AH-WR-0048

SS Mohawk

Passenger Steamer · United States · Lost 1935 · The New Jersey Coast

A Ward Line passenger steamer sunk in collision off Manasquan Inlet in 1935, part of a difficult run of losses for the line.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Mohawk was a Ward Line/Clyde-Mallory passenger steamer built in 1925 for coastal and Caribbean service. On 25 January 1935, while outbound from New York toward Havana, she collided with the freighter Talisman off the New Jersey coast and sank. The captain was among those lost. The sinking came soon after the Morro Castle fire and other Ward Line troubles, drawing wide press attention. The wreck now lies in about 80 feet of water off Manasquan Inlet and is a well-known dive site.

Vessel

Built: 1925
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
Yard: Newport News, Virginia
Material: Steel
Length: 387 ft
Beam: 54 ft
Tonnage: 5897
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Clyde-Mallory Line / Agwilines Inc (Ward Line)

Loss

Date: January 25, 1935
Cause: Collision
Location: A few miles off Manasquan Inlet, New Jersey
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: New York → Havana, Cuba
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Reported deaths included the ship's captain; exact toll varies between accounts.
Master: Not established