''Atlantic'' was a wooden-hulled,
side-wheel steamship launched in 1849. She was conceived as a part of an American fleet which would break the monopoly that European steamers, notably the
Cunard Line, had on trans-Atlantic trade. She was the most successful of the
Collins Line
The Collins Line was the common name for the American shipping company started by Israel Collins and then built up by his son Edward Knight Collins, formally called the New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company. Under Edward C ...
ships, and one of the most luxurious vessels of her day, but the company went bankrupt in 1858.
She was chartered by the
Quartermaster Corps
Following is a list of Quartermaster Corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties:
* Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army
* Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...
of the United States Army for much of the
American Civl War. She supported the army's logistical requirements during major assaults, ran routine supply missions, and evacuated casualties, among other missions.
After the war, ''Atlantic'' was primarily used to bring
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
immigrants to the United States.
Over the course of her career, ''Atlantic'' completed sixty-six trans-Atlantic roundtrips, more than any other American side-wheel steamship.
Construction and characteristics
In 1846 Edward K. Collins made a proposal to the
United States Post Office
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...
. In return for a $385,000 annual subsidy, Collins would build a fleet of five ships that would sail between
New York and
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, carrying the mail, twice a month in the eight months of the year when the stormy North Atlantic was reasonably calm. He won the contract and established the New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company, which was universally shortened in common parlance to the Collins Line. Stewart Brown, and James Brown, representing the private banking firm
Brown Brothers, were partners and financial backers of the company.
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
personnel supervised the design and construction of the Collins fleet, including ''Atlantic'', so as to enable its vessels to be readily converted to warships, should the need arise.
''Atlantic'' and ''
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
'' were the first of the Collins Line ships which were built. ''Atlantic'' was built in the shipyard of
William H. Brown at the foot of 12th street on the
East River
The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Quee ...
. The foreman on the job was
George Steers
George Steers (August 15, 1819 – September 25, 1856) was a designer of yachts best known for the famous racing yacht ''America''. He founded a shipyard with his brother, George Steers and Co, and died in an accident just as he was landing a ma ...
. The hull was made of wood, reinforced with diagonal iron strapping. In consideration of her prospective service in the North Atlantic, she was built stoutly. The iron straps, 5" wide, and 1" thick, weighed 50 tons alone. A significant innovation in her design was her straight
stem and lack of a
bowsprit
The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay
A bobstay is a part of the rigging of a sailing boat or ship. Its purpose is to counteract the upward tensio ...
. This marked the ship as evolving toward greater reliance on steam rather than sail power. Both ''Atlantic'' and ''Pacific'' were launched on February 1, 1849. ''Atlantic's'' boilers, engines, and other machinery were added once the ship was afloat, so she was not ready for sea until the following year.
''Atlantic'' was long with a beam of , and a depth of hold of .
She displaced 2,668 tons. As originally constructed, she had three decks, the spar deck, the main deck, and the lower deck. The spar deck had cabins for the ship's officers, the galley, barber shop, and a smoking room. The smoking room could be accessed from the main deck by an internal staircase so that passengers would not have to expose themselves to the weather. The main deck included the great saloon, long, and the dining saloon, long. Both rooms were wide. The two rooms were separated by the steward's pantry where dishes, silverware, and other table ware were stored. The two saloons were paneled in rosewood, satinwood, and olive wood, and were carpeted. Meals were lowered from the galley on the spar deck to the dining saloon in dumbwaiters. The dining tables had marble tops. The walls were decorated with emblems of each state of the Union, and the cabin windows were painted glass with the coats of arms of major cities in the United States. A separate ladies drawing room was also on the main deck. The passenger cabins were on the main deck, outboard of the saloons on both sides of the ship.
There was no provision for
steerage
Steerage is a term for the lowest category of passenger accommodation in a ship. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century considerable numbers of persons travelled from their homeland to seek a new life elsewhere, in many cases North America ...
passengers on ''Atlantic''. She carried a crew of 170.
''Atlantic'' had four coal-fired boilers to provide steam for her engines. She had two side-lever
steam engines manufactured by the
Novelty Iron Works
The Novelty Iron Works was an ironworking firm founded to make boilers in New York City. Located at 12th street, New York. The founder was the Rev. Eliphalet Nott President of Union College of Schenectady, New York. Eliphalet Nott had invented ...
of New York. The engines were large, each with a single cylinder with a bore of and a stroke of . The bed plate alone for one of these engines weighed 34 tons. The boilers consumed enormous quantities of coal, about 85 tons each day. These engines generated power variously reported as between 500 and 1000 horsepower each. Each engine drove a paddlewheel that was in diameter, each with 36 paddles.
The ship was able to average 12 knots on a trans-Atlantic voyage.
![The United States Steam Ship Atlantic by T](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/The_United_States_Steam_Ship_Atlantic_by_T._Picken_after_Samuel_Walters.jpg)
As originally constructed, ''Atlantic'' had three masts and was rigged as a
bark. In 1853 or 1854 the mizzen mast was removed increasing her dependence on her steam engines for propulsion.
The first four Collins Line ships cost just under $3 million to build, suggesting that ''Atlantic's'' original cost was approximately $750,000.
New York and Liverpool United States Mail Steamship Company (18501858)
''Atlantic'' departed New York for Liverpool on her maiden voyage on April 27, 1850. She reached port on May 10, but not without teething troubles. Just over half way across, the ship was stopped to repair the loss of paddles in heavy seas. She drifted for 12 hours while repairs were effected. Then one of the engines had to be shut down due to a valve failure, cutting the ship's speed by a third. Nonetheless, when all her machinery was working, she made almost 300 miles a day, a creditable speed for 1850. She proved that she could achieve these respectable speeds all the way across the Atlantic when she reached New York in July 1850 only 10 days and fifteen hours after leaving her dock in Liverpool. This was just an hour and twenty minutes behind Cunard's ''
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
'' which, at the time, held the
blue riband for the fastest trans-Atlantic voyage. ''Atlantic's'' speed was very competitive for her time.
![1855 sailing schedule for Collins Line steamers](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/1855_sailing_schedule_for_Collins_Line_steamers.png)
''Atlantic'' and the other Collins Line ships were more than just fast. They were among the most luxurious of their day. Consequently, traveling on them was more expensive than on lesser ships, one newspaper commenting that, "The superior comforts she offers will cause the extra $10 passage money to be disregarded." The luxuries attracted the rich and famous. Among the notables to sail on ''Atlantic'' were singer
Jenny Lind, President
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...
, President
James Buchanan, Vice President
George M. Dallas
George Mifflin Dallas (July 10, 1792 – December 31, 1864) was an American politician and diplomat who served as mayor of Philadelphia from 1828 to 1829, the 11th vice president of the United States from 1845 to 1849, and U.S. Minister to the ...
, Ambassador to France,
John Y. Mason, Ambassador to Russia
Thomas H. Seymour,
Gaetano Bedini
Gaetano Bedini (15 May 1806 – 6 September 1864) was an Italian ecclesiastic, cardinal, and diplomat of the Catholic Church.
Biography
Bedini was born in Senigallia into the Bedini family of Ostra, the son of Alessandro Pellegrino and Mariann ...
, the first Papal Nuncio to the United States, theater entrepreneur
William Niblo,
and Philanthropist
George Peabody
George Peabody ( ; February 18, 1795 – November 4, 1869) was an American financier and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as the father of modern philanthropy.
Born into a poor family in Massachusetts, Peabody went into business in dry g ...
.
For most of her career with the Collins Line, ''Atlantic'' rotated with ''Pacific'', ''
Baltic
Baltic may refer to:
Peoples and languages
* Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian
*Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...
'', and ''
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...
'' in regular ocean crossings. She completed a round trip, including loading and unloading in New York and Liverpool in about a month. For the most part, these trips were uneventful, but within her first year she suffered a major breakdown. ''Atlantic'' left Liverpool on December 29, 1850, and soon encountered stormy weather and rough seas. On January 6, 1851, the drive shaft for her starboard paddlewheel broke, and in doing so, wrecked several related pieces of machinery before the engine was shut down. Her captain ordered the crew to send up the yardarms for her square-rigged sails hoping to sail to
Halifax or New York. The wind turned contrary, however, and the ship was forced to sail back to Europe. She arrived in
Cork, Ireland on January 22, 1851. Her passengers were transferred to other ships, and ''Atlantic'' was towed to Liverpool for repairs.
It took a half year to repair the ship. While waiting for her engine to be repaired, a new dining room, suitable for serving 200 guests, was constructed on the spar deck. The old dining room, one level down on the main deck, was converted into rooms for 80 additional passengers. She arrived back in New York on August 3, 1851, to resume her monthly sailings, and although she was withdrawn from service periodically for repairs and upgrades, ''Atlantic'' continued them with regularity through 1857.
''Atlantic'' had a minor scrape on April 28, 1852, when she ran aground in a dense fog near
Killmore. She was able to work her way back into deep water and arrived at Liverpool the next day. She went aground again, this time on
Sandy Hook, New Jersey
Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States.
The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern ...
, in March 1854. This was a particularly unlucky trip. While she floated off at high tide, she went aground again the next day after clearing customs in New York Harbor.
The North Atlantic was typically stormy during the winter months, so while ''Atlantic'' might carry over two hundred passengers on a summer crossing, there might be fewer than fifty willing to brave the discomfort and risk of a winter voyage. Several winter sailings were delayed by ice on the Hudson River.
The Collins Line suffered a number of setbacks in the mid-1850s. It lost ''Pacific'' and ''Arctic'' to shipwreck. In August 1856 Congress reduced the mail subsidy, which had risen to $858,000 per year, back to its original $385,000. The surviving ships, ''Atlantic'' and ''Baltic'', were worked hard for less profit. In March 1857, ''Atlantic'' was withdrawn from service for repairs and was replaced by a chartered ship which was slower and less luxurious, eroding the Collins Line's reputation for superior service. ''Atlantic'' returned to service in late June 1857, but she was becoming less attractive to customers. Newer vessels, such as ''
Vanderbilt'', were speedier. On January 6, 1858, ''Atlantic'' returned to New York from Liverpool for the last time as a Collins Line steamer. She had completed 55 trans-Atlantic roundtrips, the most of any of Collins' ships. The Collins Line was bankrupt.
On April 1, 1858, Dudley B. Fuller, acting on behalf of the Brown brothers, was the sole bidder for ''Atlantic'', ''Baltic'', and ''Adriatic'' at a sheriff's auction. He bid only $50,000 which left various government and private creditors seeking recompense, mired in failed sale attempts and litigation for years.
North Atlantic Steamship Company (18591860)
In 1859 the first trans-continental rail line was still a decade away. The fastest way to travel between the east and west coasts of the United States was to take a steamer from New York to Panama, take the
Panama Railroad
The Panama Canal Railway ( es, Ferrocarril de Panamá) is a railway line linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in Central America. The route stretches across the Isthmus of Panama from Colón (Atlantic) to Balboa (Pacific, near P ...
across the isthmus, and then take another steamer to San Francisco. Prior to 1859, the
Pacific Mail Steamship Company
The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was founded April 18, 1848, as a joint stock company under the laws of the State of New York by a group of New York City merchants. Incorporators included William H. Aspinwall, Edwin Bartlett (American consul ...
served the west coast part of this route while the
U.S. Mail Steamship Company
U.S. Mail Steamship Company was a company formed in 1848 by George Law, Marshall Owen Roberts and Bowes R. McIlvaine to assume the contract to carry the U. S. mails from New York City, with stops in New Orleans and Havana, to the Isthmus of P ...
served the east coast portion. Both lines depended on the subsidies from the U.S. Post Office for their profitability. When these contracts were due for renewal in 1859, the U.S. Mail Steamship Company chose to sell its assets and retire from the business. In response to losing its Atlantic partner, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company created the North Atlantic Steamship Company in conjunction with the Panama Railroad. The steamship company contributed $400,000 in cash, while the railroad contributed $500,000. The new company bought the three remaining Collins Line ships, including ''Atlantic,'' from the Brown brothers in 1859 for $900,000, half in cash and half in Pacific Mail Steamship Company stock.
''Atlantic'' was extensively modified for her new job. New cabins were built on her spar deck for first and second class passengers, while the staterooms on the main deck were removed to create space for hundreds of steerage berths.
On October 20, 1859, ''Atlantic'' put to sea for the first time in a year and a half. She sailed from the former Collins Line wharf at the foot of Canal Street for
Aspinwall, Panama. She was no longer a luxury liner for a few dozen rich and famous. She had on board perhaps 1,000 people, including 250 troops from the U.S. Army's
Fourth and
Ninth Regiments bound for General
William Harney's command in the Pacific Northwest. She arrived back in New York on November 10, 1859 with 340 Californians returning to the eastern United States, and $1.6 million of their gold.
On her second roundtrip to Panama, which returned on December 12, 1859, she carried among her passengers
Lieutenant General Winfield Scott, returning from a successful resolution of a
border dispute
A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of land between two or more political entities.
Context and definitions
Territorial disputes are often related to the possession of natural resources s ...
with Britain in the Pacific Northwest. In all, ''Atlantic'' completed five roundtrips to Panama before this service was abandoned at the start of the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
.
Civil War Service (18611865)
![Steamships Atlantic and Baltic loading Union troops in 1860 at the Collins Line wharf on Canal Street](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Steamships_Atlantic_and_Baltic_loading_Union_troops_in_1860_at_the_Collins_Line_wharf_on_Canal_Street.png)
''Atlantic'' was chartered by the Quartermaster Corps of the United States Army on April 5, 1861, for the first of nine periods during the Civil War at rates that varied from $2,000 per day to $1000 per day. Her role was to provide logistical support for army operations against the
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
On April 6, 1861, ''Atlantic'' sailed from the former Collins Line wharf on Canal Street in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
with 358 troops, 78 horses, artillery, food, and other supplies. She stopped at
Fort Taylor
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
at
Key West, Florida and embarked additional troops, stopped at
Fort Jefferson at Dry Tortugas, Florida, and sailed on to
Pensacola, Florida. Her troops and supplies reinforced
Fort Pickens
Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. The fort was completed in 1834 and was one of the few ...
, which the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
was able to use as a base throughout the Civil War. Confederate sympathizers refused to sell her coal, so ''Atlantic'' sailed to
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. for fuel on the return journey to New York.
In July 1861, ''Atlantic'' sailed from the
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...
to
Washington, D.C
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
., with ordinance supplies, including eight heavy guns.
In October 1861, the Union mounted an expedition to capture
Port Royal on the
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
coast. The
3rd New Hampshire Infantry Regiment
3rd New Hampshire Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
It was organized at Camp Berry in Concord and mustered in on August 23, 1861, for three years service, 1,047 officers and men. The regime ...
was embarked on ''Atlantic''. The ship also served as the headquarters of the army component of the expedition under General
Thomas Sherman. The expedition was successful, and ''Atlantic'' sailed a second round-trip to Port Royal carrying supplies for the troops ashore. Among the items in her hold was a printing press for the New South newspaper, one of the first occupation newspapers established by the Union. She returned to New York on December 20, 1861. She had in her hold 120,000 pounds of cotton which was sold to fund the war effort. She was towing
USS ''R. B. Forbes'', which had suffered a mechanical breakdown. This set a pattern for many of her subsequent trips to Port Royal. She carried military supplies south and captured commodities, mostly cotton, north.
On her April 1862 round trip to Port Royal she saw both the highest and lowest status passengers. She carried Major General
David Hunter
David Hunter (July 21, 1802 – February 2, 1886) was an American military officer. He served as a Union general during the American Civil War. He achieved notability for his unauthorized 1862 order (immediately rescinded) emancipating slaves ...
, the new commander of the Department of the South, on her outbound trip, and 85 Confederate prisoners of war captured at
Fort Pulaski
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, on her return. In July 1862, ''Atlantic'' began serving as a hospital ship, transporting wounded and ill soldiers from the
Peninsula Campaign to hospitals in the North. In August 1862 she transported 615 sick and wounded men from
Fortress Monroe
Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virg ...
, in September 800 invalids from Alexandria, and in October nearly 1,500 more.
In January 1863 ''Atlantic'' was pulled out of service for maintenance. She was hauled out in the
East River
The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Quee ...
on the
Great Balance Dock
The Great Balance Dock was a floating drydock in New York City. It was the largest such facility in the world when constructed in 1854, and consequently, many of the most important ships of its time were serviced there.
Construction and Char ...
, at the time the largest floating
dry dock in the world, and had her hull stripped, caulked, and re-coppered. After a brief Army charter in the summer of 1863, ''Atlantic'' sailed her one commercial trip during the Civil War. The Panama Railroad, one of her owners, used her to carry freight to Aspinwall. She left New York on November 25, 1863, and arrived back on December 27, 1863. Several creditors of the Collins Line sought and failed to obtain injuntions to stop this trip as the bankruptcy litigation continued in its fifth year. Within a month of her return, the Army had chartered her again, and the ship spent the rest of the war shuttling among New York and the other Union-controlled ports on the Atlantic coast. She carried troops, sick and wounded, prisoners of war, and stores of all kinds. Perhaps her final dramatic mission of the war was to carry the
112th New York Infantry Regiment to the second assault on
Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear Rive ...
in January 1865.
Pacific Mail Steamship Company (18651866)
In September 1865 the Pacific Mail Steamship Company acquired a major competitor, the Atlantic Mail Steamship Company, under terms that were favorable to
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...
, leader of the acquired company. Having eliminated its competitor, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company faced a sudden increase in the number of passengers it served between New York and Aspinwall. The company had two large steamers under construction, but until they were completed, ''Atlantic'' was pressed into service on her pre-war Panama route.
''Atlantic'' resumed her sailings between New York and Aspinwall on November 11, 1865. She completed three round trips, arriving back in New York on February 1, 1866.
North American Lloyd Steamship Company (1866)
Immigrants to America were typically poor, and thus fares on immigrant ships had to be kept low. The Ruger Brothers, who had strong links to Northern Europe, had a plan to keep costs low. They used older, slower, less attractive, and thus cheaper ships. By February 1866, ''Atlantic'' fit this description and the Rugers bought the ship for their North American Lloyd Steamship Company.
''Atlantic'' left New York on her inaugural trip for her new line on February 22, 1866. She reached
Cowes in England on March 10, and
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany.
It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...
the next day. She returned to New York with 900 passengers aboard on April 9, 1866. Her April sailing was even more successful, returning to New York with 1,138 passengers, mostly immigrants, 3 of whom were born en route. Her July arrival brought another 1,020 passengers. The cheap fares filled the ship: first cabin passage cost $105, second cabin $62, and a steerage berth $37.50. ''Atlantic'' returned to New York on September 25, 1866 with another 1,156 passengers.
Filling the ship did not translate to financial success. The North American Lloyd Steamship Company ran into trouble with its creditors in October and ceased operations. ''Atlantic'' was seized by
Kings County sheriffs. It appears that the Pacific Mail Steamship Company loaned the Rugers much of the money they used to purchase the ship, since when the bankruptcy proceedings concluded, it owned the ship again.
New York and Bremen Steamship Company (18671868)
![New York and Bremen Steamship Company advertisement](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/New_York_and_Bremen_Steamship_Company_advertisement.png)
In January 1867 the New York and Bremen Steamship Company was formed. The Pacific Mail Steamship Company sold the new company ''Atlantic'' and ''Baltic'', while Charles Lulling contributed ''
Western Metropolis''. As with her previous owner, ''Atlantic's'' purchase was funded by debt advanced by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company.
While the ownership was different, the new company had the same operational plan as the Rugers. It would charge cheap fares and fill ''Atlantic'' with immigrants from Northern Europe.
U.S. Marshalls seized ''Atlantic'' over $61,000 of unpaid repair bills in early February 1867. This apparently got the bill paid, as the ship sailed on her first trip for her new company on February 7, 1867. She immediately ran aground on Sandy Hook. She was able to refloat herself and sailed on to Europe. She stopped in Bremerhaven and
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
. On her return trip, she was beset by bad weather and high seas that slowed her trip, washed every loose object on deck overboard, and damaged her hull, lifeboats, and house. She reached New York at the end of this ill-starred trip on March 24, 1867, with 350 passengers aboard.
After her difficult first trip, ''Atlantic'' completed four uneventful roundtrips for the New York and Bremen Steamship Company during the summer of 1867. She carried hundreds, and on one sailing, over 1,000 passengers per trip back to New York. Her sixth trip was her last. On her return from Bremen, in late November 1867, she was met with a gale, snow and sleet, and heavy seas. Her steering system was damaged, skylights were broken, crew and the captain's cabins were crushed by waves, the forward lifeboats were swept away, and seven beams supporting the main deck were broken. The forward hatch was crushed, allowing water to rush into the ship. The flooding reached the bottom of the furnaces which created clouds of steam that scared the passengers. The wind was so strong that the sails blew out. As waves hit the ship, seams in her hull planking opened, contributing to the water in the bilge, but ''Atlantic's'' steam-powered pumps kept the ship afloat. While the gale eased after a day, the fog and snow continued to reduce visibility, delaying the ship's return to New York until December 13, 1867. She never sailed under her own power again.
As with the North American Lloyd Steamship Company, the New York and Bremen Steamship Company could not meet its financial obligations by charging low fares to immigrants. The New York and Bremen Steamship Company ceased operations, and on June 30, 1868 ''Atlantic'' was sold at auction for $41,000.
Obsolescence and breaking up (18681871)
''Atlantic'' had always been expensive to operate. With her four boilers, the ship consumed large amounts of coal and required a large crew to tend her machinery. Hard usage, North Atlantic storms, and twenty years of technological progress had rendered the ship worn and uneconomic. She was anchored off Brooklyn in the
Erie Basin to await her fate. Her new owner, William D. Andrews and Brother,
failed to find a use or buyer for their ship. In the fall of 1871 ''Atlantic'' was towed to
Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Cold Spring Harbor is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Huntington, in Suffolk County, on the North Shore of Long Island in New York. As of the 2010 United States census, the CDP population was 5,070.
History
Cold Spri ...
and broken up for her iron and copper.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantic (1849 ship)
Steamships of the United States
Ships built in New York City