Current:Home > StocksSteamship that sunk in 1856 with 132 on board discovered in Atlantic, 200 miles from shore-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Steamship that sunk in 1856 with 132 on board discovered in Atlantic, 200 miles from shore
lotradecoin regional trading regulations View Date:2024-12-25 14:35:10
A long-lost transatlantic passenger steamship that sank off the East Coast more than 165 years ago has been discovered in the Atlantic, a boat team from Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, announced this week.
The French steamship Le Lyonnais sunk Nov. 2, 1856, after a collision with the American sailing vessel Adriatic.
Only 16 of the ship's 132 passengers were rescued from lifeboats. The rest are believed to have perished. A New York Times article from Nov. 26, 1856, describes a futile search for more survivors. The ship was thought to have sunk southeast of Nantucket Shoals off Massachusetts.
The dive team from Atlantic Wreck Salvage, however, located the vessel farther out to sea, on the Georges Bank, 200 miles from New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Jennifer Sellitti, a partner in Atlantic Wreck Salvage, whose dive boat Tenacious made the discovery, said the incident drew "international intrigue" but lost public interest when the Civil War broke out a few years later.
“Le Lyonnais, her passengers, and her story captivated me and set me on an eight-year journey in search not only of her final resting place but also for the truth behind her sinking and its eventful aftermath,” Sellitti said.
The dive team's previous work:Andrea Doria foghorn blasts from Beach Haven, 65 years after it sank in the murky sea
From sail to steam
Le Lyonnais was built by Laird & Sons − now Cammel Laird − in 1855 for Compagnie Franco-Americaine. She was one of six ships built by Laird for Franco-Americaine to be used in transatlantic passenger and mail service.
Le Lyonnais was built during a time when ships were making the transition from sail to steam. It was equipped with sails and a horizontal steam engine and is an early example of a passenger liner with two mid-19th-century innovations: a screw propeller and an iron hull. Franco-Americaine launched Le Lyonnais in January 1856 and put her into service carrying cabin-class clientele and cargo between New York and Le Havre, France.
On Nov. 2, 1856, during its first return voyage to Le Havre from the Americas, the ship collided with the Maine-built barque Adriatic, which was en route from Belfast, Maine, to Savannah, Georgia.
Adriatic left Le Lyonnais with a small hole in its hull, and water eventually overwhelmed the vessel. Adriatic was damaged in the collision but remained afloat. Her crew assumed Le Lyonnais was intact because the steamship continued its course. Adriatic sailed to Gloucester, Massachusetts, for repairs. But Le Lyonnais sank days later.
Sellitti, who is an attorney, called the incident a hit-and-run, because the captain of the Adriatic never reported the collision. She documents the collision along with the discovery in a new book, "The Adriatic Affair: A Maritime Hit-and-Run Off the Coast of Nantucket," from Shiffer Publishers, out Feb. 28.
Finding Le Lyonnais
Shipwreck hunter Eric Takakjian first searched for Le Lyonnais in the late 2000s. Sellitti and her partner Joe Mazraani renewed the search in 2016 and spent eight years working with Takakjian to locate the ship's final resting place.
Sellitti said part of the difficulty of finding the ship was many of the early newspapers accounts of the Le Lyonnais placed it on Nantucket Shoals. But their research, which included survivor accounts and court documents, pointed her to the Georges Banks.
Their team, which also consisted of divers Andrew Donn, Kurt Mintell, Tom Packer and Tim Whitehead, side-scanned potential targets in 2022 and 2023 and, after reviewing the data, narrowed the search to a series of potential candidates. They returned to the search area in August to dive the targets, one of which they identified as Le Lyonnais.
Sellitti said a few major clues told them they had the right ship. The first was when they found the ship's direct acting horizontal engine. Le Lyonnais was one of the first ships to have that type of engine. Another clue was the engine cylinder's diameter was 57 inches, matching Le Lyonnais. Iron hull plates were another clue, along with the discovery of the deadeye, a wooden block used in a ship’s rigging system, since the Le Lyonnais was outfitted with a steam engine and sail.
"Those clues with the location, sonar data and measurements, further solidified that we were diving the lost French liner,” Mazraani said.
The team has not disclosed the exact location or depth of the wreck because they plan to return to further catalog artifacts. Sellitti said that the wreck lies in deep water, with visibility at best 30 feet, and that it is buried in the sand.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; [email protected].
veryGood! (57)
Related
- Infamous LA officer’s gun found in $1 million watch robbery case
- Getty Images reverses flag that Prince Archie christening photo was 'digitally enhanced'
- Save 40% on the Magical Bodysuit That Helped Me Zip up My Jeans When Nothing Else Worked
- A Tennessee fisherman reeled in a big one. It turned out to be an alligator
- Big Georgia county to start charging some costs to people who challenge the eligibility of voters
- USWNT get Germany, Australia in group stage at Paris Olympics; US men get host France
- Shop Amazon’s Big Spring Sale for Festival-Ready Fashion for Coachella, Stagecoach & More
- Bill to offset student debt through tax credit passes Pennsylvania House
- Australian Olympic Committee hits out at criticism of controversial breaker Rachael Gunn
- Kate's photo of Queen Elizabeth II with her grandkids flagged by Getty news agency as enhanced at source
Ranking
- The president of Columbia University has resigned, effective immediately
- Georgia lawmakers approve income tax cuts for people and businesses
- M. Emmet Walsh, unforgettable character actor from ‘Blood Simple,’ ‘Blade Runner,’ dies at 88
- Mississippi deputies arrest 14-year-old in mother’s shooting death, injuring stepfather
- Collin Gosselin claims he was discharged from Marines due to institutionalization by mom Kate
- Sanctuary saved: South Carolina family's fight for ancestral land comes to an end after settlement: Reports
- Sanctuary saved: South Carolina family's fight for ancestral land comes to an end after settlement: Reports
- International Day of Happiness: How the holiday got its start plus the happiest US cities
Recommendation
-
Jackson City Councilwoman Angelique Lee resigns after federal bribery charge
-
A Kentucky judge dismisses lawsuit but protects historic mural that has sparked protests
-
As Texas border arrests law teeters in court, other GOP states also push tougher immigration policy
-
Watch Kim Kardashian Kiss—and Slap—Emma Roberts in Head-Spinning American Horror Story Trailer
-
Ryan Reynolds on his 'complicated' relationship with his dad, how it's changed him
-
New 'Ghostbusters' review: 2024 movie doubles down on heroes and horror, but lacks magic
-
Congrats, you just got a dry promotion — no raise included
-
March Madness bracket picks for Thursday's first round of the men's NCAA Tournament