Except for the Sinking of the Loyalist Ship Martha

At the end of the American Revolutionary War, tens of thousands of Loyalists were evacuated by the British from New York City. The flight ended in disaster for one vessel headed to the Saint John Harbour. Andrew MacLean from Backyard History joins us as a co-host for this episode as we look at one of the worst maritime disasters in an area that is known for maritime disasters.

"The Gust" by Willem van de Velde the Younger circa 1680.

Sources:

• Bell, D.G.. Loyalists Ships: The Martha. Retrieved from https://uelac.ca/loyalist-ships/martha/

• Carroll, John. My Boy Life, Presented in a Succession of True Stories. William Briggs, Toronto. (1882).

• Davidson, Stephen. Sailing to Sanctuary the Loyalists and their Evacuation Vessels. Retrieved from https://uelac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Loyalists-Evacuation-Vessels-Stephen-Davidson-2025.pdf (2025).

• Davidson, Stephen. The Shipwreck of the Martha and its Canine Hero. Loyalist Trails Magazine. 2008-35 (2008).

• Davidson, Stephen. The Martha’s Loyalist Castaways: Part One of Three. Loyalist Trails Magazine. 2012-25 (2012).

• Davidson, Stephen. The Martha’s Loyalist Castaways: Part Two of Three. Loyalist Trails Magazine. 2012-26 (2012).

• Davidson, Stephen. The Martha’s Loyalist Castaways: Part Three of Three. Loyalist Trails Magazine. 2012-27 (2012).

• MacLean, Andrew. The Wreck of the Martha. Retrieved from https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-wreck-of-the-martha?blogcategory=1700s (2025).

• New, M Christopher. Maryland Loyalists in the American Revolution. Centreville MD: Tidewater Publishers. (1996).

• Pitcher, E.W. and Hartigan, D.S.. Sensationalist Literature and Popular Culture in the Early American Republic. Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, (2001).