AH-WR-1702

Maria Theresa

Whaling Ship · Lost December 19–20, 1861 · The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

Maria Theresa was deliberately sunk with 320 tons of stone at Charleston’s entrance during the Union blockade.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Maria Theresa sailed from New Bedford and was acquired for the Union’s First Stone Fleet. The vessel was loaded with 320 tons of stone to obstruct Charleston’s harbor entrance. Gaines’s vessel-specific entry dates the scuttling to December 19–20, 1861. The individual wreck position and present remains are not established.

Vessel

Built: 1807
Builder: Not established
Yard: New York City
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: 330 tons
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: December 19–20, 1861
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Main Ship Channel at Charleston, southeast of Morris Island
Water: Charleston Harbor entrance, Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: 320 tons of stone
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

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

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Charleston, South Carolina
Region: The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (82/100)

Exact sinking day, individual wreck position, depth and present condition are not established.

W. Craig Gaines — Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks, Louisiana State University Press (2008)
Individual vessel entry: rig, home port, stone load, Charleston loss location and December 19–20, 1861 date range; construction uncertainties retained.
The Mariners’ Museum — View of the Stone Fleet, catalog CL18654
Contemporary lithograph caption individually identifies the vessel, rig and stone load; not used as exact sinking-day evidence.