I'm Alone

This article is about the ship. For the Deep Purple song, see Strange Kind of Woman. For the White Town song, see Peek & Poke (White Town album).

I'm Alone was a Canadian ship used as a rum runner during Prohibition in the United States. She was best known for having been sunk by the United States Coast Guard in 1929 while trying to flee.^[2]

I'm Alone

I'm Alone on the day of her sinking
Name	I'm Alone
Port of registry	Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Yard number	126
Completed	1923
Fate	Sunk by the U.S. Coast Guard, 22 March 1929
Type	Schooner
Tonnage	205 tons
Propulsion	Sail and diesel engines
Speed	9 knots (maximum)[1]
Crew	8

History

The auxiliary schooner was built in Lunenburg Nova Scotia in 1923 (hull # 126), and for six years, she transported contraband alcohol.^[3] Another source says the ship was built in the United Kingdom.^[4] Her registry was in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.^[5] I'm Alone was intercepted in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana by USCGC Wolcott on 22 March 1929, as the schooner was returning from Belize with liquor. The crew of I'm Alone disobeyed orders to stop and was shelled and sunk by USCGC Dexter. Seven of the ship's eight crew members were rescued. The eighth, a French Canadian boatswain, Leon Mainguy, died.^[6] The surviving crew members, including captain John "Jack" Randell, were arrested and jailed in New Orleans.^[4]

The sinking caused tensions in Canadian–American relations, with Envoy Vincent Massey criticizing the Americans' actions. The Canadian government sued for damages. Coast Guard intelligence personnel, led by Elizebeth Friedman, were able to demonstrate in international arbitration that the owners of I'm Alone were Americans, despite the ship's Canadian registry. As a result, the U.S. paid a fine much lower than the amount initially requested by Canada.^[3] Captain Randell and Amanda Mainguy, the widow of the crew member who died, both received restitution.^[4] The widow of dead sailor received $16,000 whilst Captain Randall received $7,000. The owners of the I'm Alone received no restitution.^[7]

The incident was described in song by Canadian poet/folk musician Wade Hemsworth, "The Sinking of the I'm Alone".

References

1. "'Use All Force!' | U.S. Naval Institute". www.usni.org. May 2013. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
2. Dennis, William C. (1929). "The Sinking of the I'm Alone". American Journal of International Law. 23 (2): 351–362. doi:10.2307/2189867. ISSN 0002-9300.
3. Hagen, Carrie (28 January 2015). "The Coast Guard's Most Potent Weapon During Prohibition? Codebreaker Elizebeth Friedman". Smithsonian. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
4. Bell, Jessica. "1929 – The S.S. I'm Alone". Canadian Geographic. Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
5. Skoglund, Nancy Galey (1968). "The I'm Alone Case: A Tale from the Days of Prohibition". University of Rochester Library Bulletin. 23 (3). University of Rochester. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
6. "Sinking of the I'm Alone". The Times. No. 45161. London. 26 March 1929. col C, p. 16.
7. Isle of Man Examiner, Friday, April 17, 1936; Page: 11

Further reading

• "Claim of the British Ship "I'm Alone" v. United States". American Journal of International Law. 29 (2). American Society of International Law: 326–331. 1935. doi:10.2307/2190502. JSTOR 2190502. S2CID 246008667.
• "The Sinking of The I'm Alone", also containing biographical information about Jack Randell