AH-WR-1235

SS Arctic

Paddle Steamer · United States · Lost 1854 · Newfoundland

A celebrated Collins Line paddle steamer that sank after colliding with the French steamer Vesta off Cape Race in 1854, killing all women and children aboard.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

SS Arctic was the largest and most celebrated of the Collins Line's transatlantic steamers when she collided with the smaller French steamer Vesta in dense fog roughly 50 miles off Cape Race, Newfoundland, on September 27, 1854. Believing Vesta was the more badly damaged vessel, Captain Luce initially aided her before discovering Arctic herself was holed below the waterline. A breakdown of order during the evacuation meant lifeboats filled largely with crew and male passengers; all women and children aboard died, along with roughly 312 of the estimated 400 people aboard.

Vessel

Built: 1850
Builder: William H. Brown Shipyard
Yard: New York City
Material: Wood
Length: 284 ft
Beam: 45 ft
Tonnage: 2856
Propulsion: Side-lever steam engines, paddle wheels
Owners: Collins Line

Loss

Date: September 27, 1854
Cause: Collision
Location: About 50 miles off Cape Race, Newfoundland
Water: North Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Liverpool, England → New York City
Cargo: Mail and passenger baggage
Aboard: 400
Lives lost: 312
Master: James Luce

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: Cape Race, Newfoundland
Region: Newfoundland

Sank in open ocean roughly 50 miles off Cape Race; no established wreck position is documented in the sources reviewed.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)

Exact casualty numbers vary between sources because complete passenger and crew lists were not preserved; the wreck's location has not been established.