Brother Jonathan
Sidewheel Passenger Steamer · United States · Lost 1865 · San Francisco & the Northern California Coast
A Pacific coast steamer that struck St. George Reef in 1865; only 19 of more than 200 aboard survived.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
Brother Jonathan was a wooden sidewheel steamer built in New York in 1851 and later sent to the Pacific coast. On 30 July 1865, northbound from San Francisco, she turned back in a gale and struck a submerged rock on St. George Reef off Crescent City. She sank in under an hour. Only 19 people survived in a single lifeboat. The wreck was located in 1993.
Vessel
- 1851
- Not established
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- Wood
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- Steam, sidewheel
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Loss
- July 30, 1865
- Grounding
- St. George Reef, off Crescent City
- Pacific Ocean
- Not established
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- More than 200; estimates range from about 166 to 225.
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The Wreck Today
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- 1993
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Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Crescent City, California
Pin marks the named place of loss; no published position used.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
The exact number aboard is uncertain.
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
Loss date, place and circumstances.
Del Norte County Historical Society
Loss date, place and circumstances.
