No official record of the storm surge height at Galveston was preserved as the tide gauges operated by the United States Geological Survey and United States Army Corps of Engineers were destroyed by the hurricane. However, measurements of high water marks by the Army Corps of Engineers at the intersection of 20th and Strand Streets indicated the maximum water level reached above the mean low tide height, suggesting water levels above those during the 1900 hurricane. Streets in the city's retail district were first submerged after 6 p.m. CST on August 16 (23:00 UTC), with roads eventually submerged under of water at the height of the storm; the inundation peaked at at the city's Union Depot. Floodwaters remained on the city streets before receding on the morning of August 18. Offshore, a buoy with a anchor and chain was blown west by the hurricane. The wide beach extending outwards from the Galveston Seawall was completely eroded by the storm surge, deposited in an offshore sandbar; the beach has only partially recovered since then. Two lighthouses, the Redfish Bar and Galveston Jetty lights, were damaged. A total of 24 vessels capsized offshore Galveston. Most ships in Galveston's wharves weathered the hurricane without much damage. The wharves themselves generally sustained minor damage and all were repairable. However, piers 10 and 21 were severely affected and among several destroyed piers. The "USAT McClellan" was torn adrift from pier 12 and grounded upon Pelican Island. Sheds in the area were also destroyed.