French Ship Le Lyonnais Which Sank In 1856, Killing Over 100 People Found Off Massachusetts

A team of divers from the Atlantic Wreck Salvage (AWS) company discovered the long-lost wreck of the French steamship Le Lyonnais, which sank in 1856 after a tragic collision off the coast of Massachusetts, while onboard their vessel, D/V Tenacious.

The ship was located about 200 miles from New Bedford, Massachusetts, on the eastern edges of Georges Bank.

Le Lyonnais was an early steam-driven passenger liner built in 1855 by Laird & Sons of Birkenhead, England, for Compagnie Franco Americaine.

The vessel was part of a new fleet designed to transport mail and passengers between Le Havre, France, New York, and South America.

Le Lyonnais, measuring 272 feet (82.9 meters) in length and weighing 1,600 gross tons, featured a horizontal steam engine, sails, and two mid-19th-century innovations-a screw propeller and an iron hull.

On November 2, 1856, while returning from New York to France, the steamer collided with the American sailing vessel Adriatic off the coast of Nantucket due to heavy fog. The incident, which historians refer to as a “hit-and-run,” resulted in one of the worst maritime tragedies of the nineteenth century.

Despite Le Lyonnais flashing its lights and blowing its whistle, the Adriatic struck the steamer, causing a hole in the side. According to reports, the Adriatic continued on its journey, unaware of the harm it had caused.

Efforts to preserve the ship were immediate but ultimately unsuccessful. Passengers and crew attempted to reduce the weight of the vessel by throwing excess cargo overboard and sealing the hole with mattresses. Despite their attempts, the Le Lyonnais began to sink, forcing the crew to abandon the ship.

Six days later, only one lifeboat was discovered, with 12 survivors. The accident claimed the lives of 114 of the ship’s 132 passengers and crew. The tragedy and destruction of the ship were mostly forgotten, despite a brief mention in Jules Verne’s classic novel “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”

The AWS team, led by divers Andrew Donn, Eric Takakjian, Jennifer Sellitti, Joe Mazraani, Kurt Mintell, Tom Packer, and Tim Whitehead, began searching for the wreck in September 2023 by side-scanning possible underwater sites. They returned in August 2024 to dive on the targets and finally found the wreck of the Le Lyonnais.

The ship’s identity was proved by examining its distinctive engine cylinder, a rare model that matched Le Lyonnais’ engine size data.

One of the divers, Jennifer Sellitti, has written a book called “The Adriatic Affair: A Maritime Hit-and-Run Off the Coast of Nantucket,” which dives into the collision between Le Lyonnais and the Adriatic.

The book, published by Schiffer Publishing, will be available on February 28, 2025. It will include a newly written epilogue describing the wreck’s search and discovery and underwater and topside images from the expedition.

The ship, one of six planned for transatlantic service, represented major technological advances with its iron hull and screw propeller.

Reference: Boston Globe, D/V Tenacious

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