AH-WR-1349

Lyon

Merchant Sailing Ship · France · Lost Captured in 1778; loss/sinking date at English Harbour is not established in the sources reviewed. · The Lesser Antilles

A French East India trader turned Revolutionary War blockade runner, captured and left in Antigua's English Harbour, rediscovered in 2013 as one of the Caribbean's largest wooden wrecks.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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 1762 as Beaumont for the French East India Company, this ship later became the privately funded blockade runner Lyon, carrying military supplies for the American Revolutionary cause. Captured by HMS Maidstone in 1778, she was brought into English Harbour, Antigua. Her well-preserved wooden hull was found buried in harbour mud in 2013 and identified through archaeological research beginning in 2021.

Vessel

Built: 1762
Builder: Not established
Yard: France
Material: Wood
Length: 130 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 900
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: French East India Company; later a private owner

Loss

Date: Captured in 1778; loss/sinking date at English Harbour is not established in the sources reviewed.
Cause: Not established
Location: English Harbour (Tank Bay), Antigua
Water: Caribbean Sea
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 8 ft
Condition: Well-preserved wooden hull structure buried in harbour mud
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 2013
Protection: Under active archaeological research and protection by Antigua's National Parks Authority

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position withheld to protect the site
Nearest: English Harbour, Antigua
Region: The Lesser Antilles

Exact position protected by Antiguan heritage authorities during ongoing research.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (62/100)

The exact date and cause of her final sinking or abandonment at English Harbour are not established in the sources reviewed.

East Carolina University maritime studies program
Identification, build history, capture, and ongoing archaeological findings.
Antigua and Barbuda National Parks Authority
Discovery, site protection, and research campaign details.