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Shipwrecks of Nova Scotia
SS Atlantic
The SS Atlantic was one of the early iron-hulled screw steamers of the White Star Line. She was built by Harland and Wolff at Belfast, Ireland in 1871. For about 2 years, the Atlantic made regularly scheduled trips between Liverpool and New York. Then, early in the morning on April 1, 1873, while bound for New York, she struck a ledge off Meagher's Island (now called Mosher Island) near Halifax, rolled over, and sank just offshore. Efforts were made to rescue the passengers and crew, but most of them quickly perished in the ice-cold water. The ship's quartermaster, John Speakman, swam to a rock near shore while towing a light line. Using that line he was able to tow over a heavier line, then with the help of some other brave souls, they managed to get many people to shore safely. Local fishermen also helped rescue the survivors, but in the end, out of the 952 souls on board, 562 died in the disaster. The majority of them were women and children. Locals worked for months at recovering the bodies and salvaging the cargo, and most of the bodies were buried in common graves nearby.In the many years since the Atlantic disaster, thousands of divers have visited the wreck, first for salvage purposes, and more recently, just to see what's left of it. The wreck is mostly gone now, but large objects such as the boilers are still recognizable. Wreckage can be found at depths ranging from 10 to 80 feet, but most of the small objects are buried or wedged between the rocks. No doubt thousands of items are still there on the bottom, but divers have to dig and search to find them. Over the years, divers have recovered many interesting artifacts from the wreck. A collection of these items is now part of a permanent exhibit on the Atlantic at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. If you're interested in the wreck and its history, you'll want to check out this exhibit.
A new book entitled SS Atlantic was published in 2009 by Goose Lane Editions. It is a detailed and beautiful book, with lots of photos and illustrations. The co-authors are Nova Scotia divers/historians Greg Cochkanoff and Bob Chaulk. The book is available for purchase online and from most local booksellers.
Below is a gallery of pictures of the SS
Atlantic
Click on the images for larger views
The SS Atlantic was built
in 1871 for Transatlantic
passenger serviceMost of her passengers
were emigrants
bound for AmericaThe steerage-class accommodations were
very crowded
The Atlantic was wrecked off Halifax on April 1, 1873 This is an old Currier and
Ives print of the wreckThe New York Times
reported the tragedy
in front page stories
The first New York Times
report on the sinkingA recent book tells the
terrible story of the Atlantic with narratives and picturesDiver/historian Greg
Cochkanoff is the principal
author of the book
The ship's quartermaster
John Speakman helped
save many livesTwo men helping other
passengers to safetyA dramatic illustration
of the rescue effort
Salvors swarmed the
wreck looking for
bodies and valuablesThe Atlantic wreck site
is located at
44°-26.52' N / 63°-43.93' WMonument (center rear)
to 150 victims buried at
Star of the Sea CemeteryCommon grave burial of 277
victims by the seashore
in Lower ProspectBurial site monument at
SS Atlantic Memorial Park
in Lower ProspectMonument detail Plaque near the common
grave in Lower ProspectClose-up of a teaspoon
from the wreckAtlantic artifacts recovered
by diver Greg CochkanoffLife ring from the ship is
displayed at the Maritime
Museum in HalifaxMore of the Atlantic exhibit
at the Maritime MuseumRemains of one of the
boilers on the bottom
at a depth of 80 feetAtlantic divers resting on
the surface between divesA diver explores the
remains of the wreckOur group of SS Atlantic
divers posed for this
picture in 2005Also be sure to check out our SS Atlantic shipwreck data page
