Archie Elbert Ross (March 8, 1924 – February 24, 2002) was an American sea captain and shipwright. He was captain of the ferry which runs between Bustins Island and South Freeport, Maine, for over fifty years.[1] Bustins Island's public landing is now named for him.
Archie Ross | |
|---|---|
 The Bustins Island Archie Ross Public Landing (2023) | |
| Born | March 8, 1924 Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | February 24, 2002 (aged 77) Yarmouth, Maine, U.S. |
| Resting place | Chebeague Island Cemetery, Chebeague Island, Maine, U.S. |
| Occupation | Sea captain |
Life and career edit
Ross was born in Massachusetts in 1924 to Eli Freeman Ross and Marie Lavinia Hatfield.[2] He was raised on Chebeague Island, Maine, which was then part of Cumberland. He began his working life, until the outbreak of World War II, as a deckhand aboard the ferry Nellie G, which ran between Falmouth Foreside and Cousins Island, Littlejohn Island and Chebeague Island during the high seasons. During the war, he captained boats for Captain William V. Benson[3] from Portland to the military installations in Casco Bay.[2]
After the war's conclusion, he obtained a ship master's license, which was a requirement for captains of passenger boats. He returned to working aboard the Nellie G, then the Nellie G III and, finally, the Victory. He purchased the latter vessel from the Swett family and began captaining the Bustins Island ferry, which is the Lilly B as of 2023, for fifty years (1946 to 1996).[4] He was also the island's mail carrier until 1997.[2]
The Victory was shipwrecked while attempting to rescue another vessel caught in a storm in 1949.[5][6] The residents of Bustins Island raised funds for a replacement ferry, which he named the Marie L, after his mother.[7]
During winters, he enlisted as a merchant marine. He also worked on the old Portland Pilot boat until 1963, as well as building wooden boats as part-owner (with Carroll Lowell) of Even Keel Boatyard in Yarmouth, Maine.[8] Their last vessel was the Calliope in 1989.[2]
On July 20, 1996, the United States Postal Service honored Ross with a special cancellation. A year earlier, the United States Coast Guard honored him for his safety record.[2]
Upon his retirement in 1996, he returned to Chebeague Island, where he and his wife, Claire, lived for the rest of his life.[2]
Death edit
Ross died in 2002, aged 77, after a long illness.[2] He was interred in Chebeague Island Cemetery alongside his parents. His father lived to the age of 92.
Legacy edit
In 2022, to mark the 25th anniversary of Ross's retirement, Bustins Island dedicated its public landing in his honor.[9]
References edit
- ^ Journal, Max MogensenSpecial to the Sun (2019-08-11). "Bustins: A very friendly island 'somewhere in the middle'". Lewiston Sun Journal. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Archie Ross Tribute" – Chebeague Island Annual Newsletter (2002)
- ^ DiPhilippo, Kathryn Onos (2022-12-29). "A Window on the Past – William V. Benson, a pioneer in trawling for lobsters". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ Society, The Freeport Historical (November 1996). Freeport. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-4507-3.
- ^ Magazine, Down East (2001-10-29). "October 2001". Down East Magazine. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ MotorBoating. September 1950.
- ^ Textor, Ken (2001-10-01). "Profile of Archie Ross, a native of Casco Bay's Chebeague Island who once owned". Maine News Index - Down East Magazine.
- ^ "Designer/Boatbuilder Jesse Lowell | Maine Coastal News". Retrieved 2023-09-02.
- ^ "2022 Summer Newsletter" – Bustins Island Village Corporation