AH-WR-0311

Washington Irving

Steamboat · United States · Lost 1926 · Hudson River

A grand Hudson River Day Line steamer that sank at her Manhattan pier in 1926 without loss of life, then was raised again.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Washington Irving was one of the largest and most celebrated steamboats built for the Hudson River Day Line, carrying excursion passengers between New York City and Albany. In June 1926 she sank at a New York City pier after hull damage let in water, though no passengers were aboard at the time and no lives were lost. The steamer was later raised and eventually scrapped. Her sinking remains a well-known episode in Hudson River steamboat history.

Vessel

Built: 1913
Builder: New York Shipbuilding Corporation
Yard: Camden, New Jersey
Material: Steel
Length: 416 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, sidewheel
Owners: Hudson River Day Line

Loss

Date: June 1, 1926
Cause: Grounding
Location: Hudson River near Manhattan, New York
Water: Hudson River
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
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: 40.72° N 74.01° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Manhattan, New York
Region: Hudson River

Contemporary New York Times coverage and the Hudson River Maritime Museum/Times Union centennial retrospective describe the Washington Irving sinking after a collision just off the Desbrosses Street pier in Manhattan on June 1, 1926, coming to rest about 100 feet from the New Jersey shoreline; the coordinate approximates the Desbrosses Street pier location in the Hudson River, not a surveyed wreck fix.