Some of the deadliest wrecks in the nineteenth century occurred off the coast of Cape Cod, known as one of the "graveyards of the Atlantic." This included the wreck of the HMS Jason, a Scottish iron ship that sank near Truro, Massachusetts, on December 5, 1893.
Built in 1870 and weighing 1,586 tons, the Jason was en route to Boston from Calcutta when a gale pushed the ship onto a sandbar and freezing breakers broke it apart. Lifesavers from nearby Pamet Life-Saving Station attempted to rescue the ship's stranded crew members but were repeatedly thwarted by lashing waves and rain.
In the end the disaster claimed the lives of the Jason's 26 crew members, with only a single man miraculously making it to shore.