Great Republic
Sidewheel Steamship · United States · Lost 1879 · The Columbia River Bar & Oregon Coast
The largest passenger steamship on the Pacific Coast ran aground on Sand Island at the Columbia River's mouth, and her buried remains were only correctly identified over a century later.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Vessel
- 1866
- Henry Steers
- Greenpoint, New York
- Wood, iron-strapped
- 380 ft
- 50 ft
- 4100
- Steam, vertical beam engine, sidewheel
- Pacific Mail Steamship Company
Loss
- April 19, 1879
- Navigational error
- Sand Island, mouth of the Columbia River, near Ilwaco, Washington
- Columbia River / Pacific Ocean
- Astoria, Oregon
- Not established
- Not established
- 10
- Captain Carroll
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Largely buried in sand; researchers in the 1980s identified remains on Sand Island initially thought to be the brig Isabella, later reattributed to Great Republic.
- Not established
- 1986
- Not established
Position
- 46.28° N 124.02° W
- Approximate position
- Sand Island, Columbia River mouth, near Ilwaco, Washington
Coordinates as published on Wikipedia for the Great Republic wreck site near Sand Island.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (72/100)
The identification of surviving wreck remains on Sand Island as Great Republic rather than the brig Isabella was only established through later archaeological research and is treated with appropriate caution.
Build specifications, ownership, and loss details.
The New York Times (April 22, 1879)
Contemporary casualty account and cause of grounding.
Texas A&M University thesis (OakTrust)
Archaeological reattribution of Sand Island wreck remains.
