MAPLE LEAF (Passenger Steamer) (Wreck)
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Reproduction of torpedo which sank the ship
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Location: | Duval County, Florida, USA |
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Nearest city: | Jacksonville, Florida |
NRHP Reference#: | 94001650[1] |
Designated NHL: | October 12, 1994[2] |
The Maple Leaf is a historic shipwreck in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. The Maple Leaf was first launched as a freight and passenger vessel from the Marine Railway Yard in Kingston, Ontario in 1851.[3] The 181-foot side wheel steamer measured 24.7 feet at the beam.[3]
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It was a Union American Civil War transport struck by a Confederate torpedo - what we would now call a mine - as it was crossing the St. Johns River near Jacksonville on April 1, 1864.[3] Four crew members lost their lives in the sinking.[3] This was the first torpedo casualty of the War.[4] The USS Norwich was dispatched to assess the condition of the wreck on April 2, and Captain Henry W. Dale concluded his ship and cargo as a total loss.[5]
It is located in the St. Johns River, to the west of Mandarin area. The wreck was a threat to river navigation so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had all structural components above the ship's main deck removed to clear the channel.[3] The shipwreck was rediscovered by the St. Johns Archaeological Expeditions, Inc. in 1984.[3] Volunteers identified the wreck in 1992.[6]
On October 12, 1994, it was desginated a National Historic Landmark.[1]
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Maple_Leaf_(shipwreck) Maple Leaf (shipwreck)] at Wikimedia Commons