Crew of De Braak honored on Memorial Day weekend
Capt. James Drew and his DeBraak crew were honored with a wreath-laying ceremony May 28, during Lewes’ Maritime Festival. The British war ship capsized June 10, 1798, in the waters off Delaware’s Cape Henlopen after a sudden squall caught the crew off guard. Drew, 35 crew members and 12 Spanish prisoners drowned in the shipwreck.
The ceremony May 28 honored Drew at his grave in the cemetery at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on Second Street. The crew was also honored with a brief ceremony at the DeBraak historic marker at the Zwaanendael Museum, where the recovered remains of crew members were placed in two caskets and interred in 1998.
The state is in possession of more than 20,000 artifacts from the DeBraak, including an 85-foot long section of the 18th-century ship.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
