View source for Josephine (shipwreck)

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|+''Josephine''
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| Ship owner               = [[Charles Morgan (businessman)|Charles Morgan]]<ref name=Morgan>{{cite web|url=https://www.bsee.gov/sites/bsee.gov/files/research-other/exploration-and-production/irion-and-ball.pdf |title=The New York and the Josephine: Two Steamships of the Charles Morgan Line |publisher=The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology |author=Jack B. Irion and David A. Ball |date= 2001|accessdate=2017-07-30}}</ref>
| Ship operator            = Louisiana and Texas Railroad and Steamship Company<ref name=Morgan/>
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| Ship builder             = [[Harlan and Hollingsworth]]<ref name=Morgan/>
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| Ship launched            = 1868<ref name=Morgan/>
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| Ship in service          = 1868
| Ship out of service      = 1881
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| Ship fate                = Foundered in storm, February 8–9, 1881<ref name=Morgan/>
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| Ship type                = [[sidewheel steamer]]
| Ship tonnage             = 1,283 tons
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| Ship length              = {{convert|235|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam                = {{convert|34|ft|m|abbr=on}}
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| Ship hold depth          = {{convert|18.5|ft|m|abbr=on}}
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| Ship propulsion          = [[Marine steam engine#walking beam|Walking beam steam engine]]<ref name=Morgan/>
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| Ship capacity            = 250 passengers<ref name=Morgan/>
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{{Infobox NRHP
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|name= ''Josephine'' (shipwreck)
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|locmapin= Mississippi#USA
|map_width=150
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|location= Restricted location between [[Horn Island (Mississippi)|Horn Island]] and [[Ship Island (Mississippi)|Ship Island]], [[Harrison County, Mississippi]]
|built=1867
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|architecture=
|added=November 22, 2000<ref name="mdah">{{cite web |url=http://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/nom/prop/33044.pdf |title=''JOSEPHINE'' (Shipwreck) |accessdate=2017-07-30 |work=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form |publisher=[[National Park Service]]}}</ref>
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|refnum=00001402
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|}

'''''Josephine''''' was an American iron-hull, [[sidewheel steamer]] that transported mail, freight, and passengers, in the [[Gulf of Mexico]], mainly between [[New Orleans, Louisiana]] and [[Galveston, Texas]], beginning in 1868.<ref name=mdah/> In 1881, the ''Josephine'' was transferred to the New Orleans – [[Havana, Cuba|Havana]] route.<ref name=Morgan/> Returning from Havana in February 1881, the ''Josephine'' encountered a winter storm in the Gulf of Mexico, south of [[Biloxi, Mississippi]], took on water and sank, but all passengers and crew survived.<ref name=Morgan/> In 2000, the ''Josephine'' shipwreck was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Harrison County, Mississippi|National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name=mdah/>

== History ==
Early in the 19th century, [[New York City|New York]] businessman [[Charles Morgan (businessman)|Charles Morgan]] became a successful entrepreneur by investing in railroad and steamship commerce in the [[southern United States]]. In 1867, Morgan contracted with shipbuilder, [[Harlan and Hollingsworth]] of [[Wilmington, Delaware]], to construct the iron-hull steamer ''Josephine'' for Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad and Steamship Company.<ref name=Morgan/>

In February 1868, the ''Josephine'' made its maiden voyage from Wilmington to New Orleans. At that time, the ''Josephine'' was assigned its main transportation route between [[Morgan City, Louisiana|Beshear, Louisiana]] and Galveston, Texas. Over the next decade, the ''Josephine'' transported mail, freight, and passengers, twice weekly, between Louisiana and Texas.<ref name=Morgan/>

== Description ==
The ''Josephine'' was {{convert|235|ft|m}} in length, {{convert|34|ft|m}} wide, and its depth of hold was {{convert|18.5|ft|m}}. Propulsion was provided by an 800-horsepower, walking beam steam engine. The ship had two cabins and two decks, and it could accommodate 250 passengers.<ref name=Morgan/>

== Shipwreck ==
In January 1881, the ''Josephine'' had replaced another steamer on the New Orleans to Havana shipping route. In early February 1881, the ''Josephine'' departed Havana with a shipment of tobacco and cigars, plus a number of passengers. More passengers boarded in [[Cedar Key, Florida]]. After leaving Cedar Key on February 4, en route to New Orleans, the Josephine encountered a winter storm on February 7, developed leaks in her seams, and began taking on water. The 65 passengers and crew abandoned ship on February 8, with no loss of life, and the ''Josephine'' sank in {{convert|38|ft|m}} of water between [[Horn Island (Mississippi)|Horn Island]] and [[Ship Island (Mississippi)|Ship Island]].<ref name=Morgan/>

In 1997 and 1999, the [[Minerals Management Service]] obtained underwater photo documentation of the wreck site and collected information using [[side-scan sonar]] to confirm the identity of the vessel.<ref name="shipwreck">{{cite web |url=https://www.boem.gov/Environmental-Stewardship/Archaeology/19th-Century-Steamships.aspx|title=Instructional Resources for the Sidewheel Steamship ''Josephine'' |work=Historic Shipwrecks of the Gulf of Mexico: A Teacher's Resource |publisher=U.S. Department of Interior, Minerals Management Service |author=Dave Ball |date=May 2006|accessdate=2017-07-31}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{1881 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Josephine (Shipwreck)}}
[[Category:Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi]]
[[Category:Paddle steamers of the United States]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico]]
[[Category:1868 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built by Harlan and Hollingsworth]]