AH-WR-0789

USS New Hampshire

Ship Of The Line · United States · Lost 1922 · Cape Ann & the Gulf of Maine

This early U.S. Navy ship of the line, built with Paul Revere's copper fastenings, burned and grounded off Cape Ann while under tow to scrap in 1922.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Launched in 1819 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the 74-gun ship of the line New Hampshire spent much of her career laid up before later naval use. In 1922, while under tow toward a scrapyard, she caught fire and was run aground off Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. Today her broken timbers and copper fastenings, some supplied by Paul Revere's foundry, lie in shallow water near Graves Island and are a popular easy dive.

Vessel

Built: 1819
Builder: Not established
Yard: Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Material: Wood
Length: 196.3 ft
Beam: 53 ft
Tonnage: 2600
Propulsion: Sail
Owners: United States Navy

Loss

Date: June 6, 1922
Cause: Fire
Location: Off Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts
Water: Massachusetts Bay
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 25-35
Condition: Very broken up; mostly buried timbers, copper fastenings, and sheathing remain in the sandy bottom.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources exempted shipwreck site.

Position

Coordinates: 42.571° N 70.746° W
Accuracy: Surveyed position
Nearest: Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts
Region: Cape Ann & the Gulf of Maine

Coordinate is the official National Register of Historic Places location for the wreck off Graves Island, Manchester-by-the-Sea, corroborated by independent wreck-diving references giving the same position (42-34-16N/70-44-45W).

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (72/100)

Full service history and precise loss circumstances are not established in the sources reviewed.

Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources
Vessel dimensions and loss circumstances.
East Coast Divers
Dive depth and wreck condition.
National Register of Historic Places (via Wikipedia entry citing NRHP reference 76000261)
wreck position
Hunting New England Shipwrecks (wreckhunter.net)
wreck position