AH-WR-0644

Atlantic

Paddle Steamer · United States · Lost 1846 · Long Island & the New York Approaches

A coastal passenger steamer wrecked on the rocks of Fishers Island after drifting powerless through two days of hurricane-force winds, killing roughly 45 aboard.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Atlantic left New London on a routine coastal run when a storm disabled her machinery, leaving her to drift helplessly in hurricane-force winds for nearly two days. She was ultimately driven onto the rocks at North Hill, Fishers Island, on November 27, 1846. The wreck killed an estimated 45 people and became one of the most mourned maritime disasters of its era, commemorated in ballads, poems, and popular lithographs.

Vessel

Built: 1846
Builder: Not established
Yard: New York, New York
Material: Wood
Length: 320 ft
Beam: 36 ft
Tonnage: 1112
Propulsion: Steam, side paddle wheels
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: November 27, 1846
Cause: Storm
Location: North Hill, Fishers Island
Water: Fishers Island Sound
Voyage: New London, Connecticut
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 45
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 20 ft
Condition: Scattered remains
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 41.27° N 71.98° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Fishers Island, New York
Region: Long Island & the New York Approaches

General area only: coordinate of Fishers Island from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel (North Hill, Fishers Island), not a surveyed wreck position.