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The Tragedy of the Pelican

Presented by the Huntington area libraries.

On Labor Day weekend in 1951, the day dawned bright and filled with promise in Montauk, as hundreds of sportsmen and women arrived there on the Fishermen’s Express train from New York. Sixty-two of them found their way onto the Pelican, an “open” fishing boat, helmed by popular captain Eddie Carroll and his first mate. After a few hours on the water, a violent, freak squall capsized the Pelican about a mile away from the lighthouse, trapping some passengers in a below-decks cabin and tossing everyone else into the roiling sea. Learn more about this local tragedy, the effects on the community and the safety regulation changes that were made with this presentation from the Montauk Historical Society. 

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