Portland
The paddle wheel steamship Portland was one
of the largest and most palatial vessels afloat in New England
during the 1890s. Built in 1889, the steamer ran between Portland,
Maine and Boston until its loss with all hands in 1898.
Click here for a list of the passengers and crew lost with the steamship Portland.
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The
sanctuary, in partnership with the National Undersea Research
Center at the University of Connecticut (NURC-UConn), visits
Portland yearly with a remotely operated vehicle
(ROV) to learn about the steamship's construction, why it
sank, and the experiences of the passengers and crew
during the storm. Portland's loss is New England's greatest
steamship disaster prior to the year 1900.
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Historic photograph of Portland in 1891.
Courtesy of LARC.
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Four
years of historical and archaeological studies by the sanctuary
and NURC-UConn culminated in Portland's inclusion in the
National Register of Historic Places. The steamship is significant
to the history of New England and more specifically to the history
of Maine and Massachusetts. The steamship's remains are also the
best preserved New England "night boat" yet located.
Dishware in Portland's galley reminds us of the nearly
two
hundred lives lost when it sank in 1898. Courtesy of
NOAA/SBNMS, NURC-UConn, and the Science Channel.
The
wooden-hulled paddle wheel steamship Portland measured
291 feet in total length with a maximum breadth of 68 feet. Built
in 1889 by the New England Shipbuilding Company of Bath, Maine,
the steamer was one of New England's largest and most luxurious
side paddle wheel steamships, accommodating up to 800 passengers.
For nearly 10 years Portland connected Boston, Massachusetts
and Portland, Maine for the Portland Steam Packet Company (later
renamed the Portland Steamship Company) without much notoriety.
Portland carried thousands of passengers and tons of cargo
along the New England coast and earned the reputation as a safe
and dependable steamer.
Advertisement for the Portland Steamship Company from the 1896
Pathfinder Railway Guide.
Courtesy of LARC.
In
the 1989, the Historic Maritime Group of New England, led by maritime
researchers John Fish and Arnold Carr, located the wreck, however
they did not posses conclusive photographic evidence of their
find. In 2002, the sanctuary and NURC-UConn confirmed Portland's
location with side scan sonar and ROV investigations of the wreck
site.
Side scan sonar image of the Portland.
Courtesy of Klein Sonar Associates.
Side view of illustration of Portland's remains in 2005.
Portland
lies upright on a mud bottom with its wooden hull nearly intact
from the keel up to the main deck level. The vessel's entire superstructure
is missing with only the steam propulsion machinery protruding
above deck level. In addition to the wooden hull and engine, smaller
cultural artifacts lie scattered inside and outside the hull providing
a glimpse of the steamer's passengers and crew.
Portland's steam escape pipe released excess steam from
the boilers. Courtesy of NOAA/SBNMS, NURC-UConn,
and the Science Channel.
A large mug lying on Portland's freight deck among twisted
steam pipes. Courtesy of NOAA/SBNMS, NURC-UConn,
and the Science Channel.
This walking beam transferred motion from the steam engine piston
to Portland's paddle wheels. Courtesy of
NOAA/SBNMS and NURC-UConn.
Portland's steam powered anchor windlass has fallen into
the chain locker. Courtesy of NOAA/SBNMS and NURC-UConn.
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