On September 18, 1914, the freighter Francis H. Leggett sank during a devastating gale off the coast of Oregon, killing 60 people.
Category: On This Day
The S.S. Noronic: “Queen of the Lakes”
The S.S. Noronic was built by the Western Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company for Northern Navigation Company, of the …
The Pourquoi Pas
On September 16, 1936, the three masted French barque Pourquoi Pas was sunk off the southwest coast of Iceland near Álftanes. The ship was built in 1908 at Saint-Malo for an Antarctic expedition led by Jean-Baptiste Charcot. The impressive ship was sturdy…
The S.S. Ironsides
On September 15, 1873 the steamer Ironsides went down in violent and rough seas in Lake Michigan. The cargo and passenger ship was tossed around and battered until the hull cracked and began leaking. The howling winds and angry waves prevented any possibility of rescue by a passing ship. Small cracks gave way to gaping holes and the water rushed in…
The S.S. Carnatic
On September 14th, 1869, the British passenger and cargo ship S.S. Carnatic sank in the Red Sea off the east coast of Egypt. She was traveling from Alexandria to Bombay carrying 34 passengers and 176 crew, along with cargo of copper, cotton, …
The Sinking of the S.S. Austria
On September 13, 1858, the German steam and sail ship S.S. Austria was transporting passengers from Hamburg, Germany to New York City. Still in the Atlantic, about 500 miles east of Newfoundland, Captain F. A. Heydtmann ordered the ship to be fumigated. The boatswain was ordered to dip a red-hot metal chain into a bucket of tar, which would produce toxic…
The Ship of Gold
On September 12th, 1857, the SS Central America sank in the waters off Charleston, SC after being caught in a vicious hurricane. The ship had been battered, its sails torn, and its boilers flooded before finally sinking to the bottom, 8000 ft below. It has been called the “The Ship of Gold” because it was…
Mystery Manhattan Shipwreck
In the wake of 9/11, a mystery ship was found under the remnants of the World Trade Center in 2010. It is a Dutch designed harbor sloop, built in Philadelphia. It was designed to ferry passengers through shallow and rocky waters. Based on an analysis of the wood and its tree ring data, the ship…