AH-WR-1541

Pulaski

Steam Packet · United States · Lost 1838 · The Outer Banks

A Savannah-to-Baltimore packet torn apart by a boiler explosion off North Carolina in 1838.

Become Captain of Record
Artistic impression of the Pulaski
Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.
Engraved line drawing of the Pulaski
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

Pulaski was a wooden sidewheel steam packet carrying wealthy families from Savannah and Charleston north to Baltimore. On the night of 14 June 1838, off the North Carolina coast, her starboard boiler exploded. The ship broke apart and sank within an hour. About 100 people died; 59 survived. The wreck was identified in 2018.

Vessel

Built
1837
Builder
Not established
Yard
Not established
Material
Wood
Length
Not established
Beam
Not established
Tonnage
Not established
Propulsion
Steam, sidewheel
Owners
Not established

Loss

Date
June 14, 1838
Cause
Mechanical failure
Location
Off the North Carolina coast
Water
Atlantic Ocean
Voyage
Not established
Cargo
Not established
Aboard
Not established
Lives lost
About 100.
Master
Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth
Not established
Condition
Not established
Orientation
Not established
Discovered
2018
Protection
Not established

Position

Coordinates
Not established
Accuracy
Position not established
Nearest
Off New River Inlet, North Carolina

Pin marks the named place of loss; no published position used.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (75/100)

Exact casualty figures vary between sources.

  • Georgia Historical Society

    Loss date, place and circumstances.

  • North Carolina Underwater Archaeology Branch

    Loss date, place and circumstances.

Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 1Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 2Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 3Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 4Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 5Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 6Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 7Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 8Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 9Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 10Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 11Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 12Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 13Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 14Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 15Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 16Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 17Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 18Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 19Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 20Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 21Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 22Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 23Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 24Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 25Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 26Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 27Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 28Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 29Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 30Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 31Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 32Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 33Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 34Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 35Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 36Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 37Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 38Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 39Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 40Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 41Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 42Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 43Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 44Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 45Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 46Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 47Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 48Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 49Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 50Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 51Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 52Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 53Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 54Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 55Atlas & Helm Captain displaying a framed shipwreck certificate, portrait 56