“HMS Queens Pride” Rum Running at The Cove… c1780

by | May 9, 2021

“HMS Queens Pride,” Whale Cove, Oregon c1880https://www.pirateshowcancun.com/blog/scurvy-pirate-history/famous-pirate-ships-in-history/

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1647141355351170&id=41921866814345

Captain Jack Rumsey, swimming to shore after his ship sunk off the Cove jetty c1780…

Was Whale Cove a bootlegger’s dream?

“Many believe that during Prohibition (1920-1933) Canadian rumrunners would sneak into this secluded bay at night, anchor, and use rowboats to ferry the illicit booze to the beach where shore gangs would hoist the shipment (mostly bourbon and scotch) to the bluff top and, if the coast was clear, they would load it onto trucks parked on the tree-lined road above for peddling to booze pushers and speakeasys all over the county.”

Whale Cove long ago… Photo (Whale Cove circa 1931) from the vast archives at the Lincoln County Historical Society
Public Archives, The Cove …

“Ohhhh woo woo woo!” Captain Jack Rumsey yelled as he swam to the Cove shore. He was knocked off the “Queens Pride” as it was breaking up on the north point of the Cove…

It was a late afternoon severe thunderstorm and sea spout that sent the HMS Queens Pride into the basalt cliffs. Twas an early fall, balmy sunny day, in the Cove, when the cliffs at the Cove ripped the Queens Pride in two…

Most of the crew took the ship’s small landing craft to shore 30 minutes earlier. The crew and the rum got to the beach in the nick of time. They were greeted by happy natives and white settlers who occupied the coastal waters near Whale Cove and Depoe Bay…

Captain Jack was with a small ships crew to keep an eye on things, and watch the sea for pirates. “Rum Running” was an art for Captain Jack Rumsey. He was the best of the best at his craft.

Running rum to the Cove and up ‘n down the coast to Pirate Cove, and other Coves along the coast was Captain Jack Rumsey’s pride. He was loved by natives and and white settlers alike, who lived in harmony, on the coast…

Two shipfitters and a coxswain were killed on the rocks. Captain Jack and the crew were deeply distressed about that.

The HMS Queens Pride ships crew are battle buddies of old. They grieve terribly for their brothers in arms…

The best of the best, the ‘right stuff’ sort of sailors, follow Captain Jack Rumsey. He was known for treating his men fairly, unlike “Blackbeard” who was terribly abusive to his crew…

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbeard

The natives and white settlers were waiting excitedly for the rum runners to come ashore. All the villages nearby danced on the Cove beach. They prepared for the early fall Pow Wow, and native style salmon bake, at the Cove…

The natives cooked salmon to a smoky slow burning wood fire. They would dance and sing along with the white settlers. Furry friends and wildlife neighbors joined in too…

But, with the tragic loss of 3 heros from the HMS Queens Pride, Captain Jack Rumsey wanted to honor them. So, all the Cove’s men, women, natives alike, furry loved ones and wildlife friends, gathered together to honor their fallen heroes…

Later that evening, Captain Jack Rumsey, got up to say a few words to the villagers and his crew. He was a little tipsy, though. Rum Running was his trade craft, you know…

After Captain Jack’s powerful words of praise, honor and remembrance, the community went on to drink and be merry… This was the way of Captain Jack Rumsey. For his love for others was always bigger than himself…

It was some months later when another ship arrived from Canada, with more than enough Rum to spare. Captain Jack Rumsey returned home with his crew after that. He was still a little tipsy after a good rest, and extended play, at the village near the Cove…

The story of Captain Jack Rumsey is shared here first. It was a Cove secret until a piece of HMS Queens Pride cedar plank appeared in the Cove awhile ago. It was then, when the truth was revealed to me, like a spirit’s whisper in the cool sea breeze by the Cove…

Steve and Judy Sparks
Children and Families in Life After Trauma

About the author

Steve Sparks is a retired information technology sales and marketing executive with over 35 years of industry experience, including a Bachelors’ in Management from St. Mary’s College. His creative outlet is as a non-fiction author, writing about his roots as a post-WWII US Navy military child growing up in the 1950s-1960s.
View all posts by stevesparks →

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