AH-WR-1335

USS Boston

Sloop Of War · United States · Lost 1846 · The Bahamas

An 18-gun US Navy sloop of war bound for the Mexican-American War blockade was wrecked in a squall on Eleuthera's Devil's Backbone reef.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

USS Boston was an 18-gun sloop of war launched in 1825 and commissioned the following year. After a long career touring the Brazil, Mediterranean, West Indies, and East Indies stations, she was ordered in 1846 to join the naval blockade of Mexico during the Mexican-American War. En route, she was wrecked in a squall on Eleuthera's Devil's Backbone reef on 15 November 1846. All hands survived.

Vessel

Built: 1825
Builder: Boston Navy Yard
Yard: Boston, Massachusetts
Material: Wood
Length: 127 ft
Beam: 34 ft
Tonnage: 700
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: United States Navy

Loss

Date: November 15, 1846
Cause: Storm
Location: Devil's Backbone reef, Eleuthera Island
Water: Atlantic Ocean, off Eleuthera
Voyage: Gulf of Mexico, to join Commodore Conner's Home Squadron
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 125
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

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

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Devil's Backbone, Eleuthera Island
Region: The Bahamas

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (75/100)

Precise wreck location and present condition on the reef are not established in the sources reviewed.

Naval History and Heritage Command, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
Build details, service history, loss date, cause, and survival of crew.
ProjectEleuthera.org underwater sites survey
Association of the wreck with the Devil's Backbone reef site.