AH-WR-0739

Ha'aheo o Hawaii

Royal Yacht · United States · Lost 1824 · The Hawaiian Islands

The former Cleopatra's Barge, America's first oceangoing yacht, became Hawaiian King Kamehameha II's royal yacht before wrecking on a Kauai reef in 1824.

Captain of Record

Jarrett Honjiyo

AHR-1974

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Built in 1816 at Salem, Massachusetts, for merchant George Crowninshield Jr. as the pleasure yacht Cleopatra's Barge, the vessel was renowned as the first oceangoing yacht built in America. After Crowninshield's death the ship passed through several owners before being purchased in 1820 by King Kamehameha II of Hawaii, who renamed her Ha'aheo o Hawaii ('Pride of Hawaii') and used her as his royal yacht. On April 6, 1824, she wrecked on a reef in Hanalei Bay, Kauai. Smithsonian Institution archaeologists located and excavated the site between 1995 and 2000, recovering artifacts that represent the only known material culture from Kamehameha II's reign.

Vessel

Built: 1816
Builder: Retire Becket
Yard: Salem, Massachusetts
Material: Wood
Length: 83 ft
Beam: 23 ft
Tonnage: 192
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: George Crowninshield Jr. (as Cleopatra's Barge); King Kamehameha II (Liholiho) (as Ha'aheo o Hawaii)

Loss

Date: April 6, 1824
Cause: Grounding
Location: Reef in Hanalei Bay, Kauai
Water: Pacific Ocean, Hanalei Bay
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Largely disarticulated and buried under reef sand; scattered fittings, ballast and cultural artifacts recovered by excavation
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 1995
Protection: Hawaii State Historic Preservation Office designated site (SHPO no. 50-30-03-5000)

Position

Coordinates: 22.205° N 159.508° W
Accuracy: Surveyed position
Nearest: Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii
Region: The Hawaiian Islands

Position published in the Smithsonian Institution's official excavation catalog for the wreck site.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Well documented (92/100)

Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Build history, ownership, renaming, loss date, excavation and artifact catalog.
Texas A&M University Press (Shipwrecked in Paradise by Paul F. Johnston)
Full narrative history of the ship and excavation findings.