Wreck of 1850s Steam-Driven Atlantic Liner Located off Massachusetts

The shipwreck of a French steamship that sank nearly 170 years ago has been discovered following what has been described as a “hit-and-run” collision off the Massachusetts coast. Divers at the Atlantic Wreck Salvage announced they located the steamer Lyonnais, an early example of a steam-driven liner that tragically was lost in 1856.

After years of searching, divers from AWS were the ones able to find the wreck of the Atlantic liner located approximately 200 miles off the Massachusetts coast. The sinking of Lyonnais represents one of the worst maritime disasters of the 19th century as only 18 people survived the collision. A total of 114 of its passengers and crew died.

Built in 1855 by Laird & Sons of Birkenhead, England, for the newly minted Compagnie Franco-Americaine, Lyonnais was one of six ships planned for a new service carrying mail and passengers between Le Harve, France, New York, and South America. She was built during a time when ships were making the transition from sail to steam, a development that saw her equipped with a horizontal steam engine as well as her sails. She is considered to be an early example of two mid-19th-century innovations: a screw propeller and an iron hull. The ship measured 272 feet in length (82.9 meters) and was 1,600 gross tons.

The ship sailed two trips to South America in 1856 before embarking on its maiden voyage from Le Havre to New York in October 1856. However, on November 2 on its return journey to France while sailing in heavy fog the ship collided with the American sailing vessel Adriatic. 

 

Engine cylinder that was key to identifying the wreckage. (Photo by Andrew Donn - courtesy of D/V Tenacious/Facebook)

 

Historical accounts by Gibson House Museum indicate that Adriatic hit Lyonnais despite the latter having displayed its lights and sounded its whistle upon first seeing the Adriatic. Some reports indicate the ship’s light was briefly extinguished before being relit which added to the confusion. Adriatic kept going, not knowing it had done severe damage to the other vessel. The collision left Lyonnais with a hole in its side.

Frantic efforts to save the ship, including throwing excess cargo overboard to lighten her and using mattresses to try to plug the hole, could not save her from sinking. When it became apparent the steamer would go down, passengers and crew abandoned ship using lifeboats and a makeshift raft. Six days later, one lifeboat was recovered with 12 people aboard. Everyone else was lost.

After nearly 170 years, a team of AWS divers aboard its vessel D/V Tenacious has discovered Lyonnais after previous attempts by others. The AWS team first side scanned potential targets in September last year and returned last month when they located the wreck. They believed the wreck was consistent with Lyonnais after examining the engine cylinder, a type that was used only briefly and measured 57 inches, the size records showed for Lyonnais’ engine.

Despite having several famous passengers aboard who were lost in the tragedy, Lyonnais’ story had been largely lost to time. Records show the shipping company only maintained irregular service and reportedly made its final sailing in March 1857.