a' Chaislean. The third was found in 2010 at Burtonport.
Antrim: The greatest loss of life was on the sinking of the galleass La Girona . She had docked for repairs to her rudder at Killybegs , where 800 survivors from two other Armada shipwrecks were taken aboard - from La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada and Duquesa Santa Ana , which went aground at Loughros Mor Bay , Donegal. La Girona set sail for Scotland, but on 26 October her rudder broke and she was wrecked off Lacada Point, County Antrim . Of the estimated 1300 people on board, only nine survived.
The Governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , sought reinforcements from Dublin but his request was denied by Fitzwilliam, who had few resources at his disposal. A proclamation made it treason on pain of death for any man to help Spaniards. Many survivors were delivered to Galway from all over the province. In the first wave of seizures, 40 noblemen were reserved for ransom, and 300 men were put to death. Later, on the orders of Fitzwilliam, all the unarmed noblemen except two were also executed, along with six Dutch boys who had fallen into custody afterward. In all, 12 ships were wrecked on the coast of Connacht, and 1,100 survivors were put to death.
Galway: Falcon Blanco (300 tons, 103 men, 16 guns) and Concepción de Juanes del Cano of Biscay (225 men, 18 guns) and another unknown ship entered Galway Bay . Falcon Blanco grounded at Barna , five km west of Galway City , and most of those on board made it to shore. Concepción de Juanes del Cano grounded at Carna 30 km further west, having been lured to shore by the bonfires of a party of wreckers from the Clan O'Flaherty
Sligo: Three ships grounded near Streedagh Strand, ten miles North of Sligo town, with 1,800 men drowned and perhaps 100 coming ashore. The wreck-site was discovered in 1985. Among the survivors was Captain Francisco de Cuellar , who gave a remarkable account of his experiences in the fleet and on the run in Ireland.
- La Lavia (25 guns), was a Venetian merchantman and the Vice-flagship;
- La Juliana (32 guns) was a Catalan merchantman; and
- Santa Maria de Vison (de Biscione) (18 guns) was a Ragusan merchantman.
Mayo: In September a galleon was wrecked at Tyrawley (modern County Mayo ). Tradition [ example needed ] has it that another ship was wrecked in the vicinity, near Kid Island, but no record remains of this event. Also, Gran Grin was wrecked at the mouth of Clew Bay .
Among those ships wrecked in Connacht was the merchant carrack La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada (419 men, 35 guns), which had run for the Irish coast in desperate need of repair, along with four other ships of the Levant squadron and four galleons. La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada carried an unusually large number of noblemen from the most ancient families of Spain — chief among them Don Alonso Martinez de Leyva — as well as the son of the Irish rebel, James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald .
La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada was skillfully handled along the northern coast of Mayo, but could not clear the Mullet Peninsula , and so anchored in Blacksod Bay on 7 September. The wind got up and the anchors dragged, until the ship was driven on to Ballycroy strand. All the crew got to shore under the leadership of de Leyva, and two castles were seized and fortified with munitions and stores from the beached ship, which was then torched. The rebel's son, Maurice Fitzmaurice, had died on board, and was cast into the sea in a cypress chest.
The Spanish soon moved on to another castle, where they were met by a host of fellow survivors, approaching from the wreck in Broadhaven of another ship, which had entered that bay without masts. De Leyva's host now numbered 600, and the governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , chose not to confront them. After some days two ships of the Armada entered Blacksod Bay — the merchantman Nuestra Señora de Begoña (750 tons, 297 men) and the transport Duquesa Santa Ana (900 tons, 23 guns, 357 men). De Leyva and his 600 men boarded Duquesa Santa Ana . Nuestra Señora de Begoña sailed straight for Santander, Spain , arriving some time later. Duquesa Santa Ana , however, was somewhat damaged and it was decided to sail north for Scotland. Stormy weather soon hit Duquesa Santa Ana and she was grounded in Loughros Bay in Donegal, with all aboard reaching shore in what was friendly territory.
De Leyva, who had been seriously injured by a capstan, pitched camp on the shore of the bay for nine days, until news came of another ship of the fleet, the galleass Girona , which had anchored in Killybegs harbour while two other ships had been lost on attempting to enter the harbour. With the assistance of an Irish chieftain, MacSweeney Bannagh, Girona was repaired and set sail in mid-October with 1,300 men on board, including de Leyva. Lough Foyle was cleared, but then a gale struck and Girona was driven ashore at Dunluce in modern County Antrim . There were nine survivors, who were sent on to Scotland by Sorley Boy MacDonnell ; 260 bodies were washed ashore.
Aran Islands: Two ships were sighted off the Aran Islands : one failed to land a party in hard weather, and it is not known what became of them.
Antrim: The single greatest loss of life occurred upon the wreck of the galleass Girona on the coast of Antrim after she had taken on board many survivors from other ships wrecked on the coast of Connacht (see Ulster, above).
Between 17 and 24 ships of the Grand Armada were lost on the Irish coast, accounting for about one-third of the fleet's total loss of 63, with the loss of about 6,000 men.
By the end of September 1588 Fitzwilliam was able to report to the Queen's secretary, Lord Burghley , that the Armada alarm was over. Soon after, he reckoned that only about 100 survivors remained in the country. In 1596 , an envoy of Philip II arrived in Ireland to make inquiries of survivors and was successful in only eight cases.
Following the defeat of the Armada the English sent their own fleet against the Iberian peninsula, but failed to press home their advantage and returned with tremendous losses. At the height of the Anglo-Spanish War the Spanish landed 3,500 troops in the south of Ireland to assist the Ulster rebel leader Hugh O'Neill , during the Nine Years' War ( 1594 – 1603 ). This expedition also failed, and Spain and England concluded a peace in 1604 .
By the time of the peace the Spanish had restored their dominance at sea, and treasure from the New World was flowing in to their Royal Treasury at an increased rate. Elizabeth's successor James I neglected his fleet and chose to secure crown influence in Ireland: in 1607 the lords of Gaelic Ulster fled to the continent , and the English conquest of Ireland was largely completed on the seizure and colonisation of their territories in the Plantation of Ulster in 1610 .
There is a myth that the Spanish Armada left descendents in Ireland, however research has discredited such claims. [ better source needed ]
The first salvage attempts were made within months, on the coast of County Clare by George Carew , who complained [ citation needed ] at the expense "of sustaining the divers with copious draughts of usequebaugh" [Uisce Beatha - Irish for whiskey].
Sorley Boy MacDonnell recovered three brass cannon and two chests of treasure from the wreck of Girona .
In 1797 a quantity of lead and some brass guns were raised from the wreck of an unknown Armada ship at Mullaghderg in County Donegal. Two miles further south, in 1853, an anchor was recovered from another unknown Armada wreck.
The Grainuaile Suite (1985), an orchestral treatment of the life of the Irish sea-queen Gráinne O'Malley by Irish composer Shaun Davey , contains a lament on the Spanish landings in Ireland, sung by Rita Connolly .
The wrecking of La Girona was commemorated in illustrations of the Armada and the Antrim coast which appear on the reverse side of sterling banknotes issued by the First Trust Bank in Northern Ireland .
The final published novel of Anthony Burgess , Byrne: A Novel , features a protagonist who is specifically stated to be descended from Spanish survivors who remained in Ireland.
The Luck of the Irish and Darby O'Gill and the Little People are American films that make reference to the wrecking of the Spanish armada as an explanation for leprechauns having pots of gold.
The Spanish-Portuguese co-produced short animated film The Monkey (2021), influenced by the story of The Hartlepool Monkey , focuses on the treatment of the Spanish shipwrecked on Irish shores. The film, which stars Colm Meaney won the Goya , for best Best Animated Short Film in 2021 .
- T.P. Kilfeather Ireland: Graveyard of the Spanish Armada (Anvil Books Ltd, 1967)
- Ken Douglas Navigation: the key to the Armada disaster (Journal for Maritime Research, Issue: August 2003). ISSN 1469-1957
- Cyril Falls Elizabeth's Irish Wars (1950; reprint London, 1996). ISBN 0-09-477220-7 . | https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Spanish_Armada_in_Ireland | 152 |
where did the spanish armada land in ireland | Spanish Armada in Ireland - Wikipedia | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Spanish Armada in Ireland refers to the landfall made upon the coast of Ireland in September 1588 of a large portion of the 130-strong fleet sent by Philip II to invade England .
Following its defeat at the naval battle of Gravelines the Armada had attempted to return home through the North Atlantic , when it was driven from its course by violent storms, toward the west coast of Ireland. The prospect of a Spanish landing alarmed the Dublin government of Queen Elizabeth I , which prescribed harsh measures for the Spanish invaders and any Irish who might assist them.
Up to 24 ships of the Armada were wrecked on a rocky coastline spanning 500 km, from Antrim in the north to Kerry in the south, and the threat to Crown authority was readily defeated. Many of the survivors of the multiple wrecks were put to death, and the remainder fled across the sea to Scotland. It is estimated that some 6,000 members of the fleet perished in Ireland or off its coasts.
Main article: Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada was a fleet of 130 ships that sailed from A Coruña in August 1588 under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England . It met with armed resistance in the English Channel , when a fireship attack off Calais broke its formation, and was driven into the North Sea after the Battle of Gravelines .
When the fleet entered the North Sea, 110 ships remained under Medina Sidonia's command. Many were damaged by gunfire or were running low on supplies, making them unfit for service in the Atlantic Ocean. Some had cut their anchors in the flight from the fireships, which severely diminished their ability to navigate close to shore. Also, the Armada commanders made a large navigational error that brought the fleet too close to the dangerous Atlantic coasts of Scotland and Ireland.
After Gravelines the commanders of the Armada held a conference on Sidonia's flagship. Some proposed a course for Norway, others for Ireland. The admiral made his choice, and orders were issued to the fleet:
The course that is first to be held is to the north/north-east until you be found under 61 degrees and a half; and then to take great heed lest you fall upon the Island of Ireland for fear of the harm that may happen unto you upon that coast. Then, parting from those islands and doubling the Cape in 61 degrees and a half, you shall run west/south-west until you be found under 58 degrees ; and from thence to the south-west to the height of 53 degrees ; and then to the south/south-west, making to the Cape Finisterre , and so to procure your entrance into The Groyne A Coruña or to Ferrol , or to any other port of coast of Galicia . [1]
The fleet was to approach the coast of Norway, before steering to the meridian of the Shetland Islands and on to Rockall . This allowed passage outside the northern tip of Shetland, clearing the coast of Scotland at a distance of 160 km. Once out in the broad Atlantic, the ships were to steer to a point 645 km beyond the Shannon estuary on the west coast of Ireland, giving themselves a clear run to northern Spain. [2]
The Armada's sailing orders were almost impossible to follow. The weather was difficult. Many of the ships and their crew members were in great distress. The navigators' charts were primitive, [3] and their best training and experience in the techniques of dead reckoning and latitude sailing fell far short of what was needed to bring the fleet safely home. [4]
The Armada failed to keep its course around the north of Shetland at 61 1 ⁄ 2 'N. Instead, on 20 August, it passed safely to the south, between Orkney and Fair Isle , and was carried into the Atlantic at about 59 1 ⁄ 2 'N. From there it was due to sail from North Uist in the Hebrides Islands until it caught sight of the distant islet of Rockall , but failed again. Southerly winds blew from 21 August to 3 September, stirred up by an anticyclone over Scandinavia, which prevented the fleet from running west-south-west as ordered. One report reflects the frustration of the navigators: "We sailed without knowing whither through constant fogs, storms and squalls". [5]
The sailing orders were rendered useless by the weather, but the miscalculation of the Armada's position contributed greatly to its destruction. The navigators were unaware of the effect of the eastward flowing Gulf Stream , which must have hindered the fleet's progress – perhaps by as much as 30 km a day. The paymaster of the San Juan Bautista , Marcos de Aramburu, recorded a log of his progress from late August onwards, when the rest of the fleet was within sight. The inference from his observations is that his ship's estimated position as it turned for home was entirely wrong, some 480 km to the west: its real position lay in the east, perilously close to the coasts of Scotland and Ireland. This single deficiency "made the difference between safety and disaster". [6]
After seven weeks at sea the opportunity to make landfall and take on supplies and effect repairs must have been welcome, but navigation in these waters demanded intimate knowledge. The experience of Spanish mariners in the intricacies of north Atlantic conditions was largely confined to trading voyages to the south and south-west of Ireland, and it is likely that the fleet's pilots preferred to maintain Sidonia's course, despite the hardships on board their ships.
Most of the fleet – 84 ships – avoided land, and most of those made it home, although in varying degrees of distress. The remainder were forced toward the coast of Ireland – perhaps 28 – and included several galleons and many merchantmen. The latter had been converted for battle and were leaking heavily, making sail with severely damaged masts and rigging, and with most of their anchors missing. The ships seem to have maintained contact until the beginning of September, when they were scattered by a south-west gale (described in the contemporary account of an Irish government official as one "the like whereof hath not been seen or heard for a long time"). Within days, this lost fleet had made landfall in Ireland.
The head of the English Crown administration at Dublin was Lord Deputy William Fitzwilliam . In August 1588 he was presented with credible intelligence that the battle in the English Channel had been won by the Spanish and that the invasion of England was set to be completed. Then it was understood that the Spanish were in the Atlantic and the entire fleet was about to fall on the coast of Ireland. The degree of alarm among the English at Dublin was extreme, and Fitzwilliam put out false reports that reinforcements from England were due to arrive with 10,000 troops.
The English feared the Spanish would land in disciplined formations, with the Irish rising out to join them from territories that were almost beyond the control of the government. But reliable intelligence was soon received at Waterford and Dublin that the ships were fetching up in a chaotic manner at disparate locations in the provinces of Ulster , Connacht and Munster , along a coastline spanning 300 miles (480 km). Fitzwilliam ordered that all Spaniards be captured and hanged summarily; and that anyone aiding them be tortured and charged as a traitor to the Crown.
The Armada first made landfall in the southern province of Munster, which had been colonised by the English in 1583 following the suppression of the last of the Desmond Rebellions . Fitzwilliam received orders from London to lead an expedition there, and intelligence from the governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , soon confirmed that further landfalls were being made throughout the west and north of the country.
Thomond: Many ships were sighted off the coast of County Clare : four at Loop Head , two of which were wrecked, including San Esteban (700 tons, 264 men) at Doonbeg, and probably the heavily damaged San Marcos (790 tons, squadron of Portugal, 409 men, 33 guns) at Lurga Point (modern day Seafield, Quilty, County Clare ) inside Mutton Island. All survivors were put to death by the sheriff of Clare, Boetius MacClancy (some, according to tradition, at Gallows Hill, but more likely at Cnoc na Crocaire, Spanish Point).
Seven ships anchored at Scattery Roads , probably with a pilot who knew the coast. Their landing party was fought off, but they did secure some supplies and managed to repair their ships. One galleon, Anunciada (703 tons, 24 guns, 275 men), was fired and scuttled off Kilrush on 12 September, [7] and the crew transferred to Barco de Danzig , which made it safely to Spain after the squadron departed the Shannon estuary on 11 September.
Blasket Islands: One Armada commander, Juan Martínez de Recalde , did have experience of the Irish coast: in 1580 he had landed a Papal invasion force in the Dingle peninsula , in the run up to the Siege of Smerwick , and had managed to evade an English squadron of warships. In the Armada he had command of the galleon San Juan de Portugal (1,150 tons, 500 men, 50 guns) of the Biscayan squadron, which engaged with the English fleet in the Channel and held off Francis Drake in Revenge , John Hawkins in Victory , and Martin Frobisher in Triumph .
After the defeat at Gravelines Recalde's galleon led San Juan de Bautista (750 tons, 243 men) and another small vessel (almost certainly a Scottish fishing smack seized to assist with navigation and inshore work). As these ships approached the coast of Kerry , Recalde's lookouts sighted Mount Brandon on the Dingle peninsula and, to the west, the lofty Blasket Islands , a complex archipelago studded with reefs.
Recalde steered to the islands in search of shelter, riding on a swell through a tight gap at the eastern tip of the Great Blasket Island . His galleon made it through to calm water and dropped anchor over a sandy bottom beneath sheer cliffs. San Juan de Bautista and the smack soon followed. The anchorage ensured that the only wind that might drive the ships off would bring them clear to the open sea. It was a difficult manoeuvre, demanding prior knowledge of the coastline.
Recalde's ships remained within their shelter for several days, and a crown force led by Thomas Norris (brother of the soldier, John Norris ) and Edward Denny (husband of Lady Denny) arrived in Dingle to guard against a landing. Recalde sent a reconnaissance party ashore, but all eight members were captured. At one stage a westerly gale caused Portugal to collide with San Juan de Bautista , and when the wind died down another ship, Santa Maria de la Rosa (900 tons, 297 men: Guipuzcoa squadron), entered the sound from the north and fired off a gun by way of distress signal.
As the tide ebbed , Recalde's ships held their anchorage in the more sheltered part of the sound, while Santa Maria de la Rosa drifted and then simply sank — perhaps on striking Stromboli Rock — leaving one survivor for the English to interrogate. The survivor's information was that the captain of Santa Maria de la Rosa had called the pilot a traitor and run him through with a sword just as the ship began to sink; he also asserted that the Prince of Ascoli, son of the king of Spain, had gone down with the ship — this information was false, but proved useful propaganda for the English.
Two more ships entered the sound — San Juan de Ragusa (650 tons , 285 men), the other unidentified. San Juan de Ragusa was in distress and sank — perhaps on striking Dunbinna reef. San Juan de Bautista attempted to take advantage of an ebb tide and sail south out of the sound, but ended up tacking about on the flood tide to avoid the numerous reefs, before sailing through the north-west passage. After a difficult night, the crew were dismayed to find themselves at the mouth of the sound once more. But the wind blew from the south-east, and San Juan de Bautista finally escaped on 25 September and made it home to Spain through a terrible storm.
Three days later Recalde led the remaining ships out of the sound and brought them to Spain, where he instantly died. [ citation needed ] Those survivors who had fallen into Denny's custody were put to death at Dingle.
Fenit : The sloop Nuestra Senora del Socorro (75 tons) anchored at Fenit , in Tralee Bay on the coast of Kerry, where she was surrendered to crown officers. The 24 men on board were taken into custody and marched to Tralee Castle . On the orders of Lady Margaret Denny , they were all hanged from a gibbet.
Valentia Island: Trinidad (800 tons, 302 men) was wrecked on the coast of Desmond — probably at Valentia Island , off the coast of south Kerry — although there are no details of this event.
At Liscannor the oar-powered galleass Zuñiga (290, Naples) anchored off-shore with a broken rudder, having found a gap in the Cliffs of Moher , which rise sheer from the sea over 220 metres. The ship came under surveillance by the sheriff of Clare and, when a cock-boat was sent ashore in search of supplies, the Spanish were attacked by crown forces and had to withdraw to their ship. One captive was taken and sent for interrogation. Zuñiga escaped the coast with favourable winds, put in at Le Havre , and finally made it back to Naples the following year.
Donegal: La Trinidad Valencera (1,000 tons, Levant squadron, 360 men, 42 guns) had taken on more water than could be pumped out. Yet as she approached the coast she managed to rescue 264 men from the Barca de Amburgo , another ship swamped in the heavy seas. Trinidad anchored in Glenagivney Bay , where she listed to such a degree that the order was given to abandon ship. Some locals were paid for the use of a small boat, and over the course of two days all 560 men were ferried to shore. [8]
During a seven-day march inland, the column of survivors met a force of cavalry under the command of Richard Hovenden and Henry Hovenden [9] foster-brothers of Hugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone . [ citation needed ] Upon pledges of safe conduct for their delivery into the custody of Fitzwilliam — given in the presence of the Earl of Tyrconnell — the Spanish laid down their arms. [ citation needed ] The noblemen and officers were separated out, and 300 of the ordinary men were massacred. The surviving 150 fled through the bog, ending up either with Sorley Boy MacDonnell at Dunluce or at the house of Redmond O'Gallagher, the bishop of Derry, and were sent to Scotland. The 45 noblemen and officers were marched to Dublin, but only 30 survived to reach the capital, where they were dispatched to London for ransom.
Three further ships — unidentified — were wrecked on the Donegal coast, one at Mullaghderg, one at Rinn a' Chaislean. The third was found in 2010 at Burtonport. [10]
Antrim: The greatest loss of life was on the sinking of the galleass La Girona . She had docked for repairs to her rudder at Killybegs , where 800 survivors from two other Armada shipwrecks were taken aboard - from La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada and Duquesa Santa Ana , which went aground at Loughros Mor Bay , Donegal. La Girona set sail for Scotland, but on 26 October her rudder broke and she was wrecked off Lacada Point, County Antrim . Of the estimated 1300 people on board, only nine survived. [11]
The Governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , sought reinforcements from Dublin but his request was denied by Fitzwilliam, who had few resources at his disposal. A proclamation made it treason on pain of death for any man to help Spaniards. Many survivors were delivered to Galway from all over the province. In the first wave of seizures, 40 noblemen were reserved for ransom, and 300 men were put to death. Later, on the orders of Fitzwilliam, all the unarmed noblemen except two were also executed, along with six Dutch boys who had fallen into custody afterward. In all, 12 ships were wrecked on the coast of Connacht, and 1,100 survivors were put to death. [12] [13]
Galway: Falcon Blanco (300 tons, 103 men, 16 guns) and Concepción de Juanes del Cano of Biscay (225 men, 18 guns) and another unknown ship entered Galway Bay . Falcon Blanco grounded at Barna , five km west of Galway City , and most of those on board made it to shore. Concepción de Juanes del Cano grounded at Carna 30 km further west, having been lured to shore by the bonfires of a party of wreckers from the Clan O'Flaherty
Sligo: Three ships grounded near Streedagh Strand, ten miles North of Sligo town, with 1,800 men drowned and perhaps 100 coming ashore. The wreck-site was discovered in 1985. Among the survivors was Captain Francisco de Cuellar , who gave a remarkable account of his experiences in the fleet and on the run in Ireland.
- La Lavia (25 guns), was a Venetian merchantman and the Vice-flagship;
- La Juliana (32 guns) was a Catalan merchantman; and
- Santa Maria de Vison (de Biscione) (18 guns) was a Ragusan merchantman.
Mayo: In September a galleon was wrecked at Tyrawley (modern County Mayo ). Tradition [ example needed ] has it that another ship was wrecked in the vicinity, near Kid Island, but no record remains of this event. Also, Gran Grin was wrecked at the mouth of Clew Bay .
Among those ships wrecked in Connacht was the merchant carrack La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada (419 men, 35 guns), which had run for the Irish coast in desperate need of repair, along with four other ships of the Levant squadron and four galleons. La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada carried an unusually large number of noblemen from the most ancient families of Spain — chief among them Don Alonso Martinez de Leyva — as well as the son of the Irish rebel, James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald .
La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada was skillfully handled along the northern coast of Mayo, but could not clear the Mullet Peninsula , and so anchored in Blacksod Bay on 7 September. The wind got up and the anchors dragged, until the ship was driven on to Ballycroy strand. All the crew got to shore under the leadership of de Leyva, and two castles were seized and fortified with munitions and stores from the beached ship, which was then torched. The rebel's son, Maurice Fitzmaurice, had died on board, and was cast into the sea in a cypress chest.
The Spanish soon moved on to another castle, where they were met by a host of fellow survivors, approaching from the wreck in Broadhaven of another ship, which had entered that bay without masts. De Leyva's host now numbered 600, and the governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , chose not to confront them. After some days two ships of the Armada entered Blacksod Bay — the merchantman Nuestra Señora de Begoña (750 tons, 297 men) and the transport Duquesa Santa Ana (900 tons, 23 guns, 357 men). De Leyva and his 600 men boarded Duquesa Santa Ana . Nuestra Señora de Begoña sailed straight for Santander, Spain , arriving some time later. Duquesa Santa Ana , however, was somewhat damaged and it was decided to sail north for Scotland. Stormy weather soon hit Duquesa Santa Ana and she was grounded in Loughros Bay in Donegal, with all aboard reaching shore in what was friendly territory.
De Leyva, who had been seriously injured by a capstan, pitched camp on the shore of the bay for nine days, until news came of another ship of the fleet, the galleass Girona , which had anchored in Killybegs harbour while two other ships had been lost on attempting to enter the harbour. With the assistance of an Irish chieftain, MacSweeney Bannagh, Girona was repaired and set sail in mid-October with 1,300 men on board, including de Leyva. Lough Foyle was cleared, but then a gale struck and Girona was driven ashore at Dunluce in modern County Antrim . There were nine survivors, who were sent on to Scotland by Sorley Boy MacDonnell ; 260 bodies were washed ashore.
Aran Islands: Two ships were sighted off the Aran Islands : one failed to land a party in hard weather, and it is not known what became of them.
Antrim: The single greatest loss of life occurred upon the wreck of the galleass Girona on the coast of Antrim after she had taken on board many survivors from other ships wrecked on the coast of Connacht (see Ulster, above).
Between 17 and 24 ships of the Grand Armada were lost on the Irish coast, accounting for about one-third of the fleet's total loss of 63, with the loss of about 6,000 men. [14]
By the end of September 1588 Fitzwilliam was able to report to the Queen's secretary, Lord Burghley , that the Armada alarm was over. Soon after, he reckoned that only about 100 survivors remained in the country. In 1596 , an envoy of Philip II arrived in Ireland to make inquiries of survivors and was successful in only eight cases.
Following the defeat of the Armada the English sent their own fleet against the Iberian peninsula, but failed to press home their advantage and returned with tremendous losses. At the height of the Anglo-Spanish War the Spanish landed 3,500 troops in the south of Ireland to assist the Ulster rebel leader Hugh O'Neill , during the Nine Years' War ( 1594 – 1603 ). This expedition also failed, and Spain and England concluded a peace in 1604 .
By the time of the peace the Spanish had restored their dominance at sea, and treasure from the New World was flowing in to their Royal Treasury at an increased rate. Elizabeth's successor James I neglected his fleet and chose to secure crown influence in Ireland: in 1607 the lords of Gaelic Ulster fled to the continent , and the English conquest of Ireland was largely completed on the seizure and colonisation of their territories in the Plantation of Ulster in 1610 .
There is a myth that the Spanish Armada left descendents in Ireland, however research has discredited such claims. [15] [ better source needed ]
The first salvage attempts were made within months, on the coast of County Clare by George Carew , who complained [ citation needed ] at the expense "of sustaining the divers with copious draughts of usequebaugh" [Uisce Beatha - Irish for whiskey].
Sorley Boy MacDonnell recovered three brass cannon and two chests of treasure from the wreck of Girona .
In 1797 a quantity of lead and some brass guns were raised from the wreck of an unknown Armada ship at Mullaghderg in County Donegal. Two miles further south, in 1853, an anchor was recovered from another unknown Armada wreck. [16]
The Grainuaile Suite (1985), an orchestral treatment of the life of the Irish sea-queen Gráinne O'Malley by Irish composer Shaun Davey , contains a lament on the Spanish landings in Ireland, sung by Rita Connolly .
The wrecking of La Girona was commemorated in illustrations of the Armada and the Antrim coast which appear on the reverse side of sterling banknotes issued by the First Trust Bank in Northern Ireland .
The final published novel of Anthony Burgess , Byrne: A Novel , features a protagonist who is specifically stated to be descended from Spanish survivors who remained in Ireland.
The Luck of the Irish and Darby O'Gill and the Little People are American films that make reference to the wrecking of the Spanish armada as an explanation for leprechauns having pots of gold.
The Spanish-Portuguese co-produced short animated film The Monkey (2021), influenced by the story of The Hartlepool Monkey , focuses on the treatment of the Spanish shipwrecked on Irish shores. The film, which stars Colm Meaney won the Goya , for best Best Animated Short Film in 2021 . [17] | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada_in_Ireland | 152 |
where did the spanish armada land in ireland | Where the Black Irish really came from and no, it wasn’t the Spanish Armada | Let’s end the fake news on where the Black Irish came from. Many claim they are from the Spanish Armada -- the offspring of shipwrecked Spanish sailors from 1588 who stayed in Ireland -- but the truth is much more interesting.
I can explain but first let me reiterate -- they didn’t come from the Spanish Armada. That’s fake news.
How do we know? Because there are actual accounts by eyewitnesses about what happened in September 1588 when the shipwrecked sailors, fleeing a massive naval defeat and a horrendous storm, pitched up on West of Ireland beaches.
Far from welcoming colleens, there were English garrison troops waiting and they were merciless. There was an especially horrible end to nearly 1,100 Armada survivors who wrecked in Sligo’s Streedagh Bay, according to the testimony of a surviving Armada officer.
Captain Francisco de Cuellar later wrote that, as a survivor, he found: “the land and shore were full of enemies, who went dancing with delight at our misfortune; and when any one of our people reached the beach, two hundred savages and other enemies fell upon him and stripped him of what he had.”
De Cuellar stated some Irish clans protected them. According to Cuellar, they were: “ the O’Rourke of Breifne, McClancy of Rosclogher and Redmond O’Gallagher of Derry.” They managed to save lives and send many of the Spaniards secretly back to Spain. As for the others, there was no reprieve, they were brutally butchered after being stripped naked.
2
So the Armada story is untrue.
So too is the idea that certain tribes of the Celts were dark-complexioned because every contemporary description of them describes them as red-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned people The Roman historians especially found Celtic women to be blond and warlike
"The women of the Celtic tribes are bigger and stronger than our Roman women. This is most likely due to their natures as well as their peculiar fondness for all things martial and robust. The flaxen-haired maidens of the north are trained in sports and war while our gentle ladies are content to do their womanly duties and thus are less powerful than most young girls from Gaul and the hinterlands." -- Marcus Borealis
So we come to the crux of the matter. How come there are so many dark-haired, dark-complexioned Irish?
It’s relatively simple. The Spanish, Portuguese, and other countries in Europe, not to mention those from African countries, traded heavily with Ireland and there were constant expeditions back and forth work and ultimately intertwined families. Strong bonds were created.
For close to 500 years that trade path stayed open. Many a Spanish trader and Irish lass became embroiled in love and marriage, expand that across five centuries and that’s a whole lotta loving going on!
More proof? Black Irish tend to be from the West Coast and North West Ireland which is where the trading went on. And there, my friends, you have the truth of the matter.
(Thanks to Mike McCormick of the AOH whose 2016 article on this topic was a great research job.) | https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/black-irish-spanish-armada | 152 |
where did the spanish armada land in ireland | Spanish Armada in Ireland - Wikipedia | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Spanish Armada in Ireland refers to the landfall made upon the coast of Ireland in September 1588 of a large portion of the 130-strong fleet sent by Philip II to invade England .
Following its defeat at the naval battle of Gravelines the Armada had attempted to return home through the North Atlantic , when it was driven from its course by violent storms, toward the west coast of Ireland. The prospect of a Spanish landing alarmed the Dublin government of Queen Elizabeth I , which prescribed harsh measures for the Spanish invaders and any Irish who might assist them.
Up to 24 ships of the Armada were wrecked on a rocky coastline spanning 500 km, from Antrim in the north to Kerry in the south, and the threat to Crown authority was readily defeated. Many of the survivors of the multiple wrecks were put to death, and the remainder fled across the sea to Scotland. It is estimated that some 6,000 members of the fleet perished in Ireland or off its coasts.
Main article: Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada was a fleet of 130 ships that sailed from A Coruña in August 1588 under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England . It met with armed resistance in the English Channel , when a fireship attack off Calais broke its formation, and was driven into the North Sea after the Battle of Gravelines .
When the fleet entered the North Sea, 110 ships remained under Medina Sidonia's command. Many were damaged by gunfire or were running low on supplies, making them unfit for service in the Atlantic Ocean. Some had cut their anchors in the flight from the fireships, which severely diminished their ability to navigate close to shore. Also, the Armada commanders made a large navigational error that brought the fleet too close to the dangerous Atlantic coasts of Scotland and Ireland.
After Gravelines the commanders of the Armada held a conference on Sidonia's flagship. Some proposed a course for Norway, others for Ireland. The admiral made his choice, and orders were issued to the fleet:
The course that is first to be held is to the north/north-east until you be found under 61 degrees and a half; and then to take great heed lest you fall upon the Island of Ireland for fear of the harm that may happen unto you upon that coast. Then, parting from those islands and doubling the Cape in 61 degrees and a half, you shall run west/south-west until you be found under 58 degrees ; and from thence to the south-west to the height of 53 degrees ; and then to the south/south-west, making to the Cape Finisterre , and so to procure your entrance into The Groyne A Coruña or to Ferrol , or to any other port of coast of Galicia . [1]
The fleet was to approach the coast of Norway, before steering to the meridian of the Shetland Islands and on to Rockall . This allowed passage outside the northern tip of Shetland, clearing the coast of Scotland at a distance of 160 km. Once out in the broad Atlantic, the ships were to steer to a point 645 km beyond the Shannon estuary on the west coast of Ireland, giving themselves a clear run to northern Spain. [2]
The Armada's sailing orders were almost impossible to follow. The weather was difficult. Many of the ships and their crew members were in great distress. The navigators' charts were primitive, [3] and their best training and experience in the techniques of dead reckoning and latitude sailing fell far short of what was needed to bring the fleet safely home. [4]
The Armada failed to keep its course around the north of Shetland at 61 1 ⁄ 2 'N. Instead, on 20 August, it passed safely to the south, between Orkney and Fair Isle , and was carried into the Atlantic at about 59 1 ⁄ 2 'N. From there it was due to sail from North Uist in the Hebrides Islands until it caught sight of the distant islet of Rockall , but failed again. Southerly winds blew from 21 August to 3 September, stirred up by an anticyclone over Scandinavia, which prevented the fleet from running west-south-west as ordered. One report reflects the frustration of the navigators: "We sailed without knowing whither through constant fogs, storms and squalls". [5]
The sailing orders were rendered useless by the weather, but the miscalculation of the Armada's position contributed greatly to its destruction. The navigators were unaware of the effect of the eastward flowing Gulf Stream , which must have hindered the fleet's progress – perhaps by as much as 30 km a day. The paymaster of the San Juan Bautista , Marcos de Aramburu, recorded a log of his progress from late August onwards, when the rest of the fleet was within sight. The inference from his observations is that his ship's estimated position as it turned for home was entirely wrong, some 480 km to the west: its real position lay in the east, perilously close to the coasts of Scotland and Ireland. This single deficiency "made the difference between safety and disaster". [6]
After seven weeks at sea the opportunity to make landfall and take on supplies and effect repairs must have been welcome, but navigation in these waters demanded intimate knowledge. The experience of Spanish mariners in the intricacies of north Atlantic conditions was largely confined to trading voyages to the south and south-west of Ireland, and it is likely that the fleet's pilots preferred to maintain Sidonia's course, despite the hardships on board their ships.
Most of the fleet – 84 ships – avoided land, and most of those made it home, although in varying degrees of distress. The remainder were forced toward the coast of Ireland – perhaps 28 – and included several galleons and many merchantmen. The latter had been converted for battle and were leaking heavily, making sail with severely damaged masts and rigging, and with most of their anchors missing. The ships seem to have maintained contact until the beginning of September, when they were scattered by a south-west gale (described in the contemporary account of an Irish government official as one "the like whereof hath not been seen or heard for a long time"). Within days, this lost fleet had made landfall in Ireland.
The head of the English Crown administration at Dublin was Lord Deputy William Fitzwilliam . In August 1588 he was presented with credible intelligence that the battle in the English Channel had been won by the Spanish and that the invasion of England was set to be completed. Then it was understood that the Spanish were in the Atlantic and the entire fleet was about to fall on the coast of Ireland. The degree of alarm among the English at Dublin was extreme, and Fitzwilliam put out false reports that reinforcements from England were due to arrive with 10,000 troops.
The English feared the Spanish would land in disciplined formations, with the Irish rising out to join them from territories that were almost beyond the control of the government. But reliable intelligence was soon received at Waterford and Dublin that the ships were fetching up in a chaotic manner at disparate locations in the provinces of Ulster , Connacht and Munster , along a coastline spanning 300 miles (480 km). Fitzwilliam ordered that all Spaniards be captured and hanged summarily; and that anyone aiding them be tortured and charged as a traitor to the Crown.
The Armada first made landfall in the southern province of Munster, which had been colonised by the English in 1583 following the suppression of the last of the Desmond Rebellions . Fitzwilliam received orders from London to lead an expedition there, and intelligence from the governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , soon confirmed that further landfalls were being made throughout the west and north of the country.
Thomond: Many ships were sighted off the coast of County Clare : four at Loop Head , two of which were wrecked, including San Esteban (700 tons, 264 men) at Doonbeg, and probably the heavily damaged San Marcos (790 tons, squadron of Portugal, 409 men, 33 guns) at Lurga Point (modern day Seafield, Quilty, County Clare ) inside Mutton Island. All survivors were put to death by the sheriff of Clare, Boetius MacClancy (some, according to tradition, at Gallows Hill, but more likely at Cnoc na Crocaire, Spanish Point).
Seven ships anchored at Scattery Roads , probably with a pilot who knew the coast. Their landing party was fought off, but they did secure some supplies and managed to repair their ships. One galleon, Anunciada (703 tons, 24 guns, 275 men), was fired and scuttled off Kilrush on 12 September, [7] and the crew transferred to Barco de Danzig , which made it safely to Spain after the squadron departed the Shannon estuary on 11 September.
Blasket Islands: One Armada commander, Juan Martínez de Recalde , did have experience of the Irish coast: in 1580 he had landed a Papal invasion force in the Dingle peninsula , in the run up to the Siege of Smerwick , and had managed to evade an English squadron of warships. In the Armada he had command of the galleon San Juan de Portugal (1,150 tons, 500 men, 50 guns) of the Biscayan squadron, which engaged with the English fleet in the Channel and held off Francis Drake in Revenge , John Hawkins in Victory , and Martin Frobisher in Triumph .
After the defeat at Gravelines Recalde's galleon led San Juan de Bautista (750 tons, 243 men) and another small vessel (almost certainly a Scottish fishing smack seized to assist with navigation and inshore work). As these ships approached the coast of Kerry , Recalde's lookouts sighted Mount Brandon on the Dingle peninsula and, to the west, the lofty Blasket Islands , a complex archipelago studded with reefs.
Recalde steered to the islands in search of shelter, riding on a swell through a tight gap at the eastern tip of the Great Blasket Island . His galleon made it through to calm water and dropped anchor over a sandy bottom beneath sheer cliffs. San Juan de Bautista and the smack soon followed. The anchorage ensured that the only wind that might drive the ships off would bring them clear to the open sea. It was a difficult manoeuvre, demanding prior knowledge of the coastline.
Recalde's ships remained within their shelter for several days, and a crown force led by Thomas Norris (brother of the soldier, John Norris ) and Edward Denny (husband of Lady Denny) arrived in Dingle to guard against a landing. Recalde sent a reconnaissance party ashore, but all eight members were captured. At one stage a westerly gale caused Portugal to collide with San Juan de Bautista , and when the wind died down another ship, Santa Maria de la Rosa (900 tons, 297 men: Guipuzcoa squadron), entered the sound from the north and fired off a gun by way of distress signal.
As the tide ebbed , Recalde's ships held their anchorage in the more sheltered part of the sound, while Santa Maria de la Rosa drifted and then simply sank — perhaps on striking Stromboli Rock — leaving one survivor for the English to interrogate. The survivor's information was that the captain of Santa Maria de la Rosa had called the pilot a traitor and run him through with a sword just as the ship began to sink; he also asserted that the Prince of Ascoli, son of the king of Spain, had gone down with the ship — this information was false, but proved useful propaganda for the English.
Two more ships entered the sound — San Juan de Ragusa (650 tons , 285 men), the other unidentified. San Juan de Ragusa was in distress and sank — perhaps on striking Dunbinna reef. San Juan de Bautista attempted to take advantage of an ebb tide and sail south out of the sound, but ended up tacking about on the flood tide to avoid the numerous reefs, before sailing through the north-west passage. After a difficult night, the crew were dismayed to find themselves at the mouth of the sound once more. But the wind blew from the south-east, and San Juan de Bautista finally escaped on 25 September and made it home to Spain through a terrible storm.
Three days later Recalde led the remaining ships out of the sound and brought them to Spain, where he instantly died. [ citation needed ] Those survivors who had fallen into Denny's custody were put to death at Dingle.
Fenit : The sloop Nuestra Senora del Socorro (75 tons) anchored at Fenit , in Tralee Bay on the coast of Kerry, where she was surrendered to crown officers. The 24 men on board were taken into custody and marched to Tralee Castle . On the orders of Lady Margaret Denny , they were all hanged from a gibbet.
Valentia Island: Trinidad (800 tons, 302 men) was wrecked on the coast of Desmond — probably at Valentia Island , off the coast of south Kerry — although there are no details of this event.
At Liscannor the oar-powered galleass Zuñiga (290, Naples) anchored off-shore with a broken rudder, having found a gap in the Cliffs of Moher , which rise sheer from the sea over 220 metres. The ship came under surveillance by the sheriff of Clare and, when a cock-boat was sent ashore in search of supplies, the Spanish were attacked by crown forces and had to withdraw to their ship. One captive was taken and sent for interrogation. Zuñiga escaped the coast with favourable winds, put in at Le Havre , and finally made it back to Naples the following year.
Donegal: La Trinidad Valencera (1,000 tons, Levant squadron, 360 men, 42 guns) had taken on more water than could be pumped out. Yet as she approached the coast she managed to rescue 264 men from the Barca de Amburgo , another ship swamped in the heavy seas. Trinidad anchored in Glenagivney Bay , where she listed to such a degree that the order was given to abandon ship. Some locals were paid for the use of a small boat, and over the course of two days all 560 men were ferried to shore. [8]
During a seven-day march inland, the column of survivors met a force of cavalry under the command of Richard Hovenden and Henry Hovenden [9] foster-brothers of Hugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone . [ citation needed ] Upon pledges of safe conduct for their delivery into the custody of Fitzwilliam — given in the presence of the Earl of Tyrconnell — the Spanish laid down their arms. [ citation needed ] The noblemen and officers were separated out, and 300 of the ordinary men were massacred. The surviving 150 fled through the bog, ending up either with Sorley Boy MacDonnell at Dunluce or at the house of Redmond O'Gallagher, the bishop of Derry, and were sent to Scotland. The 45 noblemen and officers were marched to Dublin, but only 30 survived to reach the capital, where they were dispatched to London for ransom.
Three further ships — unidentified — were wrecked on the Donegal coast, one at Mullaghderg, one at Rinn a' Chaislean. The third was found in 2010 at Burtonport. [10]
Antrim: The greatest loss of life was on the sinking of the galleass La Girona . She had docked for repairs to her rudder at Killybegs , where 800 survivors from two other Armada shipwrecks were taken aboard - from La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada and Duquesa Santa Ana , which went aground at Loughros Mor Bay , Donegal. La Girona set sail for Scotland, but on 26 October her rudder broke and she was wrecked off Lacada Point, County Antrim . Of the estimated 1300 people on board, only nine survived. [11]
The Governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , sought reinforcements from Dublin but his request was denied by Fitzwilliam, who had few resources at his disposal. A proclamation made it treason on pain of death for any man to help Spaniards. Many survivors were delivered to Galway from all over the province. In the first wave of seizures, 40 noblemen were reserved for ransom, and 300 men were put to death. Later, on the orders of Fitzwilliam, all the unarmed noblemen except two were also executed, along with six Dutch boys who had fallen into custody afterward. In all, 12 ships were wrecked on the coast of Connacht, and 1,100 survivors were put to death. [12] [13]
Galway: Falcon Blanco (300 tons, 103 men, 16 guns) and Concepción de Juanes del Cano of Biscay (225 men, 18 guns) and another unknown ship entered Galway Bay . Falcon Blanco grounded at Barna , five km west of Galway City , and most of those on board made it to shore. Concepción de Juanes del Cano grounded at Carna 30 km further west, having been lured to shore by the bonfires of a party of wreckers from the Clan O'Flaherty
Sligo: Three ships grounded near Streedagh Strand, ten miles North of Sligo town, with 1,800 men drowned and perhaps 100 coming ashore. The wreck-site was discovered in 1985. Among the survivors was Captain Francisco de Cuellar , who gave a remarkable account of his experiences in the fleet and on the run in Ireland.
- La Lavia (25 guns), was a Venetian merchantman and the Vice-flagship;
- La Juliana (32 guns) was a Catalan merchantman; and
- Santa Maria de Vison (de Biscione) (18 guns) was a Ragusan merchantman.
Mayo: In September a galleon was wrecked at Tyrawley (modern County Mayo ). Tradition [ example needed ] has it that another ship was wrecked in the vicinity, near Kid Island, but no record remains of this event. Also, Gran Grin was wrecked at the mouth of Clew Bay .
Among those ships wrecked in Connacht was the merchant carrack La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada (419 men, 35 guns), which had run for the Irish coast in desperate need of repair, along with four other ships of the Levant squadron and four galleons. La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada carried an unusually large number of noblemen from the most ancient families of Spain — chief among them Don Alonso Martinez de Leyva — as well as the son of the Irish rebel, James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald .
La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada was skillfully handled along the northern coast of Mayo, but could not clear the Mullet Peninsula , and so anchored in Blacksod Bay on 7 September. The wind got up and the anchors dragged, until the ship was driven on to Ballycroy strand. All the crew got to shore under the leadership of de Leyva, and two castles were seized and fortified with munitions and stores from the beached ship, which was then torched. The rebel's son, Maurice Fitzmaurice, had died on board, and was cast into the sea in a cypress chest.
The Spanish soon moved on to another castle, where they were met by a host of fellow survivors, approaching from the wreck in Broadhaven of another ship, which had entered that bay without masts. De Leyva's host now numbered 600, and the governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , chose not to confront them. After some days two ships of the Armada entered Blacksod Bay — the merchantman Nuestra Señora de Begoña (750 tons, 297 men) and the transport Duquesa Santa Ana (900 tons, 23 guns, 357 men). De Leyva and his 600 men boarded Duquesa Santa Ana . Nuestra Señora de Begoña sailed straight for Santander, Spain , arriving some time later. Duquesa Santa Ana , however, was somewhat damaged and it was decided to sail north for Scotland. Stormy weather soon hit Duquesa Santa Ana and she was grounded in Loughros Bay in Donegal, with all aboard reaching shore in what was friendly territory.
De Leyva, who had been seriously injured by a capstan, pitched camp on the shore of the bay for nine days, until news came of another ship of the fleet, the galleass Girona , which had anchored in Killybegs harbour while two other ships had been lost on attempting to enter the harbour. With the assistance of an Irish chieftain, MacSweeney Bannagh, Girona was repaired and set sail in mid-October with 1,300 men on board, including de Leyva. Lough Foyle was cleared, but then a gale struck and Girona was driven ashore at Dunluce in modern County Antrim . There were nine survivors, who were sent on to Scotland by Sorley Boy MacDonnell ; 260 bodies were washed ashore.
Aran Islands: Two ships were sighted off the Aran Islands : one failed to land a party in hard weather, and it is not known what became of them.
Antrim: The single greatest loss of life occurred upon the wreck of the galleass Girona on the coast of Antrim after she had taken on board many survivors from other ships wrecked on the coast of Connacht (see Ulster, above).
Between 17 and 24 ships of the Grand Armada were lost on the Irish coast, accounting for about one-third of the fleet's total loss of 63, with the loss of about 6,000 men. [14]
By the end of September 1588 Fitzwilliam was able to report to the Queen's secretary, Lord Burghley , that the Armada alarm was over. Soon after, he reckoned that only about 100 survivors remained in the country. In 1596 , an envoy of Philip II arrived in Ireland to make inquiries of survivors and was successful in only eight cases.
Following the defeat of the Armada the English sent their own fleet against the Iberian peninsula, but failed to press home their advantage and returned with tremendous losses. At the height of the Anglo-Spanish War the Spanish landed 3,500 troops in the south of Ireland to assist the Ulster rebel leader Hugh O'Neill , during the Nine Years' War ( 1594 – 1603 ). This expedition also failed, and Spain and England concluded a peace in 1604 .
By the time of the peace the Spanish had restored their dominance at sea, and treasure from the New World was flowing in to their Royal Treasury at an increased rate. Elizabeth's successor James I neglected his fleet and chose to secure crown influence in Ireland: in 1607 the lords of Gaelic Ulster fled to the continent , and the English conquest of Ireland was largely completed on the seizure and colonisation of their territories in the Plantation of Ulster in 1610 .
There is a myth that the Spanish Armada left descendents in Ireland, however research has discredited such claims. [15] [ better source needed ]
The first salvage attempts were made within months, on the coast of County Clare by George Carew , who complained [ citation needed ] at the expense "of sustaining the divers with copious draughts of usequebaugh" [Uisce Beatha - Irish for whiskey].
Sorley Boy MacDonnell recovered three brass cannon and two chests of treasure from the wreck of Girona .
In 1797 a quantity of lead and some brass guns were raised from the wreck of an unknown Armada ship at Mullaghderg in County Donegal. Two miles further south, in 1853, an anchor was recovered from another unknown Armada wreck. [16]
The Grainuaile Suite (1985), an orchestral treatment of the life of the Irish sea-queen Gráinne O'Malley by Irish composer Shaun Davey , contains a lament on the Spanish landings in Ireland, sung by Rita Connolly .
The wrecking of La Girona was commemorated in illustrations of the Armada and the Antrim coast which appear on the reverse side of sterling banknotes issued by the First Trust Bank in Northern Ireland .
The final published novel of Anthony Burgess , Byrne: A Novel , features a protagonist who is specifically stated to be descended from Spanish survivors who remained in Ireland.
The Luck of the Irish and Darby O'Gill and the Little People are American films that make reference to the wrecking of the Spanish armada as an explanation for leprechauns having pots of gold.
The Spanish-Portuguese co-produced short animated film The Monkey (2021), influenced by the story of The Hartlepool Monkey , focuses on the treatment of the Spanish shipwrecked on Irish shores. The film, which stars Colm Meaney won the Goya , for best Best Animated Short Film in 2021 . [17] | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada_in_Ireland | 152 |
where did the spanish armada land in ireland | Spanish Armada in Ireland - Wikipedia | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Spanish Armada in Ireland refers to the landfall made upon the coast of Ireland in September 1588 of a large portion of the 130-strong fleet sent by Philip II to invade England .
Following its defeat at the naval battle of Gravelines the Armada had attempted to return home through the North Atlantic , when it was driven from its course by violent storms, toward the west coast of Ireland. The prospect of a Spanish landing alarmed the Dublin government of Queen Elizabeth I , which prescribed harsh measures for the Spanish invaders and any Irish who might assist them.
Up to 24 ships of the Armada were wrecked on a rocky coastline spanning 500 km, from Antrim in the north to Kerry in the south, and the threat to Crown authority was readily defeated. Many of the survivors of the multiple wrecks were put to death, and the remainder fled across the sea to Scotland. It is estimated that some 6,000 members of the fleet perished in Ireland or off its coasts.
Main article: Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada was a fleet of 130 ships that sailed from A Coruña in August 1588 under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England . It met with armed resistance in the English Channel , when a fireship attack off Calais broke its formation, and was driven into the North Sea after the Battle of Gravelines .
When the fleet entered the North Sea, 110 ships remained under Medina Sidonia's command. Many were damaged by gunfire or were running low on supplies, making them unfit for service in the Atlantic Ocean. Some had cut their anchors in the flight from the fireships, which severely diminished their ability to navigate close to shore. Also, the Armada commanders made a large navigational error that brought the fleet too close to the dangerous Atlantic coasts of Scotland and Ireland.
After Gravelines the commanders of the Armada held a conference on Sidonia's flagship. Some proposed a course for Norway, others for Ireland. The admiral made his choice, and orders were issued to the fleet:
The course that is first to be held is to the north/north-east until you be found under 61 degrees and a half; and then to take great heed lest you fall upon the Island of Ireland for fear of the harm that may happen unto you upon that coast. Then, parting from those islands and doubling the Cape in 61 degrees and a half, you shall run west/south-west until you be found under 58 degrees ; and from thence to the south-west to the height of 53 degrees ; and then to the south/south-west, making to the Cape Finisterre , and so to procure your entrance into The Groyne A Coruña or to Ferrol , or to any other port of coast of Galicia . [1]
The fleet was to approach the coast of Norway, before steering to the meridian of the Shetland Islands and on to Rockall . This allowed passage outside the northern tip of Shetland, clearing the coast of Scotland at a distance of 160 km. Once out in the broad Atlantic, the ships were to steer to a point 645 km beyond the Shannon estuary on the west coast of Ireland, giving themselves a clear run to northern Spain. [2]
The Armada's sailing orders were almost impossible to follow. The weather was difficult. Many of the ships and their crew members were in great distress. The navigators' charts were primitive, [3] and their best training and experience in the techniques of dead reckoning and latitude sailing fell far short of what was needed to bring the fleet safely home. [4]
The Armada failed to keep its course around the north of Shetland at 61 1 ⁄ 2 'N. Instead, on 20 August, it passed safely to the south, between Orkney and Fair Isle , and was carried into the Atlantic at about 59 1 ⁄ 2 'N. From there it was due to sail from North Uist in the Hebrides Islands until it caught sight of the distant islet of Rockall , but failed again. Southerly winds blew from 21 August to 3 September, stirred up by an anticyclone over Scandinavia, which prevented the fleet from running west-south-west as ordered. One report reflects the frustration of the navigators: "We sailed without knowing whither through constant fogs, storms and squalls". [5]
The sailing orders were rendered useless by the weather, but the miscalculation of the Armada's position contributed greatly to its destruction. The navigators were unaware of the effect of the eastward flowing Gulf Stream , which must have hindered the fleet's progress – perhaps by as much as 30 km a day. The paymaster of the San Juan Bautista , Marcos de Aramburu, recorded a log of his progress from late August onwards, when the rest of the fleet was within sight. The inference from his observations is that his ship's estimated position as it turned for home was entirely wrong, some 480 km to the west: its real position lay in the east, perilously close to the coasts of Scotland and Ireland. This single deficiency "made the difference between safety and disaster". [6]
After seven weeks at sea the opportunity to make landfall and take on supplies and effect repairs must have been welcome, but navigation in these waters demanded intimate knowledge. The experience of Spanish mariners in the intricacies of north Atlantic conditions was largely confined to trading voyages to the south and south-west of Ireland, and it is likely that the fleet's pilots preferred to maintain Sidonia's course, despite the hardships on board their ships.
Most of the fleet – 84 ships – avoided land, and most of those made it home, although in varying degrees of distress. The remainder were forced toward the coast of Ireland – perhaps 28 – and included several galleons and many merchantmen. The latter had been converted for battle and were leaking heavily, making sail with severely damaged masts and rigging, and with most of their anchors missing. The ships seem to have maintained contact until the beginning of September, when they were scattered by a south-west gale (described in the contemporary account of an Irish government official as one "the like whereof hath not been seen or heard for a long time"). Within days, this lost fleet had made landfall in Ireland.
The head of the English Crown administration at Dublin was Lord Deputy William Fitzwilliam . In August 1588 he was presented with credible intelligence that the battle in the English Channel had been won by the Spanish and that the invasion of England was set to be completed. Then it was understood that the Spanish were in the Atlantic and the entire fleet was about to fall on the coast of Ireland. The degree of alarm among the English at Dublin was extreme, and Fitzwilliam put out false reports that reinforcements from England were due to arrive with 10,000 troops.
The English feared the Spanish would land in disciplined formations, with the Irish rising out to join them from territories that were almost beyond the control of the government. But reliable intelligence was soon received at Waterford and Dublin that the ships were fetching up in a chaotic manner at disparate locations in the provinces of Ulster , Connacht and Munster , along a coastline spanning 300 miles (480 km). Fitzwilliam ordered that all Spaniards be captured and hanged summarily; and that anyone aiding them be tortured and charged as a traitor to the Crown.
The Armada first made landfall in the southern province of Munster, which had been colonised by the English in 1583 following the suppression of the last of the Desmond Rebellions . Fitzwilliam received orders from London to lead an expedition there, and intelligence from the governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , soon confirmed that further landfalls were being made throughout the west and north of the country.
Thomond: Many ships were sighted off the coast of County Clare : four at Loop Head , two of which were wrecked, including San Esteban (700 tons, 264 men) at Doonbeg, and probably the heavily damaged San Marcos (790 tons, squadron of Portugal, 409 men, 33 guns) at Lurga Point (modern day Seafield, Quilty, County Clare ) inside Mutton Island. All survivors were put to death by the sheriff of Clare, Boetius MacClancy (some, according to tradition, at Gallows Hill, but more likely at Cnoc na Crocaire, Spanish Point).
Seven ships anchored at Scattery Roads , probably with a pilot who knew the coast. Their landing party was fought off, but they did secure some supplies and managed to repair their ships. One galleon, Anunciada (703 tons, 24 guns, 275 men), was fired and scuttled off Kilrush on 12 September, [7] and the crew transferred to Barco de Danzig , which made it safely to Spain after the squadron departed the Shannon estuary on 11 September.
Blasket Islands: One Armada commander, Juan Martínez de Recalde , did have experience of the Irish coast: in 1580 he had landed a Papal invasion force in the Dingle peninsula , in the run up to the Siege of Smerwick , and had managed to evade an English squadron of warships. In the Armada he had command of the galleon San Juan de Portugal (1,150 tons, 500 men, 50 guns) of the Biscayan squadron, which engaged with the English fleet in the Channel and held off Francis Drake in Revenge , John Hawkins in Victory , and Martin Frobisher in Triumph .
After the defeat at Gravelines Recalde's galleon led San Juan de Bautista (750 tons, 243 men) and another small vessel (almost certainly a Scottish fishing smack seized to assist with navigation and inshore work). As these ships approached the coast of Kerry , Recalde's lookouts sighted Mount Brandon on the Dingle peninsula and, to the west, the lofty Blasket Islands , a complex archipelago studded with reefs.
Recalde steered to the islands in search of shelter, riding on a swell through a tight gap at the eastern tip of the Great Blasket Island . His galleon made it through to calm water and dropped anchor over a sandy bottom beneath sheer cliffs. San Juan de Bautista and the smack soon followed. The anchorage ensured that the only wind that might drive the ships off would bring them clear to the open sea. It was a difficult manoeuvre, demanding prior knowledge of the coastline.
Recalde's ships remained within their shelter for several days, and a crown force led by Thomas Norris (brother of the soldier, John Norris ) and Edward Denny (husband of Lady Denny) arrived in Dingle to guard against a landing. Recalde sent a reconnaissance party ashore, but all eight members were captured. At one stage a westerly gale caused Portugal to collide with San Juan de Bautista , and when the wind died down another ship, Santa Maria de la Rosa (900 tons, 297 men: Guipuzcoa squadron), entered the sound from the north and fired off a gun by way of distress signal.
As the tide ebbed , Recalde's ships held their anchorage in the more sheltered part of the sound, while Santa Maria de la Rosa drifted and then simply sank — perhaps on striking Stromboli Rock — leaving one survivor for the English to interrogate. The survivor's information was that the captain of Santa Maria de la Rosa had called the pilot a traitor and run him through with a sword just as the ship began to sink; he also asserted that the Prince of Ascoli, son of the king of Spain, had gone down with the ship — this information was false, but proved useful propaganda for the English.
Two more ships entered the sound — San Juan de Ragusa (650 tons , 285 men), the other unidentified. San Juan de Ragusa was in distress and sank — perhaps on striking Dunbinna reef. San Juan de Bautista attempted to take advantage of an ebb tide and sail south out of the sound, but ended up tacking about on the flood tide to avoid the numerous reefs, before sailing through the north-west passage. After a difficult night, the crew were dismayed to find themselves at the mouth of the sound once more. But the wind blew from the south-east, and San Juan de Bautista finally escaped on 25 September and made it home to Spain through a terrible storm.
Three days later Recalde led the remaining ships out of the sound and brought them to Spain, where he instantly died. [ citation needed ] Those survivors who had fallen into Denny's custody were put to death at Dingle.
Fenit : The sloop Nuestra Senora del Socorro (75 tons) anchored at Fenit , in Tralee Bay on the coast of Kerry, where she was surrendered to crown officers. The 24 men on board were taken into custody and marched to Tralee Castle . On the orders of Lady Margaret Denny , they were all hanged from a gibbet.
Valentia Island: Trinidad (800 tons, 302 men) was wrecked on the coast of Desmond — probably at Valentia Island , off the coast of south Kerry — although there are no details of this event.
At Liscannor the oar-powered galleass Zuñiga (290, Naples) anchored off-shore with a broken rudder, having found a gap in the Cliffs of Moher , which rise sheer from the sea over 220 metres. The ship came under surveillance by the sheriff of Clare and, when a cock-boat was sent ashore in search of supplies, the Spanish were attacked by crown forces and had to withdraw to their ship. One captive was taken and sent for interrogation. Zuñiga escaped the coast with favourable winds, put in at Le Havre , and finally made it back to Naples the following year.
Donegal: La Trinidad Valencera (1,000 tons, Levant squadron, 360 men, 42 guns) had taken on more water than could be pumped out. Yet as she approached the coast she managed to rescue 264 men from the Barca de Amburgo , another ship swamped in the heavy seas. Trinidad anchored in Glenagivney Bay , where she listed to such a degree that the order was given to abandon ship. Some locals were paid for the use of a small boat, and over the course of two days all 560 men were ferried to shore. [8]
During a seven-day march inland, the column of survivors met a force of cavalry under the command of Richard Hovenden and Henry Hovenden [9] foster-brothers of Hugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone . [ citation needed ] Upon pledges of safe conduct for their delivery into the custody of Fitzwilliam — given in the presence of the Earl of Tyrconnell — the Spanish laid down their arms. [ citation needed ] The noblemen and officers were separated out, and 300 of the ordinary men were massacred. The surviving 150 fled through the bog, ending up either with Sorley Boy MacDonnell at Dunluce or at the house of Redmond O'Gallagher, the bishop of Derry, and were sent to Scotland. The 45 noblemen and officers were marched to Dublin, but only 30 survived to reach the capital, where they were dispatched to London for ransom.
Three further ships — unidentified — were wrecked on the Donegal coast, one at Mullaghderg, one at Rinn a' Chaislean. The third was found in 2010 at Burtonport. [10]
Antrim: The greatest loss of life was on the sinking of the galleass La Girona . She had docked for repairs to her rudder at Killybegs , where 800 survivors from two other Armada shipwrecks were taken aboard - from La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada and Duquesa Santa Ana , which went aground at Loughros Mor Bay , Donegal. La Girona set sail for Scotland, but on 26 October her rudder broke and she was wrecked off Lacada Point, County Antrim . Of the estimated 1300 people on board, only nine survived. [11]
The Governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , sought reinforcements from Dublin but his request was denied by Fitzwilliam, who had few resources at his disposal. A proclamation made it treason on pain of death for any man to help Spaniards. Many survivors were delivered to Galway from all over the province. In the first wave of seizures, 40 noblemen were reserved for ransom, and 300 men were put to death. Later, on the orders of Fitzwilliam, all the unarmed noblemen except two were also executed, along with six Dutch boys who had fallen into custody afterward. In all, 12 ships were wrecked on the coast of Connacht, and 1,100 survivors were put to death. [12] [13]
Galway: Falcon Blanco (300 tons, 103 men, 16 guns) and Concepción de Juanes del Cano of Biscay (225 men, 18 guns) and another unknown ship entered Galway Bay . Falcon Blanco grounded at Barna , five km west of Galway City , and most of those on board made it to shore. Concepción de Juanes del Cano grounded at Carna 30 km further west, having been lured to shore by the bonfires of a party of wreckers from the Clan O'Flaherty
Sligo: Three ships grounded near Streedagh Strand, ten miles North of Sligo town, with 1,800 men drowned and perhaps 100 coming ashore. The wreck-site was discovered in 1985. Among the survivors was Captain Francisco de Cuellar , who gave a remarkable account of his experiences in the fleet and on the run in Ireland.
- La Lavia (25 guns), was a Venetian merchantman and the Vice-flagship;
- La Juliana (32 guns) was a Catalan merchantman; and
- Santa Maria de Vison (de Biscione) (18 guns) was a Ragusan merchantman.
Mayo: In September a galleon was wrecked at Tyrawley (modern County Mayo ). Tradition [ example needed ] has it that another ship was wrecked in the vicinity, near Kid Island, but no record remains of this event. Also, Gran Grin was wrecked at the mouth of Clew Bay .
Among those ships wrecked in Connacht was the merchant carrack La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada (419 men, 35 guns), which had run for the Irish coast in desperate need of repair, along with four other ships of the Levant squadron and four galleons. La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada carried an unusually large number of noblemen from the most ancient families of Spain — chief among them Don Alonso Martinez de Leyva — as well as the son of the Irish rebel, James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald .
La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada was skillfully handled along the northern coast of Mayo, but could not clear the Mullet Peninsula , and so anchored in Blacksod Bay on 7 September. The wind got up and the anchors dragged, until the ship was driven on to Ballycroy strand. All the crew got to shore under the leadership of de Leyva, and two castles were seized and fortified with munitions and stores from the beached ship, which was then torched. The rebel's son, Maurice Fitzmaurice, had died on board, and was cast into the sea in a cypress chest.
The Spanish soon moved on to another castle, where they were met by a host of fellow survivors, approaching from the wreck in Broadhaven of another ship, which had entered that bay without masts. De Leyva's host now numbered 600, and the governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , chose not to confront them. After some days two ships of the Armada entered Blacksod Bay — the merchantman Nuestra Señora de Begoña (750 tons, 297 men) and the transport Duquesa Santa Ana (900 tons, 23 guns, 357 men). De Leyva and his 600 men boarded Duquesa Santa Ana . Nuestra Señora de Begoña sailed straight for Santander, Spain , arriving some time later. Duquesa Santa Ana , however, was somewhat damaged and it was decided to sail north for Scotland. Stormy weather soon hit Duquesa Santa Ana and she was grounded in Loughros Bay in Donegal, with all aboard reaching shore in what was friendly territory.
De Leyva, who had been seriously injured by a capstan, pitched camp on the shore of the bay for nine days, until news came of another ship of the fleet, the galleass Girona , which had anchored in Killybegs harbour while two other ships had been lost on attempting to enter the harbour. With the assistance of an Irish chieftain, MacSweeney Bannagh, Girona was repaired and set sail in mid-October with 1,300 men on board, including de Leyva. Lough Foyle was cleared, but then a gale struck and Girona was driven ashore at Dunluce in modern County Antrim . There were nine survivors, who were sent on to Scotland by Sorley Boy MacDonnell ; 260 bodies were washed ashore.
Aran Islands: Two ships were sighted off the Aran Islands : one failed to land a party in hard weather, and it is not known what became of them.
Antrim: The single greatest loss of life occurred upon the wreck of the galleass Girona on the coast of Antrim after she had taken on board many survivors from other ships wrecked on the coast of Connacht (see Ulster, above).
Between 17 and 24 ships of the Grand Armada were lost on the Irish coast, accounting for about one-third of the fleet's total loss of 63, with the loss of about 6,000 men. [14]
By the end of September 1588 Fitzwilliam was able to report to the Queen's secretary, Lord Burghley , that the Armada alarm was over. Soon after, he reckoned that only about 100 survivors remained in the country. In 1596 , an envoy of Philip II arrived in Ireland to make inquiries of survivors and was successful in only eight cases.
Following the defeat of the Armada the English sent their own fleet against the Iberian peninsula, but failed to press home their advantage and returned with tremendous losses. At the height of the Anglo-Spanish War the Spanish landed 3,500 troops in the south of Ireland to assist the Ulster rebel leader Hugh O'Neill , during the Nine Years' War ( 1594 – 1603 ). This expedition also failed, and Spain and England concluded a peace in 1604 .
By the time of the peace the Spanish had restored their dominance at sea, and treasure from the New World was flowing in to their Royal Treasury at an increased rate. Elizabeth's successor James I neglected his fleet and chose to secure crown influence in Ireland: in 1607 the lords of Gaelic Ulster fled to the continent , and the English conquest of Ireland was largely completed on the seizure and colonisation of their territories in the Plantation of Ulster in 1610 .
There is a myth that the Spanish Armada left descendents in Ireland, however research has discredited such claims. [15] [ better source needed ]
The first salvage attempts were made within months, on the coast of County Clare by George Carew , who complained [ citation needed ] at the expense "of sustaining the divers with copious draughts of usequebaugh" [Uisce Beatha - Irish for whiskey].
Sorley Boy MacDonnell recovered three brass cannon and two chests of treasure from the wreck of Girona .
In 1797 a quantity of lead and some brass guns were raised from the wreck of an unknown Armada ship at Mullaghderg in County Donegal. Two miles further south, in 1853, an anchor was recovered from another unknown Armada wreck. [16]
The Grainuaile Suite (1985), an orchestral treatment of the life of the Irish sea-queen Gráinne O'Malley by Irish composer Shaun Davey , contains a lament on the Spanish landings in Ireland, sung by Rita Connolly .
The wrecking of La Girona was commemorated in illustrations of the Armada and the Antrim coast which appear on the reverse side of sterling banknotes issued by the First Trust Bank in Northern Ireland .
The final published novel of Anthony Burgess , Byrne: A Novel , features a protagonist who is specifically stated to be descended from Spanish survivors who remained in Ireland.
The Luck of the Irish and Darby O'Gill and the Little People are American films that make reference to the wrecking of the Spanish armada as an explanation for leprechauns having pots of gold.
The Spanish-Portuguese co-produced short animated film The Monkey (2021), influenced by the story of The Hartlepool Monkey , focuses on the treatment of the Spanish shipwrecked on Irish shores. The film, which stars Colm Meaney won the Goya , for best Best Animated Short Film in 2021 . [17] | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada_in_Ireland | 152 |
where did the spanish armada land in ireland | Ireland and the Spanish Armada 1588 – The Irish Story | On September 16, 1588 seven Spanish ships appeared off Liscannor, sighted by Nicholas Cahane, an agent of Boetius Clancy, the High Sherriff of County Clare. They were the miserable remnants of a once mighty Spanish fleet.
They anchored off Kilrush, where the starving sailors attempted to trade with the locals for food and water. Six ships sailed away unscathed, but another, the Annunciada sank off Scattery Island, was set alight by crew and looted by locals. Two other ships were also lost: the San Estaban and San Marcos , with the loss of around 800 lives.
Crawling ashore, half drowned, malnourished and in no fit state to resist, the survivors, about 300 men, were massacred at Spanish Point by both Irish forces raised by the O’Briens and English soldiers led by the Sherriff, Boetius Clancy. [1]
The Spanish Armada, also known as the ‘Invincible Armada’ ( La Armada Invencible ), was an attempt by the Spanish King Phillip II at a seaborne invasion of the Kingdom of England. The Armada was the culmination of long running rivalry between England and Spain over strategic, trade and religious issues.
The Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet charged with escorting the Spanish Army of Flanders to England’s shores.
The ‘Armada’ itself refers to the Spanish fleet assembled for the operation, which was intended to escort the Spanish Army of Flanders across the English channel, past the English fleet. Although Ireland had featured in previous drafts of Spanish invasion plans, it did not form a part of Spanish strategy in 1588.
Nevertheless, Ireland was, in the end, central to the defeat of the Armada. The Spanish fleet was blown north and west around the western Irish coast. As many as 27 ships and perhaps up to 9,000 Spanish soldiers and sailors lost their lives off the Atlantic coast of Ireland, either through drowning or were killed by English troops or Irish chieftains after they were washed ashore.
At the same time some Irish who were sympathetic to the Spaniards sheltered them and some kept them on as soldiers.
Spain was the leading power in Europe and arguably the world. Phillip II of the house of Habsburg inherited European possessions including not only the Spanish kingdoms of Castille and Aragon, but also the Kingdom of Naples in southern Italy, the Italian islands of Sardinia and Sicily, several principalities in northern Italy and what was then known as the Spanish Netherlands.
In 1580-81 when the King of Portugal died without an heir, Phillip managed to make himself head of that kingdom too, together with its Atlantic fleet and overseas possessions.
Spain was the superpower of 16th century Europe. England as yet was a bit player.
Additionally the Spanish crown controlled vast swathes of central and South America, including modern Mexico (‘New Spain’), and most of what is now Spanish-speaking South America (the Vice-Royalty of Peru). From there the Spaniards shipped back huge quantities of gold and other precious metals, which funded further conquests. Phillip’s empire also included the modern Philippines, and since the union with Portugal, the coast of modern Brazil and outposts in India and Africa as well.
England by contrast, was not yet a major European power. It had no permanent standing army and though it controlled (as yet shakily) the Kingdom of Ireland, its foreign possessions paled in comparison with those of the Spanish monarchy – including only some outposts in north America and in modern Bangladesh.
The Anglo Spanish War broke out against the background of religious turmoil in Europe. The Protestant ‘Reformation’ aimed initially at Reforming the Catholic Church had by the late 16 th century, hardened into a number of breakaway Christian faiths. At a time when the monarch was generally taken to be ‘God’s anointed’, where the subjects and the monarch differed over religion it almost inevitably led to civil war, as it did in France, the German states and, since the 1560s, between the Catholic Spanish rulers of the Netherlands (modern Netherlands and Belgium) and their predominantly Calvinist Dutch subjects.
Rivalry between Spain and England was part religious warfare and part strategic competition.
Between England and Spain and between their monarchs Phillip II and Elizabeth I there was personal religious animosity. Elizabeth’s father Henry VIII had broken with the papacy but his daughter Mary I, product of Henry’s marriage to a Spanish princess had reversed Henry’s policy and restored Catholicism as state religion. Mary married Phillip II of Spain who was thus (joint) King of England and Ireland with Mary between 1553 and Mary’s death, without children, in 1558.
When Elizabeth Tudor, who had been imprisoned under her sister Mary, took over as queen she reversed the counter-reformation and founded an enduring Protestant monarchy with a state Church of England.
This was a blow to Phillip’s pride, his religious scruples and represented a loss of a strategic ally, but was not enough in itself to spark war between England and Spain.
Starting in 1562, Elizabeth authorized English ‘privateers’ that is freelance naval captains, to raid Spanish shipping crossing the Atlantic. As so much of Spanish wealth depended on the importation of American gold this was a very serious potential risk to Spanish interests.
The stakes were further raised with the outbreak of rebellion against the Elizabethan English state in both northern England and southern Ireland (the First Desmond Rebellion , which last until 1573) in 1569. Both revolts had an aspect of Catholic crusade. The Pope Pius V formally excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570. This was a very serious matter as it meant that any Catholic monarch could legitimately overthrow her and that rebellions against her now had religious sanction. [2]
The Spanish decision to invade England and depose Elizabeth was taken after raids on Spanish shipping in the Atlantic and Carribean in 1586.
Both the Spaniards and the Papacy gave military aid to Irish Catholic Geraldine rebels 1579-80 in the Second Desmond rebellion and a 600 strong Papal force of both Italian and Spanish soldiers landed at Smerwick, in Kerry in 1580 to aid the uprising, only to be captured and massacred by English forces. [3]
Furthermore in 1584, Spain committed itself to fight the spread of Protestantism in France.
By way of reprisal, England began aid to aid Protestant Dutch rebels against Spain with troops and money 1585. So by the mid 1580s, England and Spain were locked in mutually antagonistic rivalry, both aiding what would now be called proxy forces in their respective domains.
However the final straw for Phillip II did not come until 1586, when English attacks on shipping off Galicia, the Canaries and the Caribbean caused significant losses in ships and cargo. Losses on this scale could not be allowed to continue and it was only now that Phillip II directed his ministers to prepare for an invasion of England to force a change of regime. [4]
Where did Ireland fit in to this conflict?
Ireland prior to 1542 had been a ‘Lordship’ of the monarch of England. It was only in that year that that Henry VIII declared the Kingdom of Ireland and himself as King of Ireland. It was one thing however to proclaim himself thus and a very different thing to actually control the whole island.
At that date English Crown control extended no further than the Pale, a small fortified area based around Dublin on the east coast and a handful of coastal towns such as Waterford and Cork. Outside of that were dozens of what amounted to small kingdoms, some of which were controlled by lords of mixed Irish and English ancestry such as the Fitzgeralds of Kildare and Desmond and the Butlers of Ormonde and others by indigenous Gaelic Irish chieftains.
Henry’s plan was that Irish lords would ‘surrender’ their lands to him, be re-granted them under English law and become, over generations ‘civilised’ English aristocrats. They would abandon their private armies and also abandon Irish language and customs and also adopt the Protestant state religion. The English, throughout the century spoke of a religious and civil ‘reformation’ in Ireland.
Ireland was in middle of a process of violent absorption into the English monarchy – what the English described a ‘civil reformation’.
It would not be true to say that the Irish lords en masse rejected the advance of the English state in Ireland. Many did accommodate themselves to it and adopt English titles. But for a complex mixture of reasons, some because they did not want any intrusion into their territory by anyone, some because succession disputes or rivalry between Irish lordships dragged in English forces and also by resistance to the imposition of an alien culture and religion, the English ‘civilizing mission’ in Ireland was marked by bouts of ferocious military conquest.
The Desmond Rebellions, in 1569-73 and 1579-83, were a combination of all of these factors and ended in the destruction of the Fitzgerald Earldom of Desmond and the Plantation of Munster with English settlers in the 1580s. Historians disagree over the level of Catholic Counter Reformation penetration of Ireland in this period but it is undeniable that the rebels declared themselves to be fighting for the One True Faith against ‘heresy’ and actively sought military aid from Catholic Europe. Refugees from the Desmond wars ended up in Spain and to a lesser extent France.
The first Irish regiment in Spanish service was born in 1587 when an Irish unit raised under an English Catholic, William Stanley and sent to the Netherlands, defected to the Spanish side. [5]
As a result Ireland appeared to the Spanish to be an obvious weak point for England, with a restive Catholic population that could be mobilized in their favour.
As the reception of the Armada off Ireland’s west coast in 1588 would show, however, the reality of Irish politics was far more complex and fragmented.
Nowhere was this more apparent than in the western province of Connacht, where much of the Spanish fleet would end up in September 1588.
In an effort to establish military control over the province, the English created the ‘Presidency of Connacht’ in 1569. The President was an English Military Governor, based in Athlone, whose job it was to enforce English authority, taxes and culture in return for recognising the English titles of designated Irish lords. In return, the local chieftains were supposed to give up their private armed forces, except for a small band of personal retainers. This was known as the ‘Composition of Connacht’. In 1588 the Lord President was Richard Bingham. [6]
The ‘Presidency’ was often brutal and generally unpopular, but was not universally resisted.
The composition of Connacht was the imposition of English style land-holding on the province overseen by a military governor.
The Presidency worked to the advantage of the two biggest Lords in Connacht – O’Brien of Thomond (in modern Clare, then considered part of Connacht) and Burke of Clanricard (in modern south and east Galway), whose leading families kept a firm grip on succession and who consolidated their power over their dependent clans with English backing.
Elsewhere though, the English presence provoked serious violence. The MacWilliam Burkes of north Mayo, for instance revolted after the English attempted to back an unpopular candidate for chieftain in 1585. In the same year, in a scheme known as the Composition of Connacht, Irish titles were abolished and English settlers were introduced into the province, mainly on confiscated monastic land.
The MacWilliams, joined by other discontented chieftains such as Brian O’Rourke in Leitrim, fought English forces led by President Richard Bingham throughout 1586. Only after the slaughter of 800 Scottish gallowglass soldiers they had brought in did they, for the time being, submit. [7]
So in 1588, when the Spaniards ended up off the coast of Ireland, they may have expected to find a sympathetic Catholic population ready to help them. What actually existed however was a highly fragmented political scene, in which the loyalties of individual lords depended not so much on ideology as on their immediate relationship to English power.
But the Spaniards, of course, never expected to arrive on Ireland’s west coast in 1588.
Spain was no stranger to naval warfare or to seaborne invasions. Sixteen years before the attack on England, at the battle of Lepanto 1571, a Spanish-led Catholic fleet –the ‘Holy League’ – had crushed the fleet of the Ottoman Turks, hitherto the dominant naval power in the eastern Mediterranean. And just six years previously in 1582, Phillip’s forces had successfully mounted an amphibious invasion of the Azores islands, the only Portuguese possession to resist the ‘Union of Crowns’ with Spain by force. [8]
While the invasion of England – an Atlantic power with formidable maritime expertise – was a challenge of a different order, it was clear that the Spanish threat to England was real.
Initial Spanish plans included a diversionary landing in Waterford but this was later dropped
Initially, Spanish strategists came up with a plan for a three pronged attack on England in 1586-87. Interestingly, this included a landing at Waterford, in south eastern Ireland in order to draw off English resources from the main assault over the English Channel. The Spanish fleet was to draw off its English counterpart as it went to deal with the Irish landing, and meanwhile the Spanish Army of Flanders was to cross the English Chanel unopposed. [9]
All had to be postponed however after the English naval commander Francis Drake launched a devastating attack on the Spanish port of Cadiz in 1587, destroying many ships and much of their stores.
The following year the Spaniards came up with a simpler plan. The ‘Invincible Armada’ – a fleet of 130 warships and supply ships, led by Duke Medina Sidonia – was to sail from Lisbon via Corunna, link up with the Army of Flanders, led by Allessando Farnese, the Duke of Parma. This force, 37,000 soldiers strong, was waiting at Calais to be escorted in a further 260 transport barges across the Channel onto the English coast. [10]
Had the Army of Flanders made it across the English channel there is little doubt there would have been ‘regime change’ in Protestant England.
There is little doubt that, had the Army of Flanders crossed into England, the veteran Spanish troops would have swept aside the raw English militias that Elizabeth could put into the field. In that event, Elizabeth was to be deposed and Parma was to act as interim military ruler until the Pope and Phillip II named a new, Catholic monarch. [11]
Elizabeth herself created a legend by addressing her troops at Tilbury in Essex, assembled (incidentally nowhere near the where the Spaniards intended to land) with the immortal words,
I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma [12] or Spain [13] , or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. [14]
Stirring words no doubt, but in reality everything, for the English depended on stopping the Spaniards from crossing the channel.
In this they had some advantages. Their fleet may have been smaller than the Armada, but in terms of well armed warships, suitable for northern seas the English may even have had the edge. The operation was at the very limits of what the Spanish Empire was able to accomplish. Some ships had had to be hijacked in Spanish ports and pressed into service for the invasion. Many others were Mediterranean vessels, unsuited for the wild seas of the Atlantic. Some cannon had been hurriedly cast and burst when fired.
Most importantly of all, Spanish logistics were insufficient. Not enough food or water was supplied and some of it was begin to spoil by the time the great Armada set sail from Corunna. Many sailors got sick and supplies were perilously low by the time they reached English waters. [15]
Sea battle was joined from July to late August 1588 as the Armada fought its way towards the coast of Flanders. It culminated in fierce encounter off the Gravellines, or the coast of the Spanish Netherlands (modern Belgium), with the English attempting desperately to break up the Armada and to prevent it from reaching its rendezvous with the Army of Flanders.
The English under Admiral Howard succeeded in breaking up the Spanish formation by use of ‘fire-ships’, vessels set alight with pitch and tar and sent towards the Spanish fleet. In the fighting that followed, superior English gunnery managed to bloody the Spaniards somewhat and to keep them away from the Duke of Parma’s army at the disembarkation point at Calais.
Superior English gunnery prevented the Armada from linking up with its land forces but it was the weather and lack of supplies that defeated it.
However, this was a tactical defeat for the Armada, not a catastrophe – only 5 ships were lost, though many others were damaged. Medina Sidonia, in command of the Armada had other problems however. Logistics had always been insufficient and now food and water supplies were beginning to run out altogether. Moreover, a ‘Protestant Wind (southerly and westerly), in early September forced the Spanish to head for home, north around the coast of Scotland and Ireland back to Corunna.
This turned out to be a far more costly enterprise than the battle itself.
As the Armada rounded the northern Irish coast, it was in dire need of re-provision of both food and water. For this reason the fleet had to approach the unfamiliar coast of Ireland. There it was hit by westerly gales and crashed into the rocky Atlantic coast. In all 24 ships and c.5-7000 men lost off Ireland, mostly by drowning. All sailing ships were, to a degree, at the mercy of the weather, the Armada, many of whose vessels were built for the much calmer Mediterranean, was more vulnerable than most.
The Annals of the Four Masters recorded;
Great numbers of the Spaniards were drowned, and their ships were totally wrecked in those places. The smaller part of them returned to Spain; and some say that nine thousand of them were lost on this occasion. [16]
Those who made it ashore generally fared little better than those lost at sea.
The Armada lost far more ships and men wrecked off Ireland than it battle with the English fleet.
The English Lord Deputy of Ireland, Fitzwilliam, issued a proclamation whereby ‘Harbouring Castaways’ was punishable by death. To his own officers he wrote;
‘Whereas the distressed fleet of the Spaniards by tempest and contrary winds, though the providence of God have been driven on the coast… where it is thought, great treasure and also ordinance, munitions [and] armour hath been cast. We authorize you to… to haul all hulls and to apprehend and execute all Spaniards found there of any quality soever. Torture May be used in prosecuting this inquiry.’ [17]
This chilling order, not to spare prisoners ‘of any quality [i.e. rank or social status] whatsoever’ was startlingly ruthless. Accordingly Richard Bingham, the President of Connacht, and his brother George Bingham, executed up to 1,100 Spanish survivors of the wrecks who made it ashore in the western province. For instance, at Galway city, 300 Spanish prisoners including 40 aristocrats were beheaded on Fitzwilliam’s orders – though Bingham apparently regretted the loss of ransom money. Only a handful such as Don Luis de Cordoba, managed to secretly buy their way to safety. [18]
English treatment of Spanish prisoners in Ireland was ruthless, almost all were killed.
Native Irish treatment of the Spanish survivors was extremely varied.
In Connacht, most Irish lords cooperated with Bingham, particularly the largest lords O’Brien, Earl of Thomond, and Burke, Earl of Clanricarde. Other clans such as the O’Flahertys also handed over Spanish prisoners. Others, seem simply to have seen the Armada as an opportunity for personal gain. Dubhdarach O’Malley Roe, on Clare Island, for instance killed the Spanish survivors and kept their gold for himself.
Elsewhere, at Streedagh in modern County Sligo for instance, where four ships were lost, the locals robbed the Spaniards of any valuables they could find, but did not kill them.
However, in modern north Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim, areas which had very recently been in armed revolt against the English Crown – chieftains such as MacWilliam Burke, and Brian O’Rourke harboured Spaniards. [19]
Though some Irish lords sheltered the Spaniards, it seems the majority either looted them or handed them over to the English.
A rather ungrateful captain, Francisco de Cuellar, who was taken in by O’Rourke, wrote of ‘passing seven months among mountains and woods with savages’. Cuellar was shipwrecked on Streedagh beach, Sligo, spoke first of the ‘savages’ stripping and looting his ship, and the ‘English Lutherans’ hanging or cutting off the heads of his comrades wherever they captured them.
O’Rourke, whom he described as ‘a savage but a very good Christian and an enemy of the heretics, always carrying on war with them’, sent him through the territory of several other friendly clans including the McClancys and the O’Cahans to Derry, from where he secretly took ship back to the Spanish Netherlands. [20]
Although Cuellar reported that the Catholic Irish, with whom he conversed in Latin, repeatedly asked for a Spanish invasion, the Irish Annals were clear that, apart from O’Rourke and his allies, most of the Irish had sided with the Crown;
A great army was mustered by the Lord Justice of Ireland, Sir William Fitzwilliam; Sir Richard Bingham, Governor of the province of Connaught; and Sir Thomas Norris, Governor of the two provinces of Munster; together with the most of the men of Ireland… except the people of Ulster, the O’Rourke and Mac Sweeny-na-dTuath, who had formed friendship and alliance with some of the Spanish fleet which we have before mentioned. These forces spoiled every thing to which they came in their course, not belonging to the Queen’s people, from the Suck to the Drowes, and from the Drowes to the Finn. [21]
In Ulster, which was still largely outside of English control, the Spaniards seem to have fared somewhat better, at least if they survived shipwreck. In Antrim the Scottish/Irish MacDonnell clan led by Sorley Boy (Somhairle Buidh) helped up to 500 Spaniards escape to Scotland. [22] .
The position of Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone, the most powerful northern leader, at this point still proclaiming himself a loyal subject to Elizabeth I, was hard to pin down. He sheltered and kept on a number of Spanish commanders to train his own forces, whom he was soon to lead in a war against the Elizabethan state. [23] Nevertheless, he also reported to Fitzwilliam the Lord Deputy that he had ‘put a large number of Spaniards to the sword’ in Inishowen (modern Donegal). [24]
Ironically enough, those Spaniards lucky enough to be shipwrecked in England itself were generally treated much more leniently. Most were taken prisoner and eventually repatriated.
Ireland, where English authority was tenuous enough for them feel that extreme ruthlessness was a necessity, was the real grave of the ‘Invincible Armada’.
The defeat of the Armada, as much by bad weather, poor planning and bad luck as by battle, seemed a providential escape to English Protestants – literally gift sent by God. Nevertheless, war between England and Spain continued indecisively until 1604 – an ‘English Armada’, sent to destroy the port at Corruna 1589 was itself defeated with 40 ships sunk and 10,000 men lost.
In Ireland itself the immediate effects of the Armada are hard to gauge. The frantic military activity all over the west destabilized the always fragile political situation there. North Connacht rose in rebellion again in 1589, though again, mainly over local grievances. Brian O’Rourke who had harboured many Spaniards fled to Scotland but was handed over the English and hanged.
Certainly however, those areas, principally in the north, who had helped the wrecked Spaniards in 1588, helped to forge an enduring connection between Catholic Ireland and Catholic Spain.
During Hugh O’Neill and Hugh O’Donnell’s Nine Years War (1595-1603) against the English Crown, both lords were in constant communication with Phillip II, who aided them with weapons, money and finally a l anding of Spanish troops at Kinsale in 1601-2.
Despite the fate of the Armada in Ireland, the late 16th century saw a strong bond created between Irish Catholics and the Spanish monarchy, through mutual hostility to Protestant England.
None of this should obscure the reality however that in the year of the Armada, the Irish weather and probably the majority of the Irish concerned helped to seal the fate of Spanish Armada.
This article is a version of a talk given at Kilrush, County Clare, on August 14, 2015 for the Office of Public Works (OPW). By My thanks to Padraig Og O Ruairc for inviting me.
[1] John O’Brien, The Other Clare, Vol 3, 1979, http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/history/spanish_armada.htm
[2] See the Bull here http://tudorhistory.org/primary/papalbull.html
[3] Colm Lennon, Sixteenth Century Ireland, The Incomplete Conquest, Gill & MacMillan, Dublin 1994, p226
[4] Geoffrey Parker ,Empire War and Faith in Early Modern Europe, p50
[5] William Marmion, Irish regiments in the Spanish Army of Flanders https://www.theirishstory.com/2015/07/28/irish-regiments-in-the-spanish-army-of-flanders/#.VdNqkbJVhHw
[6] Lennon, Sixteenth century Ireland, p240-248
[7] Lennon, p249-255, Gallowglass refers to Gall Oglaigh, ‘foreign warriors’ traditional Scottish Gaelic soldiers for hire.
[8] Parker, Empire War and Faith p23-24
[9] Parker, Empire, War and Faith, p50
[10] Ibid. p55-57
[11] Ibid, p55-56
[12] Alessando Farnese Duke of Parma, an Italian who commanded the Spanish Army
[13] King Phillip II of Spain
[14] Online here http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item102878.html
[15] Geoffrey Parker, Colin Martin, The Spanish Aramda, (1999), p140
[16] Annals of the Four Masters 1588, parts 10
[17] Calendar of Carew Manuscripts 1575-1588, online here .
[18] Parker, Martin The Spanish Armada, p224, see also this blog article http://ronangearoid.blogspot.ie/2011/01/1588-dark-year-for-galway.html
[19] Lennon, Sixteenth Century Ireland p237
[20] Captain Cuellar’s letters are online here http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T108200.html
[21] Annals of the Four Masters 1588, part 14, online here http://www.ucc.ie/celt/online/T100005E/text009.html
[22] Parker, martin The Spanish Armada, p225
[23] Ibid. P228
[24] Hiram Morgan, Tyrone’s Rebellion p106 | https://www.theirishstory.com/2015/08/19/ireland-and-the-spanish-armada-1588/ | 152 |
where did the spanish armada land in ireland | Spanish Armada wrecks on the Irish coast - History Ireland | By John Miles
La Trinidad Valencera of the Spanish Armada was in trouble. The ship weighed 1,000 tons and had a complement of 360 men. She was leaking badly and had taken on more water than could be pumped out. Nevertheless, as she approached the Irish coast, she managed to rescue 264 men from another Spanish ship swamped in the heavy seas. The Trinidad made anchor in Kinnagoe Bay, Co. Donegal (4), where she was listing to such a degree that the order was given to abandon ship. (Artefacts recovered from this wreck are on permanent display in Derry’s Tower Museum.) Some locals were paid for the use of a small boat, and over the course of two days more than 560 men were ferried safely to shore.
After a seven-day march inland, the survivors met a force of English cavalry. Upon pledges of safe conduct for their delivery into the custody of the Crown, the Spanish laid down their arms near Ellagh Castle. The noblemen and officers were then separated out, but 300 of the common seamen learned a harsh lesson about trusting the word of English officials and were summarily executed between Ellagh and Culmore fort. Roughly 150 Spaniards broke free and fled through a bog, ending up either with Sorley Boy MacDonnell at Dunluce or at the house of the bishop of Derry. From there they were eventually sent to neutral Scotland to seek repatriation to Spain. The 45 Spanish noblemen and officers were force-marched more than 200km to Dublin, but only 30 survived to reach the capital. From there, they were dispatched to London to await ransom from Spain.
The Spanish plan and why it failed
The reason why Spaniards were shipwrecked in Ireland can be explained by the political events occurring on the continent of Europe. By spring 1588, King Philip II of Spain had grown weary of Queen Elizabeth I’s interference in the civil unrest in the Spanish Netherlands. He decided that an invasion of England was the surest way to resolve the issue. Accordingly, he assembled a fleet of 130 ships, with 20,000 men and 2,500 cannons. The fleet was so large that it took two days for it to leave its ports on the Iberian Peninsula. The plan was for the fleet to embark a 30,000-strong Spanish army already in the Spanish Netherlands, sail across the English Channel and invade England. Upon learning of the Spanish plans, Elizabeth assembled her own fleet of 200 ships to oppose them. While the English fleet outnumbered the Spanish, it was less well armed. The English ships, however, were faster and more manoeuvrable than the bulky Spanish ships, many of which were converted merchantmen. The English battle plan was to use this to their advantage.
In July 1588, on entering the English Channel, Spain’s armada was attacked by the English naval force. During eight hours of furious fighting, Spain’s tactical and technological inferiority to the English became apparent. Many of the Spanish cannons were heavier than the English ones, but they were also obsolete. Spanish metalworking capabilities lagged behind England’s to the point that Spanish cannons resorted to firing 25-pound rocks at the British. These rock-shooting cannons were powerful at short range but not at long range. The English were aware of this and kept their distance. The English also possessed specially designed naval gun-carriages that allowed the guns to be pulled in and reloaded more quickly. The Spanish possessed none of those and some of their cannons could only be reloaded in port. After losing five ships to English cannon fire, a change in wind direction forced the Spanish to break off and head towards the North Sea. Its hopes of a successful invasion now crushed, the Spanish Armada undertook a long and arduous journey back to Spain.
After the sea battle, the commanders of the Armada held a conference on the admiral’s flagship about how best to sail home. The admiral made his choice and issued his orders. The fleet was to approach the coast of Norway before steering west towards the Shetland Islands and on to Rockall, an uninhabited granite islet in the North Atlantic. This would allow passage around the northern tip of the Shetlands, clearing the coast of Scotland. Once clear of Scotland, the ships were to steer to a position 650km beyond the Shannon estuary, on the west coast of Ireland, giving themselves a clear run south back to Spain.
Alarm in Dublin
While the Spanish were debating how best to return home, the English were preparing to counter what they believed was still an imminent amphibious landing. The head of the English government in Dublin was Lord Deputy William Fitzwilliam. In August 1588 he was presented with credible intelligence that the sea battle in the English Channel had been won by the Spanish and that the invasion of England was about to begin. Then he received further intelligence that the Spanish fleet was about to invade Ireland instead. The degree of alarm among the English in Dublin was intense. Fitzwilliam initially feared that the Spanish would land in disciplined formations, with many Irish rising to join them from territories that were essentially beyond the control of the government. Eventually, reliable intelligence was received that the ships were instead landing in a chaotic manner along hundreds of kilometres at disparate locations on the coasts of Ulster, Connacht and Munster. Fitzwilliam feared that the Spanish were landing in a distributed manner over a large area to try and ferment a nationwide Irish rebellion, so he ordered that all Spaniards captured be hanged summarily. He also stipulated that anyone aiding them would be tortured and charged as a traitor to the Crown.
Impossible sailing orders
The Spanish admiral’s sailing orders were almost impossible to follow. The weather was difficult. The navigators’ charts were primitive and focused on the English Channel, and thus were of little use. Moreover, most of the ships’ navigators lacked training and experience in the techniques of dead-reckoning and latitude sailing, which was what was needed to return them safely to Spain. The Armada failed to sail its course around the north of Shetland. Instead, it passed to the south, between Orkney and Fair Isle. From there it was supposed to voyage around the Hebrides until it caught sight of the distant islet of Rockall, but prevailing southerly winds stirred up an anticyclone, preventing the fleet from running west-south-west as ordered.
The sailing orders were rendered useless by the weather, but miscalculations of the Armada’s position also contributed greatly to its destruction. The navigators were unaware of the effect of the North Atlantic Drift, a current that flows in a north-easterly direction. It surely hindered the fleet’s westward progress, perhaps by as much as 30km a day. This meant that when the ships’ navigators estimated how far they had sailed west each day, they overestimated by at least 25km. It is probable that the Armada’s actual position as it turned south to head for home was entirely wrong, by almost 500km. The Armada thought that it was well to the west of Ireland but its actual position was further east, perilously close to the rocky coasts of Scotland and Ireland.
Many Spanish ships were sighted off the coast of County Clare, including four at Loop Head, two of which were wrecked, the 700-ton San Esteban at Doonbeg (26) and the 800-ton San Marcos at Lurga Point near Seafield, Quilty (25). All of the several hundred survivors were put to death by the sheriff of Clare, as per Fitzwilliam’s orders. The executions most likely took place at Cnoc na Crocaire, Spanish Point.
Juan Martínez de Recalde
One Armada commander, Juan Martínez de Recalde, did have prior experience of the Irish coast. In 1580 he had landed a papal invasion force on the Dingle peninsula, leading to the siege of Smerwick and the massacre of the 600-strong force; Recalde managed to evade an English squadron of warships afterwards and return home.
After the Armada’s defeat, Recalde’s galleon led another ship, the San Juan de Bautista , to the coast of Kerry. Recalde’s lookouts saw Mount Brandon on the Dingle peninsula and, towards the west, the Blasket Islands. Recalde steered to the islands in search of shelter, sailing through a tight gap at the eastern tip of the Great Blasket Island. His galleon made it through to calm water and anchored. The San Juan soon followed. It had been an exceedingly difficult sailing manoeuvre, requiring prior knowledge of the coastline and Blasket sound.
Recalde’s ships remained within their shelter for several days, and a Crown force arrived in Dingle to guard against a landing. Recalde sent a reconnaissance party ashore, but all eight were captured. Another ship, the 900-ton Santa Maria de la Rosa , appeared in the sound and fired off a gun by way of a distress signal. Recalde’s ships held their anchorage in the more sheltered part of the sound, while the Santa Maria drifted and then sank, perhaps upon striking Stromboli Rock (30), leaving one survivor for the English to interrogate. The survivor claimed that the captain of the vessel had called the ship’s pilot a traitor and run him through with a rapier just as the ship began to sink. He also asserted that the son of the king of Spain had gone down with the ship. That information was false but proved to be useful propaganda for the English.
Two more ships entered the sound, the San Juan de Ragusa and an unidentified vessel. The de Ragusa was in distress and sank, perhaps upon striking Dunbinna reef (32). A third ship, the San Juan de Bautista , used an ebb tide to sail south out of the sound and finally escaped, making it home to Spain after a terrible storm. After three days Recalde led the remaining ships out of the sound and brought them to Spain. Those survivors who had fallen into Crown custody were put to death at Dingle. Another ship, the Trinidad, was wrecked off Valentia Island (33). There were no survivors of the 300-man crew and no witnesses to the wreck.
La Girona —greatest loss of life
Among those ships wrecked in Connacht was the La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada , carrying over 400 men. She had run for the Irish coast in desperate need of repair, along with several other vessels. La Rata carried an extraordinarily large number of noblemen from the most ancient families of Spain, as well as the son of the Irish rebel James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald.
La Rata sailed along the north coast of Mayo and around the Belmullet peninsula, anchoring in Blacksod Bay. The wind rose and the ship dragged her anchors, until she was grounded on Ballycroy strand (18). Most of the crew got ashore and seized two castles, garrisoning them with stores from the beached ship, which was then burned. The rebel’s son, Maurice Fitzmaurice, had died on board, and his body was buried at sea in a cypress chest. Several days later, two ships of the Armada entered Blacksod Bay, the Duquesa Santa Ana and another. The several hundred stranded Spaniards boarded the Duquesa. The other ship promptly sailed for Spain, safely arriving sometime later. The Duquesa , however, was somewhat weather-damaged and it was decided to sail north for Scotland. Turbulent weather hit and she was grounded in Loughros Bay, Co. Donegal (9), with all aboard reaching shore in what was friendly territory.
The crew made camp on the shore for nine days, until news came that another ship, La Girona , had anchored in Killybegs harbour. MacSweeney Bannagh, the local Irish chieftain, aided the Spanish; the Girona was repaired and set sail with 1,300 men on board, including the survivors from the Duquesa and two other ships that sank in Killybegs harbour. Unfortunately, another gale struck and her rudder failed again. La Girona was driven ashore at Dunluce, Co. Antrim, off Lacada Point (1). There were only nine survivors, who were sent on to Scotland by Sorley Boy MacDonnell. Over the next few days, 260 Spanish bodies washed ashore. This was the greatest loss of life from a single ship.
Final toll
All told, approximately 33 ships of the Grand Armada were lost on the Irish coast, accounting for more than half of the fleet’s total loss of 63 vessels (nearly half the Armada’s total of 130). Thousands of Spanish sailors (including an estimated 2,000 who were Irish) were either drowned or executed as per orders of the Crown. The first salvage attempts were made within months, on the coast of County Clare by George Carew, who complained about the expense ‘of sustaining the divers with copious draughts of usequebaugh’. Sorley Boy MacDonnell recovered three brass cannon and two chests of treasure from the wreck of La Girona . In 1797 a quantity of lead and some brass guns were raised from the wreck of an unknown Armada ship at Mullaghderg, Co. Donegal (7). Also in Donegal, in 1853, an anchor was recovered from another unidentified Armada wreck at Cloughglass near MacSweeney’s castle (8). And in the summer of 2014 an initiative to locate the remains of the San Marcos commenced operations between Mattle Island and the Curragh Shoal, Co. Clare (25). This initiative, called the San Marcos Project , assembled a group of academics, scientists and divers to employ cutting-edge search and survey techniques.
John Miles is a US Marine Corps Lt. Col. (retired), published author and historical presenter.
FURTHER READING
V. Fenwick & A. Gale, Historic shipwrecks (Cheltenham, 1998).
T.P. Kilfeather, Ireland: graveyard of the Spanish Armada (Dublin, 1967).
C. Martin & G. Parker, The Spanish Armada: revised edition (Manchester, 2002). | https://www.historyireland.com/spanish-armada-wrecks-on-the-irish-coast/ | 152 |
where did the spanish armada land in ireland | Spanish Armada in Ireland - Wikipedia | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Spanish Armada in Ireland refers to the landfall made upon the coast of Ireland in September 1588 of a large portion of the 130-strong fleet sent by Philip II to invade England .
Following its defeat at the naval battle of Gravelines the Armada had attempted to return home through the North Atlantic , when it was driven from its course by violent storms, toward the west coast of Ireland. The prospect of a Spanish landing alarmed the Dublin government of Queen Elizabeth I , which prescribed harsh measures for the Spanish invaders and any Irish who might assist them.
Up to 24 ships of the Armada were wrecked on a rocky coastline spanning 500 km, from Antrim in the north to Kerry in the south, and the threat to Crown authority was readily defeated. Many of the survivors of the multiple wrecks were put to death, and the remainder fled across the sea to Scotland. It is estimated that some 6,000 members of the fleet perished in Ireland or off its coasts.
Main article: Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada was a fleet of 130 ships that sailed from A Coruña in August 1588 under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England . It met with armed resistance in the English Channel , when a fireship attack off Calais broke its formation, and was driven into the North Sea after the Battle of Gravelines .
When the fleet entered the North Sea, 110 ships remained under Medina Sidonia's command. Many were damaged by gunfire or were running low on supplies, making them unfit for service in the Atlantic Ocean. Some had cut their anchors in the flight from the fireships, which severely diminished their ability to navigate close to shore. Also, the Armada commanders made a large navigational error that brought the fleet too close to the dangerous Atlantic coasts of Scotland and Ireland.
After Gravelines the commanders of the Armada held a conference on Sidonia's flagship. Some proposed a course for Norway, others for Ireland. The admiral made his choice, and orders were issued to the fleet:
The course that is first to be held is to the north/north-east until you be found under 61 degrees and a half; and then to take great heed lest you fall upon the Island of Ireland for fear of the harm that may happen unto you upon that coast. Then, parting from those islands and doubling the Cape in 61 degrees and a half, you shall run west/south-west until you be found under 58 degrees ; and from thence to the south-west to the height of 53 degrees ; and then to the south/south-west, making to the Cape Finisterre , and so to procure your entrance into The Groyne A Coruña or to Ferrol , or to any other port of coast of Galicia . [1]
The fleet was to approach the coast of Norway, before steering to the meridian of the Shetland Islands and on to Rockall . This allowed passage outside the northern tip of Shetland, clearing the coast of Scotland at a distance of 160 km. Once out in the broad Atlantic, the ships were to steer to a point 645 km beyond the Shannon estuary on the west coast of Ireland, giving themselves a clear run to northern Spain. [2]
The Armada's sailing orders were almost impossible to follow. The weather was difficult. Many of the ships and their crew members were in great distress. The navigators' charts were primitive, [3] and their best training and experience in the techniques of dead reckoning and latitude sailing fell far short of what was needed to bring the fleet safely home. [4]
The Armada failed to keep its course around the north of Shetland at 61 1 ⁄ 2 'N. Instead, on 20 August, it passed safely to the south, between Orkney and Fair Isle , and was carried into the Atlantic at about 59 1 ⁄ 2 'N. From there it was due to sail from North Uist in the Hebrides Islands until it caught sight of the distant islet of Rockall , but failed again. Southerly winds blew from 21 August to 3 September, stirred up by an anticyclone over Scandinavia, which prevented the fleet from running west-south-west as ordered. One report reflects the frustration of the navigators: "We sailed without knowing whither through constant fogs, storms and squalls". [5]
The sailing orders were rendered useless by the weather, but the miscalculation of the Armada's position contributed greatly to its destruction. The navigators were unaware of the effect of the eastward flowing Gulf Stream , which must have hindered the fleet's progress – perhaps by as much as 30 km a day. The paymaster of the San Juan Bautista , Marcos de Aramburu, recorded a log of his progress from late August onwards, when the rest of the fleet was within sight. The inference from his observations is that his ship's estimated position as it turned for home was entirely wrong, some 480 km to the west: its real position lay in the east, perilously close to the coasts of Scotland and Ireland. This single deficiency "made the difference between safety and disaster". [6]
After seven weeks at sea the opportunity to make landfall and take on supplies and effect repairs must have been welcome, but navigation in these waters demanded intimate knowledge. The experience of Spanish mariners in the intricacies of north Atlantic conditions was largely confined to trading voyages to the south and south-west of Ireland, and it is likely that the fleet's pilots preferred to maintain Sidonia's course, despite the hardships on board their ships.
Most of the fleet – 84 ships – avoided land, and most of those made it home, although in varying degrees of distress. The remainder were forced toward the coast of Ireland – perhaps 28 – and included several galleons and many merchantmen. The latter had been converted for battle and were leaking heavily, making sail with severely damaged masts and rigging, and with most of their anchors missing. The ships seem to have maintained contact until the beginning of September, when they were scattered by a south-west gale (described in the contemporary account of an Irish government official as one "the like whereof hath not been seen or heard for a long time"). Within days, this lost fleet had made landfall in Ireland.
The head of the English Crown administration at Dublin was Lord Deputy William Fitzwilliam . In August 1588 he was presented with credible intelligence that the battle in the English Channel had been won by the Spanish and that the invasion of England was set to be completed. Then it was understood that the Spanish were in the Atlantic and the entire fleet was about to fall on the coast of Ireland. The degree of alarm among the English at Dublin was extreme, and Fitzwilliam put out false reports that reinforcements from England were due to arrive with 10,000 troops.
The English feared the Spanish would land in disciplined formations, with the Irish rising out to join them from territories that were almost beyond the control of the government. But reliable intelligence was soon received at Waterford and Dublin that the ships were fetching up in a chaotic manner at disparate locations in the provinces of Ulster , Connacht and Munster , along a coastline spanning 300 miles (480 km). Fitzwilliam ordered that all Spaniards be captured and hanged summarily; and that anyone aiding them be tortured and charged as a traitor to the Crown.
The Armada first made landfall in the southern province of Munster, which had been colonised by the English in 1583 following the suppression of the last of the Desmond Rebellions . Fitzwilliam received orders from London to lead an expedition there, and intelligence from the governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , soon confirmed that further landfalls were being made throughout the west and north of the country.
Thomond: Many ships were sighted off the coast of County Clare : four at Loop Head , two of which were wrecked, including San Esteban (700 tons, 264 men) at Doonbeg, and probably the heavily damaged San Marcos (790 tons, squadron of Portugal, 409 men, 33 guns) at Lurga Point (modern day Seafield, Quilty, County Clare ) inside Mutton Island. All survivors were put to death by the sheriff of Clare, Boetius MacClancy (some, according to tradition, at Gallows Hill, but more likely at Cnoc na Crocaire, Spanish Point).
Seven ships anchored at Scattery Roads , probably with a pilot who knew the coast. Their landing party was fought off, but they did secure some supplies and managed to repair their ships. One galleon, Anunciada (703 tons, 24 guns, 275 men), was fired and scuttled off Kilrush on 12 September, [7] and the crew transferred to Barco de Danzig , which made it safely to Spain after the squadron departed the Shannon estuary on 11 September.
Blasket Islands: One Armada commander, Juan Martínez de Recalde , did have experience of the Irish coast: in 1580 he had landed a Papal invasion force in the Dingle peninsula , in the run up to the Siege of Smerwick , and had managed to evade an English squadron of warships. In the Armada he had command of the galleon San Juan de Portugal (1,150 tons, 500 men, 50 guns) of the Biscayan squadron, which engaged with the English fleet in the Channel and held off Francis Drake in Revenge , John Hawkins in Victory , and Martin Frobisher in Triumph .
After the defeat at Gravelines Recalde's galleon led San Juan de Bautista (750 tons, 243 men) and another small vessel (almost certainly a Scottish fishing smack seized to assist with navigation and inshore work). As these ships approached the coast of Kerry , Recalde's lookouts sighted Mount Brandon on the Dingle peninsula and, to the west, the lofty Blasket Islands , a complex archipelago studded with reefs.
Recalde steered to the islands in search of shelter, riding on a swell through a tight gap at the eastern tip of the Great Blasket Island . His galleon made it through to calm water and dropped anchor over a sandy bottom beneath sheer cliffs. San Juan de Bautista and the smack soon followed. The anchorage ensured that the only wind that might drive the ships off would bring them clear to the open sea. It was a difficult manoeuvre, demanding prior knowledge of the coastline.
Recalde's ships remained within their shelter for several days, and a crown force led by Thomas Norris (brother of the soldier, John Norris ) and Edward Denny (husband of Lady Denny) arrived in Dingle to guard against a landing. Recalde sent a reconnaissance party ashore, but all eight members were captured. At one stage a westerly gale caused Portugal to collide with San Juan de Bautista , and when the wind died down another ship, Santa Maria de la Rosa (900 tons, 297 men: Guipuzcoa squadron), entered the sound from the north and fired off a gun by way of distress signal.
As the tide ebbed , Recalde's ships held their anchorage in the more sheltered part of the sound, while Santa Maria de la Rosa drifted and then simply sank — perhaps on striking Stromboli Rock — leaving one survivor for the English to interrogate. The survivor's information was that the captain of Santa Maria de la Rosa had called the pilot a traitor and run him through with a sword just as the ship began to sink; he also asserted that the Prince of Ascoli, son of the king of Spain, had gone down with the ship — this information was false, but proved useful propaganda for the English.
Two more ships entered the sound — San Juan de Ragusa (650 tons , 285 men), the other unidentified. San Juan de Ragusa was in distress and sank — perhaps on striking Dunbinna reef. San Juan de Bautista attempted to take advantage of an ebb tide and sail south out of the sound, but ended up tacking about on the flood tide to avoid the numerous reefs, before sailing through the north-west passage. After a difficult night, the crew were dismayed to find themselves at the mouth of the sound once more. But the wind blew from the south-east, and San Juan de Bautista finally escaped on 25 September and made it home to Spain through a terrible storm.
Three days later Recalde led the remaining ships out of the sound and brought them to Spain, where he instantly died. [ citation needed ] Those survivors who had fallen into Denny's custody were put to death at Dingle.
Fenit : The sloop Nuestra Senora del Socorro (75 tons) anchored at Fenit , in Tralee Bay on the coast of Kerry, where she was surrendered to crown officers. The 24 men on board were taken into custody and marched to Tralee Castle . On the orders of Lady Margaret Denny , they were all hanged from a gibbet.
Valentia Island: Trinidad (800 tons, 302 men) was wrecked on the coast of Desmond — probably at Valentia Island , off the coast of south Kerry — although there are no details of this event.
At Liscannor the oar-powered galleass Zuñiga (290, Naples) anchored off-shore with a broken rudder, having found a gap in the Cliffs of Moher , which rise sheer from the sea over 220 metres. The ship came under surveillance by the sheriff of Clare and, when a cock-boat was sent ashore in search of supplies, the Spanish were attacked by crown forces and had to withdraw to their ship. One captive was taken and sent for interrogation. Zuñiga escaped the coast with favourable winds, put in at Le Havre , and finally made it back to Naples the following year.
Donegal: La Trinidad Valencera (1,000 tons, Levant squadron, 360 men, 42 guns) had taken on more water than could be pumped out. Yet as she approached the coast she managed to rescue 264 men from the Barca de Amburgo , another ship swamped in the heavy seas. Trinidad anchored in Glenagivney Bay , where she listed to such a degree that the order was given to abandon ship. Some locals were paid for the use of a small boat, and over the course of two days all 560 men were ferried to shore. [8]
During a seven-day march inland, the column of survivors met a force of cavalry under the command of Richard Hovenden and Henry Hovenden [9] foster-brothers of Hugh O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone . [ citation needed ] Upon pledges of safe conduct for their delivery into the custody of Fitzwilliam — given in the presence of the Earl of Tyrconnell — the Spanish laid down their arms. [ citation needed ] The noblemen and officers were separated out, and 300 of the ordinary men were massacred. The surviving 150 fled through the bog, ending up either with Sorley Boy MacDonnell at Dunluce or at the house of Redmond O'Gallagher, the bishop of Derry, and were sent to Scotland. The 45 noblemen and officers were marched to Dublin, but only 30 survived to reach the capital, where they were dispatched to London for ransom.
Three further ships — unidentified — were wrecked on the Donegal coast, one at Mullaghderg, one at Rinn a' Chaislean. The third was found in 2010 at Burtonport. [10]
Antrim: The greatest loss of life was on the sinking of the galleass La Girona . She had docked for repairs to her rudder at Killybegs , where 800 survivors from two other Armada shipwrecks were taken aboard - from La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada and Duquesa Santa Ana , which went aground at Loughros Mor Bay , Donegal. La Girona set sail for Scotland, but on 26 October her rudder broke and she was wrecked off Lacada Point, County Antrim . Of the estimated 1300 people on board, only nine survived. [11]
The Governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , sought reinforcements from Dublin but his request was denied by Fitzwilliam, who had few resources at his disposal. A proclamation made it treason on pain of death for any man to help Spaniards. Many survivors were delivered to Galway from all over the province. In the first wave of seizures, 40 noblemen were reserved for ransom, and 300 men were put to death. Later, on the orders of Fitzwilliam, all the unarmed noblemen except two were also executed, along with six Dutch boys who had fallen into custody afterward. In all, 12 ships were wrecked on the coast of Connacht, and 1,100 survivors were put to death. [12] [13]
Galway: Falcon Blanco (300 tons, 103 men, 16 guns) and Concepción de Juanes del Cano of Biscay (225 men, 18 guns) and another unknown ship entered Galway Bay . Falcon Blanco grounded at Barna , five km west of Galway City , and most of those on board made it to shore. Concepción de Juanes del Cano grounded at Carna 30 km further west, having been lured to shore by the bonfires of a party of wreckers from the Clan O'Flaherty
Sligo: Three ships grounded near Streedagh Strand, ten miles North of Sligo town, with 1,800 men drowned and perhaps 100 coming ashore. The wreck-site was discovered in 1985. Among the survivors was Captain Francisco de Cuellar , who gave a remarkable account of his experiences in the fleet and on the run in Ireland.
- La Lavia (25 guns), was a Venetian merchantman and the Vice-flagship;
- La Juliana (32 guns) was a Catalan merchantman; and
- Santa Maria de Vison (de Biscione) (18 guns) was a Ragusan merchantman.
Mayo: In September a galleon was wrecked at Tyrawley (modern County Mayo ). Tradition [ example needed ] has it that another ship was wrecked in the vicinity, near Kid Island, but no record remains of this event. Also, Gran Grin was wrecked at the mouth of Clew Bay .
Among those ships wrecked in Connacht was the merchant carrack La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada (419 men, 35 guns), which had run for the Irish coast in desperate need of repair, along with four other ships of the Levant squadron and four galleons. La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada carried an unusually large number of noblemen from the most ancient families of Spain — chief among them Don Alonso Martinez de Leyva — as well as the son of the Irish rebel, James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald .
La Rata Santa Maria Encoronada was skillfully handled along the northern coast of Mayo, but could not clear the Mullet Peninsula , and so anchored in Blacksod Bay on 7 September. The wind got up and the anchors dragged, until the ship was driven on to Ballycroy strand. All the crew got to shore under the leadership of de Leyva, and two castles were seized and fortified with munitions and stores from the beached ship, which was then torched. The rebel's son, Maurice Fitzmaurice, had died on board, and was cast into the sea in a cypress chest.
The Spanish soon moved on to another castle, where they were met by a host of fellow survivors, approaching from the wreck in Broadhaven of another ship, which had entered that bay without masts. De Leyva's host now numbered 600, and the governor of Connacht, Richard Bingham , chose not to confront them. After some days two ships of the Armada entered Blacksod Bay — the merchantman Nuestra Señora de Begoña (750 tons, 297 men) and the transport Duquesa Santa Ana (900 tons, 23 guns, 357 men). De Leyva and his 600 men boarded Duquesa Santa Ana . Nuestra Señora de Begoña sailed straight for Santander, Spain , arriving some time later. Duquesa Santa Ana , however, was somewhat damaged and it was decided to sail north for Scotland. Stormy weather soon hit Duquesa Santa Ana and she was grounded in Loughros Bay in Donegal, with all aboard reaching shore in what was friendly territory.
De Leyva, who had been seriously injured by a capstan, pitched camp on the shore of the bay for nine days, until news came of another ship of the fleet, the galleass Girona , which had anchored in Killybegs harbour while two other ships had been lost on attempting to enter the harbour. With the assistance of an Irish chieftain, MacSweeney Bannagh, Girona was repaired and set sail in mid-October with 1,300 men on board, including de Leyva. Lough Foyle was cleared, but then a gale struck and Girona was driven ashore at Dunluce in modern County Antrim . There were nine survivors, who were sent on to Scotland by Sorley Boy MacDonnell ; 260 bodies were washed ashore.
Aran Islands: Two ships were sighted off the Aran Islands : one failed to land a party in hard weather, and it is not known what became of them.
Antrim: The single greatest loss of life occurred upon the wreck of the galleass Girona on the coast of Antrim after she had taken on board many survivors from other ships wrecked on the coast of Connacht (see Ulster, above).
Between 17 and 24 ships of the Grand Armada were lost on the Irish coast, accounting for about one-third of the fleet's total loss of 63, with the loss of about 6,000 men. [14]
By the end of September 1588 Fitzwilliam was able to report to the Queen's secretary, Lord Burghley , that the Armada alarm was over. Soon after, he reckoned that only about 100 survivors remained in the country. In 1596 , an envoy of Philip II arrived in Ireland to make inquiries of survivors and was successful in only eight cases.
Following the defeat of the Armada the English sent their own fleet against the Iberian peninsula, but failed to press home their advantage and returned with tremendous losses. At the height of the Anglo-Spanish War the Spanish landed 3,500 troops in the south of Ireland to assist the Ulster rebel leader Hugh O'Neill , during the Nine Years' War ( 1594 – 1603 ). This expedition also failed, and Spain and England concluded a peace in 1604 .
By the time of the peace the Spanish had restored their dominance at sea, and treasure from the New World was flowing in to their Royal Treasury at an increased rate. Elizabeth's successor James I neglected his fleet and chose to secure crown influence in Ireland: in 1607 the lords of Gaelic Ulster fled to the continent , and the English conquest of Ireland was largely completed on the seizure and colonisation of their territories in the Plantation of Ulster in 1610 .
There is a myth that the Spanish Armada left descendents in Ireland, however research has discredited such claims. [15] [ better source needed ]
The first salvage attempts were made within months, on the coast of County Clare by George Carew , who complained [ citation needed ] at the expense "of sustaining the divers with copious draughts of usequebaugh" [Uisce Beatha - Irish for whiskey].
Sorley Boy MacDonnell recovered three brass cannon and two chests of treasure from the wreck of Girona .
In 1797 a quantity of lead and some brass guns were raised from the wreck of an unknown Armada ship at Mullaghderg in County Donegal. Two miles further south, in 1853, an anchor was recovered from another unknown Armada wreck. [16]
The Grainuaile Suite (1985), an orchestral treatment of the life of the Irish sea-queen Gráinne O'Malley by Irish composer Shaun Davey , contains a lament on the Spanish landings in Ireland, sung by Rita Connolly .
The wrecking of La Girona was commemorated in illustrations of the Armada and the Antrim coast which appear on the reverse side of sterling banknotes issued by the First Trust Bank in Northern Ireland .
The final published novel of Anthony Burgess , Byrne: A Novel , features a protagonist who is specifically stated to be descended from Spanish survivors who remained in Ireland.
The Luck of the Irish and Darby O'Gill and the Little People are American films that make reference to the wrecking of the Spanish armada as an explanation for leprechauns having pots of gold.
The Spanish-Portuguese co-produced short animated film The Monkey (2021), influenced by the story of The Hartlepool Monkey , focuses on the treatment of the Spanish shipwrecked on Irish shores. The film, which stars Colm Meaney won the Goya , for best Best Animated Short Film in 2021 . [17] | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada_in_Ireland | 152 |
Subsets and Splits