AH-WR-1931

New Orleans

Side-Wheel Steamer · Lost 1849 · Thunder Bay & Lake Huron

A rebuilt 1838 sidewheeler grounded in fog on a Thunder Bay reef in 1849; fishermen saved everyone aboard.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

B.F. Goodsell built the sidewheeler Vermillion at Detroit in 1838. After she burned to the waterline in 1842 with loss of life, her owners rebuilt and lengthened her, and she returned in September 1844 as the 185-foot New Orleans. Before daylight on the foggy morning of June 13, 1849, she grounded on a reef between North Point and Sugar Island. Local fishermen rescued all passengers and crew. Large sections of her hull survive in 15 feet of water.

Vessel

Built: 1838
Builder: B.F. Goodsell
Yard: Detroit, Michigan
Material: Wood
Length: 185 ft
Beam: 27 ft
Tonnage: 610 gross tons
Propulsion: Steam, side paddle wheels
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: June 13, 1849
Cause: Grounding
Location: Reef between North Point and Sugar Island, Thunder Bay, Lake Huron, Michigan
Water: Lake Huron
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Passengers and freight
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: All aboard survived; number aboard not stated.
Master: Not established