AH-WR-0568

New York

Steam Packet · United States · Lost 1846 · Texas & the Western Gulf

A Morgan Line steam packet lost with seventeen aboard in an 1846 Gulf hurricane while chartered to supply U.S. troops at Brazos Santiago.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Built in 1837, New York was one of Charles Morgan's early steam packets running between New Orleans and Galveston. In 1846 she was chartered to carry troops and supplies to the U.S. Army depot at Brazos Santiago ahead of the Mexican-American War. On September 7, 1846, she was caught in a hurricane and lost, with seventeen of those aboard drowning. Her wreck was located decades later and has been documented by federal marine archaeologists as one of the few surviving examples of Morgan Line steamships.

Vessel

Built: 1837
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Wood
Length: 160.5 ft
Beam: 22.5 ft
Tonnage: 365
Propulsion: Steam, side-wheel
Owners: Charles Morgan (Morgan Line)

Loss

Date: September 7, 1846
Cause: Storm
Location: Near Brazos Santiago, Texas coast
Water: Gulf of Mexico
Voyage: New Orleans, Louisiana → Brazos Santiago, Texas
Cargo: Military supplies and personnel
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 17
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Hull remains documented by federal marine archaeologists
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 1970s (located by an oilfield worker and amateur diver)
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 26.07° N 97.16° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Brazos Santiago, Texas
Region: Texas & the Western Gulf

General area only: coordinate of Brazos Santiago, the named place recorded as the loss location for this vessel, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (72/100)

The precise wreck position and current condition of the hull are not established in the sources reviewed.

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), 19th Century Steamships
Build details, service history, loss date, casualties, wreck discovery.
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 'The New York and the Josephine: two steamships of the Charles Morgan line'
Comparative technical and historical documentation of the wreck.
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Brazos Santiago Pass
coordinate of the named place of loss