SS City of Chester
Passenger And Cargo Steamship · United States · Lost 1888 · San Francisco & the Northern California Coast
A coastal passenger steamer sank in six minutes after colliding with the liner Oceanic in fog at the Golden Gate in 1888.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1875 by John Roach & Sons, the City of Chester ran the Pacific coast passenger and cargo trade under the Pacific Coast Steamship Company. On the foggy morning of August 22, 1888, she collided with the inbound RMS Oceanic just inside the Golden Gate and sank within six minutes, killing sixteen people. The Oceanic's Chinese crew was later praised for rescuing many survivors despite initial racially charged press coverage. NOAA confirmed the wreck's location with sonar in 2013 and produced a detailed 3-D model of the intact hull.
Vessel
- 1875
- US official number 125473
- John Roach & Sons
- Chester, Pennsylvania
- Iron
- 202 ft
- 33.2 ft
- 1106
- Steam, compound engine, single screw
- Oregon Railroad Co., operated by Pacific Coast Steamship Company
Loss
- August 22, 1888
- Collision
- Inner entrance to San Francisco Bay, between Fort Point and Lime Point
- San Francisco Bay / Golden Gate
- San Francisco, California → Eureka, California
- Not established
- 90
- 16
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Intact hull resting upright on the bay floor, documented by 3-D sonar survey.
- Not established
- 2013
- Within Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
Position
- 37.82° N 122.48° W
- Approximate position
- Golden Gate, San Francisco, California
Position reflects NOAA's general public description of the site near Fort Point inside the Golden Gate; precise survey coordinates are not published for the public record reviewed.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Well documented (90/100)
NOAA Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
Collision account, casualties, and 2013 sonar rediscovery.
Rediscovery details and historical significance.
