Wreck of 1856 French Steamship Le Lyonnais Discovered Off Massachusetts Coast

The ship, which sank after a collision with an American vessel, was found by a New Jersey marine salvage team after decades of searching.

Le Lyonnais, a French passenger steamship, sank in 1856 after colliding with the American barque Adriatic, resulting in 114 deaths out of 132 onboard.
The wreck was located approximately 200 miles off New Bedford, Massachusetts, by the marine salvage firm Atlantic Wreck Salvage in late August 2024.
The ship, built in 1855, was a state-of-the-art vessel for its time, featuring both sails and a horizontal steam engine.
The discovery was confirmed through historical research, sonar data, and identifying key features such as the ship’s steam engine and iron hull plates.
The team plans to document and map the wreck site and determine which artifacts can be brought to the surface for further study.