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Hunting New England Shipwrecks

Mayflower

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mayflower-bostonandnantasketline.jpg (79619 bytes) nantasket-postcard3.jpg (172226 bytes) mayflower-print-williamrdavis.jpg (30721 bytes)
Steamer Mayflower
in her early days
(form old postcard)
Nantasket Beach postcard
with Mayflower view
Mayflower painting
by William R. Davis
Nantasket-timetable-1906.jpg (38581 bytes) nantasket_beach.jpg (233552 bytes) NantasketPier-postcard.jpg (46530 bytes)
Nantasket Line timetable
from 1906
View of Nantasket Beach
(from old print)
Old Nantasket postcard
showing Steamboat Wharf
mayflower-showboat.jpg (66540 bytes) mayflower-spring1979.jpg (94126 bytes) mayflower-fall1979.jpg (136766 bytes)
Mayflower as the
Showboat nightclub
Mayflower as a derelict
structure in the late 1970s
(photo by author)
Mayflower burned to the 
ground in November 1979
(Photo by author)

 

The table below provides historical and statistical data on the vessel. Some of the information may be incomplete. If you have additions or corrections, please e-mail us at the address listed below.

Shipwreck Data

Vessel Name Mayflower
Other Names  
Vessel Type Coastal Passenger Steamer / Excursion Steamer
Owner Nantasket Beach Steamboat Company
Length / Beam / Draft (feet) 184' / 32' / 
Tonnage 728 GT
Hull Construction Wood
Propulsion Steam / Side-Wheels
Cargo  
Built 1891 at Chelsea, MA ( Montgomery Howard)
Date of Loss Autumn 1979
Reason for Loss Grounded nightclub structure burned to the ground
Fatalities None
Location Nantasket Beach, Hull, MA
Coordinates (Lat/Lon)  
Coordinates (Loran C)  
Water Depth (feet)  
Typical Visibility (feet)  
Wreck Condition Burned and completely removed
Diving Considerations  
Other Information The Mayflower provided passenger service between Boston and Nantasket Beach from the 1890s through the 1930s. In the 1940s she was taken out of service, grounded at Nantasket Beach, and converted into a nightclub called the the Showboat. The Showboat operated for many years, but by the 1970s, it had become a derelict and abandoned structure. In the autumn of 1979, it caught fire under unknown circumstances and burned to the ground. 

The steamers of the Nantasket Beach Steamboat Line were a popular mode of transportation in the early 1900s. They provided quick and easy transportation between Boston and Nantasket Beach, and other destinations around Boston Harbor and the Massachusetts South Shore. On Thanksgiving Day in 1929 (November 28th), the company's six steamers were docked for the winter at Nantasket's Steamboat Wharf (Nantasket Pier). On that day, a large fire broke out and destroyed 5 of the steamers -- the Nantasket, Mary Chilton, Old Colony, Rose Standish and Betty Alden. Only the Mayflower was pulled to safety and survived the fire. For more information on the 1929 Steamboat Wharf fire, click here.

Attention Divers
The information on this page was obtained from a variety of sources. Although we have attempted to make it as accurate as possible, it may contain errors.  For your personal safety, use extreme caution when diving on this wreck.

For more information on this wreck's location and history, and water and diving conditions in the area, contact local dive shop personnel, dive charter boat operators and local fishermen. Also check out the other shipwreck Websites listed on our Favorite Links page.


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