AH-WR-1153

Emperor

Sidewheel Steamer · United States · Lost 1872 · Penobscot Bay & Midcoast Maine

A Bay of Fundy passenger steamer ran onto Eastern Ledge off Seal Island in fog in 1872 without loss of life.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Emperor was a wooden sidewheel steamer built in 1857 at Carleton, New Brunswick, running for the Yarmouth and Boston Steam Navigation Company. On the night of May 28, 1872, she ran onto Eastern Ledge off Seal Island in Penobscot Bay in fog and was lost, though no lives were reported lost.

Vessel

Built: 1857
Builder: Not established
Yard: Carleton, New Brunswick
Material: Wood
Length: 175 ft
Beam: 27 ft
Tonnage: 600
Propulsion: Steam, sidewheels
Owners: Yarmouth and Boston Steam Navigation Company

Loss

Date: May 28, 1872
Cause: Grounding
Location: Eastern Ledge, off Seal Island, Penobscot Bay, Maine
Water: Penobscot Bay
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 43.89° N 68.73° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Seal Island, Penobscot Bay, Maine
Region: Penobscot Bay & Midcoast Maine

Position from a published Loran/GPS fix for the Eastern Ledge off Seal Island.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)

Hunting New England Shipwrecks (wreckhunter.net)
Vessel specifications, ownership, loss date, cause, coordinates, citing a period New York Times report.