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On the fateful evening of May 11, 1907, the Sagamore, a four-masted schooner, carried 2200 tons of coal through Martha’s Vineyard sound, while the Edda, a Norwegian steamer, attempted to navigate around a barge tow ahead. Instead, the Edda veered onto a collision course with the Sagamore, causing the schooner to crash into the steamer’s port side. The force of the collision sent the Edda’s captain flying from the bridge and onto the Sagamore. He, along with the Sagamore’s crew, captain, and the captain’s wife, rowed to safety on the yawl boat. The Sagamore sank in 13 fathoms in 10 minutes, the Boston Globe reported the next day.  

In the 1980s, Klein Maritime Services employee John Fish undertook a salvaging mission at the site of the shipwreck. Upon successfully raising the anchor of the sunken schooner, he donated it to Klein, a nod to the company’s cutting-edge sonar technology that made the discovery possible. For decades the 10-ft tall anchor stood outside the company’s office in Salem, New Hampshire, a symbol of how sonar technology can serve as a portal to the past.

On May 19, 2025, the anchor was relocated and installed on the grounds of the Custom House Maritime Museum (CHMM) in Newburyport, Massachusetts, a donation from Klein that mark’s the company’s move to Newburyport.

“This anchor isn’t just an artifact. It represents history, and now, new beginnings…” Klein General Manager Ted Curley said in a press release. “Donating this anchor is our way of honoring this city’s deep connection to the sea-–anchoring ourselves in its future.”

Klein’s move to Newburyport strategically brings the company closer to Boston and closer to the water.

The anchor was originally estimated to be 5000 lbs, but at its installation weighed in at closer to 6500. CHMM Executive Director, James Russell says that despite the decades spent in the water, the anchor is in good condition with remarkable structural integrity.

Locals began to gather, some with morning coffee, an hour before the anchor had arrived. About fifty to sixty people assembled for the event, including Newburyport Mayor Sean Reardon, Klein founder Martin Klein, representatives from the rigging company, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Harbormaster.

“The turnout for the event was great,” Curley said, “It was a great way for us to get welcomed into the community, and I think it’s going to be a great landmark for the town.”

Klein is one of the world leaders in the design and manufacturing of side scan sonars, which make possible the mapping of the ocean floor. The technology has many applications, including granting access to maritime history that would otherwise be lost to the ocean’s depths.  Klein has been instrumental in finding many shipwrecks, including the Titanic.

“Finding these shipwrecks and [the artifacts] that get excavated or salvaged is part of maritime history.” Curley said.

The anchor now rests at one end of the waterfront promenade park, which Russell calls a punctuation point to the CHMM’s property.

While the anchor is an impressive display for anyone passing by, it also provides an educational opportunity for museum visitors. Russell points to the example of the Dreadnought, the largest vessel built in Newburyport during the age of sail in the 1850s. While the Dreadnought was approximately the same length as the Sagamore, it’s difficult to convey the scope of that size in models and paintings. “It allows us to give context and a sense of scale and massiveness.” Russell said. “That’s a great thing.”

The Sagamore anchor’s presence on the CHMM property now speaks to the collaboration between those seeking to preserve maritime history, and those who make it possible through technology.