Hannah
Brig · Lost 1849 · The Gulf of St Lawrence
The Irish famine brig Hannah sank in Gulf of St. Lawrence ice on April 29, 1849, after her captain fled in the only lifeboat; about 49 died.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built at Norton, New Brunswick, in 1826, the brig Hannah sailed from Newry on April 3, 1849, with about 180 Irish famine emigrants under 23-year-old master Curry Shaw. At 4 a.m. on April 29 she struck a reef of ice in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Shaw ordered the passengers trapped below, then fled with his two officers in the only lifeboat. The remaining crew helped passengers onto the ice before she sank in 40 minutes; about 49 died in gale and sleet.
Vessel
- 1826
- Not established
- Norton, New Brunswick
- Wood
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Sail
- Not established
Loss
- April 29, 1849
- Ice
- Gulf of St. Lawrence, in field ice
- Gulf of St. Lawrence
- Newry, Ireland → Quebec
- Irish famine emigrants
- Not established
- 49
- Curry Shaw
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- Gulf of St. Lawrence
No pin: no surveyed wreck position in the sources used.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (55/100)
Based on a published secondary account; original records were not independently inspected.
Article narrative of construction, voyage and loss (secondary summary of cited books and newspapers).
TheShipsList — Loss of the Hannah, 1849 (Armagh Guardian, June 1849)
Contemporary report of the April 29, 1849 ice strike and rescue by barque Nicaragua.
