Brother Jonathan
Marker: recorded wreck position (Date not recorded).
Key facts
| Name | Brother Jonathan | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Ship type | paddle steamer | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Nationality / flag | United States | Wikidata P8047 country of registry |
| Sea / ocean | North Pacific Ocean | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | United States | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 9 km from land |
| Position | 41.7747, -124.3472 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
Brother Jonathan was a paddle steamer that struck an uncharted rock near Point St. George, off the coast of Crescent City, California, on July 30, 1865. The ship was carrying 244 passengers and crew, with a large shipment of gold. Only 19 people survived, making it the deadliest shipwreck up to that time on the Pacific Coast of the United States. Based on the passenger and crew list, 225 people are believed to have died. Its location was not discovered until 1993 and a portion of the gold was recovered in 1996. The ship was also instrumental in setting off the 1862 smallpox epidemic in the Pacific Northwest, which killed thousands of Indigenous people in the region.
Location
- Recorded position: 41.7747, -124.3472 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: North Pacific Ocean
- Nearest coast: United States
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Brother Jonathan (steamer) (revision 1372756479), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
- Mary D. Hume 72 km
Browse more: North America wrecks · wrecks off United States · North Pacific Ocean