Swallow
Passenger Steamboat · United States · Lost 1845 · Hudson River
A fast Albany night boat that struck a rock island off Athens in an April snow squall in 1845.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Swallow was one of the fast side-wheel steamers that carried passengers and freight between Albany and New York City. On the night of 7 April 1845 she ran down river in darkness and snow and struck a small rocky island near Athens. The hull broke and fire followed, and the wreck settled with passengers still aboard. Other river steamers came alongside and took off most of those on board; the death toll was never firmly established.
Vessel
- 1836
- Not established
- New York
- Wood
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Side-wheel steam
- Not established
Loss
- April 7, 1845
- Navigational error
- Near Athens, Hudson River, New York
- Hudson River
- Albany, New York → New York City
- Not established
- Not established
- Reported losses range from about fifteen to forty; no agreed figure was found.
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 42.26° N 73.81° W
- Reported, unconfirmed
- Athens, New York
Position given for the reach of the Hudson off Athens where the steamer struck.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (62/100)
The number of lives lost and the fate of the remaining hull are not settled in the sources reviewed.
Hudson River Maritime Museum
Service on the Albany run, circumstances of the wreck.
Contemporary New York newspaper accounts, April 1845
Date, weather, rescue by other steamers, conflicting casualty reports.
