AH-WR-1129

Metis

Passenger And Freight Steamer · United States · Lost 1872 · Narragansett Bay & the Rhode Island Coast

A Providence-bound steamer that sank after a night collision off Watch Hill in 1872, sparking the first joint rescue by three federal maritime services.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

The steamer Metis was en route from New York to Providence when she collided with the schooner Nettie Cushing before dawn on 30 August 1872 off Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Her captain at first thought the steamer undamaged, but she began taking on water and eventually plunged to the bottom, leaving her hurricane deck adrift with passengers clinging to it. Dozens drowned in the surf as the deck broke apart nearing shore, though Watch Hill residents and the Revenue Cutter Moccasin saved many others. The disaster helped drive the later creation of the Watch Hill Life-Saving Station.

Vessel

Built: 1864
Builder: Not established
Yard: New York, New York
Material: Wood
Length: 200 ft
Beam: 35 ft
Tonnage: 1238
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Providence and New York Steamship Company

Loss

Date: August 30, 1872
Cause: Collision
Location: About 4.5 nautical miles east-southeast of Watch Hill, Rhode Island
Water: Block Island Sound / Long Island Sound approaches
Voyage: New York, New York → Providence, Rhode Island
Cargo: General freight including cotton bales
Aboard: 242
Lives lost: 67
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 130 ft
Condition: Parts of the hull remain, largely buried in sand; the engine, propeller shaft, and propeller are reported intact, with artifacts buried in the sediment.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 41.28° N 71.77° W
Accuracy: Reported, unconfirmed
Nearest: Watch Hill, Westerly, Rhode Island
Region: Narragansett Bay & the Rhode Island Coast

Position as published by wreckhunter.net's Hunting New England Shipwrecks database; not verified here against a survey source.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (68/100)

Reported casualty totals vary significantly between sources and are not firmly reconciled here.

Hunting New England Shipwrecks (wreckhunter.net)
Vessel dimensions, tonnage, ownership, loss cause, casualty figures, wreck location and depth.
New England Lighthouse Stories
Narrative of the collision and multi-service rescue response.
MaritimeCyprus, summarizing period accounts
Casualty estimates, Revenue Cutter Moccasin's rescue role, subsequent litigation.