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The schooner "Maisie Hassell", at the wheel Captain Thomas Hassell, next to him his brother Captain William Benjamin Hassell - 1920.

Like many of his island's contemporaries, Captain Hassell moved his family to Barbados where his shipping headquarters were.

During his lifetime he was the owner of many fine schooners which carried on much of the trade between Barbados and the rest of the West Indies. Among the more than twenty schooners which he owned were the "Three Sisters", 190.76 tons and 115 feet long (1927) and the "Dutch Princess", 124.62 tons and 88 feet long (1929).

Schooner "Three Sisters" belonging to Captain William Benjamin Hassell, in Curacao harbour 1929.

The schooner "Mary Love Hassell" owned by Captain Ben sailed from St. Kitts on April 28th, 1896 bound for New York, and made it there in twelve sailing days. His 105 ton schooner the "Esther Anita" made a record run from New York to Saba in nine days. Many of the fine schooners which he owned were purchased in Glaucester, Massachusetts and sailed out to the West Indies.

His son, Capt. Laurie Hassell, who now lives at Barbados, was captain at the age of 19 of the lovely schooner the "Mona Marie" which was 73 net tons and had a length of 130 feet. She was sunk by a German submarine between Barbados and Grenada on June 28th, 1942.

Captain Ben was a trader among the islands. Like many of the countrymen he loved the sea and as owner and master of various schooners he was a constant visitor to most of the West Indian islands which were colonies at the time. He was possessed of many fine qualities but above them all stood his love for fair and honest dealing.

He had made a voyage to British Guyana on the schooner "Mona Marie". He left Demarara for the return voyage to Barbados in good health, but on the voyage he removed from his face a small and apparently harmless pimple. Unfortunately septic poisoning set in which caused his death on April 29th, 1933 at Barbados where he is buried.

The night before he died, a black man from The Bottom who he had raised as his own child dreamt that the Captain would die in this fashion. He however was on another of Captain Ben's schooners which arrived in the harbor of Bridgetown just in time to hear the sad news of the Captain's death.

© Will Johnson

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                Saba Lace by Kate Holm circa 1930 from the collection of Charlotte Holm

This page was last updated on 06/29/2008