SS Oregon
Late 19th Century transatlantic "greyhound" ocean liner, sunk in a collision in 1886 off Long Island, New York.
Year Built
1883
Year Sank
1886
Depth
125 ft (38.1 m)
Difficulty Level
Novice-Intermediate
Oregon with all of her sails unfurled at full steam in rough seas. In her prime, Oregon held the Blue RIband as the fastest ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, until it was taken by RMS Etruria in 1885. She was also Nikola Tesla's first major project, where he was hired by Thomas Edison to repair Oregon's damaged dynamos.
Artwork portraying the Oregon sinking following a collision with an unknown American vessel believed to be the schooner Charles H Morse.
SS Oregon
Wreck Location
Oregon lies about 18 miles off the coast of Fire Island, New York. The waters off Fire Island and Long Island are popular diving sites and contain many shipwrecks including the World War I era cruiser USS San Diego (ACR-6). The sea floor geography is at a slope in this area as well. The water is mostly calm, but has intermittent strong currents.
~ GPS Shipwreck Location ~
Latitude: 40° 31' 48.72" N Longitude: -72° 51' 18.6012" W
Description
Since 1886, the wreck of Oregon has not stood well to the test of time. Being made of brittle wrought iron, Oregon's decks have since collapsed exposing the large boilers and steam engine. Standing 40 feet off the seabed, the engine is the tallest feature left on the Oregon. Collapsed hull, portholes and a few pieces of China or personal affects dot the wreck site. The bow of the ship is lying on its side and is still largely recognizable despite the time spent at the bottom of the Atlantic. Among other recognizable features includes the ship's wheel. Due to lying on a slope, the wreck of Oregon has one side slightly shallower than the other.
Footnotes
Oregon was built in 1883 by John Elder & Company in Govan Scotland for the Guion Line. In 1884, Oregon broke the transatlantic speed record winning the Blue Riband from her fleetmate Alaska. The record was lost to Cunard's Etruria in 1885. Due to financial difficulties, Guion returned Oregon to the Elder yard. Despite building the Umbria and Etruria to compete with her, Cunard Line took the opportunity to purchase Oregon in June 1884. Oregon continued to sail under Cunard colors and flag between Liverpool and New York. Cunard planned on moving Oregon to a new route between Boston and Liverpool. This was not to be as on March 14, 1886, Oregon collided with an unknown American vessel and sank off Fire Island, New York. Cunard sent divers to assess whether Oregon was able to be raised and salvaged. She was too damaged, and was abandoned where she lay.&am