American ship Pomona wrecked off the Irish coast
- When
- 1859
- Where
- Liverpool; County Wexford coast; County Wexford; Board of Trade; Auction site
- Episodes
- 5
The clipper ship Pomona departed Liverpool on 27 April 1859 bound for New York. On 28 April, a navigation error caused the vessel to strike the coast of County Wexford, resulting in the deaths of 424 of the 448 people on board. The incident prompted a Board of Trade inquiry in May 1859.
Episodes
- Departure from Liverpool
The Pomona departed Liverpool on 27 April 1859 at 5am, bound for New York with 404 passengers and a crew of 44.
- Wreck off County Wexford
On 28 April 1859, a navigation error caused the Pomona to strike the coast of County Wexford, killing 424 people.
- Coastguard Response
Coastguards from Wexford reached the wreck on 29 April 1859, following the disaster the previous day.
- Board of Trade Inquiry
A Board of Trade Inquiry was held between 7 and 9 May 1859, overseen by nautical assessor Captain Harris.
- Failed Auction
The hull was put up for auction on 9 August 1859, but there were no bids due to lack of interest.
Background and detail
Background. The Pomona was a fast packet clipper ship constructed in 1856 for Howland and Frothingham. It departed Liverpool on 27 April 1859 at 5am, carrying 404 passengers and a crew of 44 under Captain Charles Merrihew. The vessel was bound for New York, having previously completed voyages with significant passenger loads in 1857.
Wreck. In the early morning of 28 April 1859, a navigation error caused the ship to strike the coast of Ireland at County Wexford. The disaster resulted in 424 deaths out of the 448 people on board. Coastguards from Wexford reached the wreck on 29 April, and a full list of passengers and crew was printed in the Wexford Constitution on 4 May 1859.
Inquiry and Salvage. A Board of Trade Inquiry was held between 7 and 9 May 1859, overseen by nautical assessor Captain Harris. The hull was put up for auction on 9 August 1859, but there were no bids as the prospect of raising the wreck did not attract sufficient interest.
People involved
- Captain Harris · Nautical Assessor (identity unresolved; no staged Person UUID supplied)
Sources
- Pomona (ship) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-01-28
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.