|
Shipwreck Data |
| Vessel
Name |
Connaught |
| Other Names |
|
| Vessel
Type |
Paddle
steamer (side-wheel steamer) |
| Owner |
The
Galway Line (Galway, Ireland) |
| Length
/ Beam / Draft (feet) |
360'
/ 40' / (beam with paddle boxes - 71') |
| Tonnage |
4,400
RT |
| Hull
Construction |
Iron |
| Propulsion |
Steam
/ Side-wheels |
| Cargo |
Passengers
(mostly Irish immigrants) and general cargo |
| Built |
1860
at Newcastle-on Tyne (Palmer Brothers & Co.) |
| Date
of Loss |
October
8, 1860 |
| Reason
for Loss |
Started
leaking badly, caught fire, burned and sank |
| Fatalities |
None
- all on board (approximately 600 passengers and crew) were rescued by the brig Minnie Schiffer. |
| Location |
150
miles east of Boston |
| Coordinates
(Lat/Lon) |
42°-32'
N/ 68°-14' W (per Connaught's Captain Robert Leitch) |
| Coordinates
(Loran C) |
|
| Water
Depth (feet) |
Probably
500' or more |
| Typical
Visibility (feet) |
|
| Wreck
Condition |
Wreck
probably has never been found |
| Diving
Considerations |
Too
deep for divers |
| Other
Information |
The
vessel's last trip was Galway to Boston via St. Johns, Newfoundland.
After leaving St. Johns for Boston, the Connaught began leaking
badly, caught fire and sank at sea. The passengers and crew members all
were rescued by the brig Minnie Schiffer and taken to Boston. The dramatic rescue operation
was described in detail in Boston and New York newspapers. |
