AH-WR-0570

Dayton

Steamer · United States · Lost 1845 · Texas & the Western Gulf

A troop-transport steamer whose boilers burst and exploded a second time near Corpus Christi Bay in 1845, killing eight soldiers headed for Zachary Taylor's army.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

In September 1845, as the U.S. Army massed troops at Corpus Christi ahead of the Mexican-American War, the steamer Dayton was ferrying soldiers from Corpus Christi to St. Joseph's Island when one of her boilers burst near McGloin's Bluff. A second boiler exploded as the vessel plunged into the water, and fire consumed what remained before she sank. Eight soldiers died, and the dead were buried nearby at what is now Old Bayview Cemetery, where a Texas Historical Commission marker recounts the disaster.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Not established
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: September 12, 1845
Cause: Mechanical failure
Location: Near McGloin's Bluff (Ingleside), Corpus Christi Bay, Texas
Water: Corpus Christi Bay
Voyage: Corpus Christi, Texas → St. Joseph's Island, Texas
Cargo: U.S. Army troops
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 8
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 27.82° N 97.22° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Ingleside, Nueces County, Texas
Region: Texas & the Western Gulf

General area only: coordinate of McGloin's Bluff, the named place of loss recorded for this vessel, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, not a surveyed wreck position.