October 17
1835 – After having sprung an irreparable leak and with the crew refusing to pump anymore, the captain of the British brig Thomas turned his vessel over to a resident of Indian Key as the only means of saving it. On their advice, the brig was driven ashore to prevent sinking. The salvaged cargo was taken to Key West.
1838 – It was reported that Seminoles had salvaged mahogany logs from a Spanish brig wrecked on the reef, and they were making boats from the wood at a “Lilliputian shipyard” on Cape Florida.
1910 – A category 3 hurricane hit Key West and lasted 30 hours. Winds of 125 mph were recorded at Sand Key. Damage to shipping was heavy, but most of the town escaped serious damage as most of its buildings had survived a hurricane the previous year.
1956 – The tenth annual convention of the Southeastern Airport Managers Association began in Key West, with over 150 delegates attending the three-day affair. The group would hear about anticipated trends in airport management.
1973 – The USS Amberjack (SS 522), the Navy’s last diesel submarine, was decommissioned and turned over to the Brazilian Navy in a ceremony at the Naval Station. The departure ended Key West’s submarine service that had begun in WW I.
Information compiled by Dr. Corey Malcom, Lead Historian, Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
Image: The Key West Electric Company's house for bachelors on South Beach after the 1910 Hurricane. Stone and Websters Electric Company photo collection. Monroe County Public Library, Florida Keys History Center.
