Pirates & Shipwrecks · Gold rush steamship, 1857
SS Central America
Off the Carolinas, Atlantic
What happened
SS Central America was a steamship carrying passengers and gold from the California Gold Rush to New York. It left Aspinwall, today's Colón in Panama, on 3 September 1857. A hurricane caught it off the Carolinas on 9 September, and it sank on 12 September.
Why it matters
Banks in New York were waiting for its gold. Losing it helped cause the Panic of 1857, a big money crisis in the United States.
What came next
Before it sank, about 100 passengers, mostly women and children, were moved by lifeboat to the passing brig Marine. In 1988 a search team found the wreck and brought up gold, coins and personal belongings.
Did you know?
Captain William Herndon's daughter Ellen later married Chester Alan Arthur, who became the 21st president of the United States.
Timeline
- October 1852The ship is launched as the SS George Law.
- 3 September 1857It leaves Aspinwall, today's Colón, for New York.
- 9 September 1857A hurricane strikes the ship.
- 12 September 1857The ship sinks off the Carolinas.
- 1988The Columbus-America Discovery Group finds the wreck.