Identification of the Wreck of the U.S.C.S.S. Robert J. Walker

off Atlantic City, New Jersey

Painting by W.E. Martin (1852) Courtesy of The Mariners Museum, Newport News, Virginia 

Prepared by

James P. Delgado, Ph.D. 

Director of Maritime Heritage 

With contributions from Capt. Albert Theberge, Vitad Pradith, Ole Varmer, 

Lydia Barbash-Riley, Joyce Steinmetz, Dawn Forsythe, Matthew Lawrence, 

Russell Green, and Tane Casserley 

July 2013

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries 

Silver Spring, Maryland 
1 

Abstract 

From June 21 to 24, 2013, a NOAA team from the Office of Coast 

Survey and the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries conducted a 

joint mission to characterize a shipwreck off the coast of New Jersey 

near Absecon Inlet and Atlantic City. NOAA Historian Albert (Skip) 

Theberge recognized the opportunity to honor the lost Robert J. Walker 

sailors by locating the wreck and requested the assistance of maritime 

archaeologist Joyce Steinmetz, whose research involves mid-Atlantic 

shipwrecks, divers, and fishermen. After researching the vessel and 

machinery, Steinmetz hypothesized the remains of the Walker are a 

wreck known to and regularly visited by recreational SCUBA. 

However, the shipwreck had not undergone any archaeological 

assessment to provide evidence to either affirm or refute this 

identification. During the June 2013 fieldwork, hydrographers on the 

NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson surveyed the site and its surroundings 

with high-resolution multibeam and side-scan sonar. This work was 

followed by a close order side scan sonar survey and archaeological 

SCUBA dives conducted from the NOAA R/V SRVx that acoustically 

and visually characterized the shipwreck and its debris field. The data 

gathered by the project confirmed that the shipwreck was U.S.C.S.S. 

Robert J. Walker, lost off Absecon Inlet on June 21, 1860. 

Previous Site Investigations 

The wreck site recently identified as the U.S.C.S. Robert J. Walker has been 

“known” since the Second World War as an obstruction, as a targeted “poss. WWI 

freighter” (AWOIS 2480), and finally as a fisherman’s hang-up that was known and 

transmitted to local wreck divers in the early 1970s – when it became known as the 

“$25 Wreck” – and diving on the site commenced. NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey 

surveyed the shipwreck with multibeam sonar in 2004 and obtained information 

about the wreck’s basic characteristics and orientation during an overall charting of 

the area. This survey determined that the wreck was approximately 40 meters or 

134 feet in length. The data suggested that the vessel’s hull was articulated with 

material projecting into the water column at its ends and in a central mass 

suggestive of engine(s) and boiler(s). Coast Survey designated the wreck as an 

obstruction and updated navigation charts to reflect this hazard. The identity of the 

wreck was not suspected by NOAA officials at that time. 
2 

The wreck site in 2004 (NOAA/OCS) 

Whereas NOAA officials knew little of the shipwreck’s particulars, local divers had 

been attempting to identify the shipwreck for some time. According to interviews 

with local divers conducted by Steinmetz (Steinmetz 2010, 2013), divers made the 

following observations over the last four decades: 

• The wreck lies 85’ deep, in a mud/silt hole offshore of a 60’ shoal.

• The wreck was characterized by metal frames and an iron plated hull.

• It has or had side-mounted paddlewheels.

• There is a large “toppled” engine, “lying on its side.”

• The bow is “separated” from wreck by 100 feet. As for the wreck, it “feels like

it is not all there.”

• Divers had recovered “Mason’s” ironstone china and a single cannonball.

Patented in Great Britain in 1813 by Charles James Mason, ironstone was a

popular style quickly introduced to the United States as a trade item. Mason

sold his patent in 1851 to Francis Morley, who replaced Mason’s name on the

patented ironstone thence manufactured (Blacker 1911:193).

• Among the artifacts recovered were rectangular bronze or brass portholes.
3 

One of the portholes recovered from the wreck site (Eddie Boyle) 

The rectangular portholes were of particular note; several have been recovered, and 

they are unusual as most portholes and their deadlights are circular.

New Jersey has an active corps of wreck divers, many of whom invest considerable 

personal sums to outfit dive expeditions to locate and identify the many wrecks off 

the shore. Some collect artifacts, others do not. A number of these divers have 

donated their finds to the New Jersey Maritime Museum, a non-profit educational 

institution located in Beach Haven, New Jersey. Others retain their finds in 

personal collections. Without the attention paid to this wreck by New Jersey wreck 

divers, its presence and ultimate identification as Robert J. Walker would not have 

occurred. 

The website http://www.njwreckdivers.com/p/shipwreck-info.html notes: 

In the early seventies the wreck was discovered by a local fisherman 

and the Loran co-ordinate was sold for $25 dollars to a local party boat. 

Hence its original name, the $25 Dollar Wreck. Captain Ed Boyle of 

the original Atlantic City dive boat Gypsy began taking charters to the 

wreck, discovering barrels, square portholes, a large toppled engine 

with an upright bow and two paddlewheels in the debris. The 

starboard paddle was standing vertical and the port lays on its side in 

the sand. Visibility was often limited at that time, because a sewage 

outfall pipe north of the wreck was still in operation, and the wreck 

remained infrequently visited. The untreated outfall was capped in the 

mid-eighties and soon visibility greatly improved. On a dive in the late 

eighties Atlantic Divers discovered a barrel of white china with the 

markings labeled Mason on the bottom. Because of the previous names 
4 

bad reputation, Atlantic Divers rechristen [sic] the wreck Mason’s

paddle Wheeler to stimulate more exploration of the site. Soon it 

became a popular dive and much discovery continued....Several 

bottles, and more pieces of china have been uncovered since that 

time and numerous copper pipe lay ambiguously in the debris. 

Today the water is clear over the wreck with a healthy abundance 

of marine life. More needs to be uncovered to verify its identity 

(njwreckdivers 2013). 

East Coast Diving describes the wreck on their website:

This wreck... are the remains of a side paddle wheel steamship lying in 

90’ of water 11 miles off the coast of Ocean City, N.J. The wreck is low 

and scattered and consists of the engine and paddlewheel shafts, some 

scattered hull sections and the remains of the bow 50” forward of the 

engine. Probably sunk in the late 1800s, this interesting wreck has 

produced portholes and is a good spot for lobster 

(http://eastcoastdiving.com/index.php/local-dives).

The New Jersey wreck divers website currently suggests that the wreck is the 

paddle steamer Florida, lost in 1892. Florida, research indicates, wrecked closer to 

shore and on the beach.

Historical Background 

Robert J. Walker was built in the first half of the nineteenth century, when the 

United States Government was expanding its role in surveying, marking, and 

control of coastal waters. It was also a time, with the Industrial Revolution, when

steam technology as well as iron hulls were being adopted in the maritime and 

naval communities. Britain’s Royal Navy adopted steam as a means of propulsion in 

the early 19th century, although interest in the technology dated to the end of the 

last century. American interest paralleled Britain’s, with the first steam paddle 

warship in America, Robert Fulton’s Demologos, a single, central paddle-propelled 

craft, being briefly tested and abandoned in 1815. These early steamers were 

wooden-hulled; it would not be until 1820 when the first all-iron hull, the British 

steamer Aaron Manby, would be built.

Commercial vessels, not naval, became the primary means by which steam

technology advanced, but official (and naval) interest continued to monitor 

developments and, in 1821, Britain launched its first paddle vessel for the navy, the 

steam tug Comet (Brown 1993:11). This was followed by a spate of smaller paddle 

steamers, twenty in number, through the 1830s. In 1831, the Royal Navy had 

fourteen steamships, eight of them in commission (Brown 1993:16). Small, and 

fitted with oscillating or side-lever steam engines ranging from 80, 100, 136, 140, 

and 200 nominal horsepower, these vessels were ultimately armed and many served 
5 

through the 1860s (Brown 1933:13-16). The 1830s and 1840s were a period of 

continued adoption of steam, and experiments in design of the hulls, machinery and 

propulsion. Brown (1993) called it “a time of change” as Britain ordered its first 

iron-hulled steamer in January 1843. Launched by Ditchburn & Mare in 1846, the 

850-ton, 180-foot long, 31-foot, 6-inch beam steamer Trident was classified as thirdclass sloop fitted with a Boulton & Watt oscillating engine rated at 350 nominal 

horsepower and armed with two 10-inch guns on pivot mounts and two 32-pdr. 

carronades (Brown 1993:42). During the same period, the United States Navy 

continued to experiment with steam vessels and by the mid-1840s had launched 

twenty steam vessels including frigates, sloops, and gunboats into service 

(http://shipbuildinghistory.com/history/navalships/unsteam.htm).

Within two years of Trident’s completion, Britain laid down its last paddlewheeldriven warship, Barracouta, in 1848 (Brown 1993:42). Iron hulls did not weigh as 

much as a comparable wooden hull (about 20 percent less) and had smaller frames 

and bulkheads possessing about 20 percent more internal space. As a rigid 

structure, iron hulls were “better able to resist vibration” from steam machinery 

than wood. While not always favored because of the brittle nature of wrought iron, 

improvements in metal technology and steam machinery in the 1850s and 1860s, 

and the battle success of ironclads in the Civil War, ultimately led to the 

abandonment of wooden-hulled warships as well as merchant steamers.

Built for the United States Revenue Marine Service for the enforcement of customs, 

Walker was one of eight transitional iron-hulled steamers constructed in the 1840s 

by the United States Government to “naval designs.” The government was also 

testing, through practical application, various theories of construction and 

propulsion – in the latter, different types of paddlewheels as well as propellers. 

There was enthusiasm in the ranks of the Revenue Marine for iron hulls. Captain 

William A. Howard wrote that not only would iron-hulled steamers be stronger than 

wood, but they would also not rot, be damaged by marine borers, and would cost 50 

percent less to repair over a 20-year time period than a comparable wooden ship 

(Browning 1992:26).

The Commandant of the Revenue Marine, Captain Alexander V. Fraser, wrote in 

the 1843 annual report of the USRM: 

The principle advantages arising from the use of iron are; economy in 

the original construction; durability, lightness of material, and 

consequently, increased buoyancy; increased strength, particularly in 

the ability to withstand shocks sustained by taking the ground when 

passing shoal water bars; and the value when worn out, of the old 

materials (Fraser 1843 as cited in Smith 1989:59). 

At the same time, the U.S. Navy was also building iron steamers. One, the gunboat 

USS Michigan, was built expressly for service on the Great Lakes (Rodgers 1996). 
6 

While this was a period of steady adoption of iron in shipbuilding, it remained 

highly individualistic as various yards and builders experimented. A few decades 

into the process, the major marine insurance company in the world, Lloyds of 

London, had not adopted standards for iron ships as the technology was “still in its 

infancy” without any “well-understood general rules” (Lloyds 1884:77).

The Revenue Marine proceeded with an initial request for bids to construct six iron 

steamers in April 1843, and soon had contracts in place to build the steamers 

Spencer, Bibb, Dallas, and McLane, with an experimental paddlewheel invented by 

naval officer William W. Hunter, and two steamers, Legare and Jefferson, with 

helicoidal propellers designed by inventor John Ericsson (Browning 1992:27). The 

contracts for the six steamers were followed by contracts for two sidewheel 

steamships, Polk and Walker, in December 1844 and January 1845. While work on 

the last two steamers progressed – slowly ‒ the Hunter wheel-propelled vessels 

proved to be failures. They were leaky, slow and inefficient in their consumption of 

coal and in excessive wear and tear on their machinery, which necessitated 

expensive repairs and cost overruns. Ultimately, some of the vessels were refitted 

with new propulsion systems and were ultimately transferred out of the Revenue 

Marine.

Polk was completed at Richmond, Virginia, in March 1847. Meanwhile, work on the 

last of the iron steamers, Robert J. Walker, slowly progressed. Named for United 

States Senator Robert John Walker of Mississippi (1801-1869), who served as 

Secretary of the Treasury in the cabinet of President James K. Polk from 1845 to 

1849, Walker was built at the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, shipyard of Joseph 

Tomlinson in 1847 (Department of the Treasury 1847:68) at a cost of $104,825.53.

Tomlinson and his business partner Samuel Stackhouse were ship and enginebuilders of considerable reputation. Tomlinson, a Philadelphia native, had come to 

Pittsburgh in 1816 with his parents. He went on to establish an iron foundry and 

machine shop. During the War of 1812, the foundry he purchased had provided 

Oliver Hazard Perry’s ships with anchors. Under Tomlinson, it was said, the 

foundry built more “boats” than any other shipbuilder in the old Northwest territory 

of the United States, west of Pennsylvania and northwest of the Ohio River

(Rodgers 1996:11). In addition to ships and engines, Tomlinson later built rail cars; 

he also constructed two ironclad river monitors for the U.S. Navy at the end of the 

Civil War.

In September 1844, the Philadelphia North American reported that the government 

was contracting to build iron steamships in Pittsburgh, and noted the recent launch 

of the iron steamer USS Michigan: 

One of the steamers built here, is now ploughing the waters of Lake 

Erie; and her performances are spoken of as incomparable. Her sheet 

iron planks, ribs, engines, boilers &c. in fact all and every part of her 
7

iron works were manufactured and prepared at Pittsburgh, and taken

to Erie and put together. The contractors were Tomlinson & Co. 

(Philadelphia North American, September 18, 1844) 

The revenue steamers were to serve in key coastal ports. Walker was destined for

Mobile Bay. “The models are furnished by the Navy Department, and side wheels 

have been ordered, as being best tested and least liable to failure” (Columbus Ohio 

Statesman, March 14, 1845).

The contract to build Walker was issued in 1846, but work did not commence until 

March 1847. Delays in obtaining the iron from the mill and bad weather delayed the 

start of work. Disputes between the Revenue Marine and Tomlinson, and poor 

quality construction drawings, led to an order to defer the launch of the steamer for 

a few months (Browning 1992:34). Tomlinson finally launched the 358-ton Robert J. 

Walker on November 27, 1847. Richard Evans, the Commandant of the Revenue 

Marine and also serving as Walker’s master, called the steamer “the finest iron 

vessel ever built in this country” (Browning 1992:34).

After being rigged (Walker carried two masts with a brigantine rig) and being fitted 

with its 32-pdr. guns and ammunition, the steamer left Pittsburgh on December 14 

for New Orleans and thence to its home port of Mobile on December 14, 1847

(Pittsburgh Daily Gazette, May 4, November 29, December 15, 1847). On that date, 

the Semi-Weekly Natchez Courier noted that the “new iron steamer ‘Robert J. 

Walker’, lately built at Pittsburgh, has been launched, and may soon be expected 

down the Mississippi River, on her way to the Gulf of Mexico” (Natchez, Mississippi 

Semi-Weekly Natchez Courier, December 14, 1847).

Soon after arrival, instead of heading to Mobile, Walker was transferred by the 

Revenue Marine to the United States Coast Survey at New Orleans on February 11,

1848. The reason for the quick transfer was explained in 1852 by Benjamin 

Isherwood, Chief Engineer of the United States Navy:

The experiment tried by the Treasury, of substituting steam for sailing 

cutters, having signally failed from the too large size of the steamers, 

the expense of maintaining them, and the abortive character of their 

machinery and propelling instruments, they were either turned over to 

the Coast Survey, or otherwise disposed of. Of the eight, only three 

now remain in the Government service, viz: the Legarè, the Bibb, and 

the Walker, and they are employed as Surveying Steamers (Isherwood 

1852:49-50).

The United States Coast Survey, established in 1807, was expanding its coastal 

surveys under an energetic new Superintendent, Alexander Dallas Bache. Bache 

was appointed in 1843 to succeed the first Superintendent Ferdinand Hassler, who 

had initially led the Survey from 1816-1818, and then resumed his post when the 
8

Survey was reauthorized and commenced duties again in 1832. Robert J. Walker, 

incidentally, was a brother-in-law of Alexander Dallas Bache, who now had a vessel 

in his fleet named for a family member.1

The U.S. Coast Survey’s officers had watched the arrival of steam with considerable 

interest, and advocated the use of steamers in survey because of the “independence 

of steam against wind and tide”:

Having the means of going in any direction, the surveyor is able to 

make a comprehensive and careful project of his work, and to carry it 

out with certainty; while, with sails only, he is obliged to accommodate 

his traverse to the direction of the wind and the course of the tide, and 

generally much time is lost in retracing his steps to windward to 

obtain a suitable position... the most favorable days for sounding are 

those on which the sea is calm, and then the steamer will accomplish 

the best work, both in amount and quality; but the sailing vessel lies 

idle for want of motive power. When sounding in deep water, it is often 

necessary to lessen the speed in order to get the depth accurately, and

to ascertain the character of the bottom. The steam vessel does this 

easily, without diverging from her track; the sail vessel must change 

her course and lie to. By this, time is lost, labor is increased, and the 

continuity of the lines is broken (Coast Survey 1847:85). 

Therefore, while the Revenue Marine was less than happy with their new steamers’ 

failure as armed vessels patrolling and requiring fast response time, this was not a 

requirement for a survey steamship. The United States Coast Survey was also a 

sister agency of the Revenue Marine Service (also known as the Revenue Cutter 

Service), and both operated under the auspices of the United States Treasury 

Department. The Revenue Marine temporarily reverted to sailing vessels while the 

Coast Survey embraced steam technology, particularly for offshore operations. The 

first of these vessels was Bibb, followed by Walker, Legare, and Jefferson. An 

additional steam vessel, Hetzel, was transferred from the Army quartermaster 

department while a small steamer, Active, was procured on the Pacific coast, 

following the loss of Jefferson on the coast of Patagonia while in transit to San 

Francisco. 

As NOAA historian Albert Theberge notes, Walker joined the Coast Survey at a 

pivotal time in its history.

1

 The Coast Survey Schooner Sophia (1855-1861) was named for Alexander Dallas Bache’s mother. 

Reports mention Sophia as a tender in the Florida Keys in 1861. Sophia Dallas Bache (1789-1860), 

was daughter of sixth Secretary of the Treasury Alexander J. Dallas and sister of Vice President 

George M. Dallas who served under President Polk.

 
9

Coast Survey experienced a remarkable expansion in its operations 

and responsibilities. Geographically, the coasts of Texas, Washington, 

Oregon, and California were added to the United States. New projects 

were begun and old functions expanded. The coastal triangulation 

network was continued north into Maine and south to Cape Hatteras, 

while beginnings of survey work were made in South Carolina, 

Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Survey 

crews were sent to the western coast, although work did not begin 

there in earnest until 1850. The Coast Survey, in a project that 

heralded the beginnings of modern oceanography, commenced studies 

of the Gulf Stream in 1845. Many improvements were introduced in 

instrumentation and methodology that greatly improved the efficiency 

and accuracy of the work. The project to determine the differences of 

longitude between prominent points on the eastern seaboard of the 

United States and European observatories continued. The major 

hydrographic accomplishment of this half decade was the survey of 

Nantucket Shoals. These few years marked the period when Bache 

placed his indelible stamp upon the Coast Survey and were halcyon 

days with discoveries, inventions, and increased responsibilities 

coming one after the other (Theberge 1998:144).

In a mutually beneficial arrangement, naval officers were assigned to the Coast 

Survey. This afforded early command opportunities for these officers as well as 

training them in aspects of navigation, charting, inshore piloting, and other naval 

skills. With the addition of steam vessels, the Coast Survey became even more 

desirable as a training ground. For many naval officers attached to the Survey at 

this time, this was their first experience with steam vessels, preparing them for the 

upcoming conflict. The commanding officers of these vessels read like a “Who’s Who” 

of Civil War fame as David Dixon Porter, John Rodgers, Samuel Philips Lee, C.R.P. 

Rodgers, Thornton Jenkins, Daniel Ammen, C. H. McBlair and engineer Alban 

Stimers, among others, all served with the Coast Survey’s steamships. These ships 

became an intrinsic part of great national endeavors driven by remarkable changes 

in transportation technology, new insights in science, and the unprecedented 

expansion of United States coastline in the first half of the 19th century. 

Lieutenant (Commanding) Carlile P. Patterson (1816-1881) was the Walker’s first 

Coast Survey commanding officer, assuming his post in Mobile from Capt. Evans of 

the Revenue Marine. Patterson served with the Coast Survey with distinction as a 

naval officer on detached service, and commanded the Survey’s first vessel in the 

Gulf of Mexico, the schooner Phoenix, in 1845. After commanding Walker, Patterson 

resigned and headed into merchant service with the Pacific Mail Steamship 

Company, commanding the steamers Oregon and Golden Gate on their regular 

voyages from Panama to San Francisco from 1849 to 1853. Patterson was in 

command when PMSSC Oregon brought the news to San Francisco that California 

had been granted U.S. statehood. He remained in the west until 1861 with his 
10

family. Returning east with the Civil War, Patterson rejoined the Coast Survey and 

in 1874 became Superintendent, a post he held until his death.

Carlile Patterson (NOAA Central Library) 

Patterson was followed as captain of Walker in quick progression by Lieutenant 

James Alden (1810-1877), a promising naval officer who had served in the Wilkes 

Expedition, on board USS Constitution on a global cruise, and in the Mexico War, 

where he served with the Home Squadron off Mexico. Detached for Coast Survey 

duty, from the summer of 1849 through the late winter of 1851, Alden commanded 

the steamer John Y. Mason and then Walker. From Walker he went west to 

command the Pacific Coast-based steamer Active until 1860. A distinguished Civil 

War career saw Alden promoted to Captain and then Commodore, and postwar he 

served as a Rear Admiral commanding the European Fleet of the U.S. Navy. 

James Alden (National Archives) 
11

Walker’s next commander was Samuel Phillips Lee (1812-1897), who would also

rise to positions of prominence in naval rank as a Civil War Rear Admiral and 

commander of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, the Mississippi Squadron, 

and the postwar North Atlantic Squadron of the U.S. Navy.

Samuel Phillips Lee (Naval History and Heritage Command H48279) 

The next commanding officer of Walker after Samuel P. Lee, and the longest 

serving master of the steamer, was Benjamin Franklin Sands (1811-1883). Sands’ 

autobiography notes that he took command in March 1851 in Mobile, and 

commenced surveys from Pensacola to the mouth of the Mississippi before taking 

Walker out of the Gulf to Hampton Roads, and thence to Baltimore, where he laid 

up the steamer. He and the crew continued working local waters in two smaller 

coastal schooners (Sands 1899:213). Reactivating Walker in December 1852, Sands 

took the steamer back into the Gulf, where he commanded it through 1857. Of that 

time on board, he wrote:

I was engaged upon this interesting hydrographic work in the Gulf of 

Mexico, the fields of my especial surveys being the Florida Keys and 

the west coast of that state, including Cedar Keys, Tampa Bay and 

Pensacola Harbor, thence west, taking in the Bay of Biloxi, Chaudeleur 

Sound, the Deltas of the Mississippi, and the westward thereof, 

including Atchafalaya Bay and Sabine Pass on the Texas Coast (Sands 

1899:213). 

Sands and his crew aboard Walker also charted portions of the Gulf Stream from 

Florida to Cape Hatteras in 1855, which was a key interest of Superintendent 

Bache (Sands 1899:214).

Benjamin Sands, like his predecessors, enjoyed a prominent career that included 

early Coast Survey duty in the 1830s and early 1840s, and service in the Gulf 

during the Mexican War. He served with distinction on post-Mexican War Coast 

Survey duty, including his time on Walker. Sands’ Civil War service was as a 
12

captain in blockading squadrons on the Atlantic and in the Gulf, and a post-Civil 

War career as Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Observatory. In 1871, Commodore 

Sands was promoted to Rear Admiral.

Benjamin Franklin Sands (National Archives) 

As the list of commanders shows, Walker served as a training platform for a 

number of officers eager to learn the operation of steamships at a time when there 

were not enough of the vessels to provide an opportunity for all who had the interest 

or desire to learn. Among those assigned to Walker from the U.S. Navy was Alban 

C. Stimers, a 25-year old second engineer attached to the ship on November 18, 

1852. Stimers rose rapidly in naval ranks and during the Civil War served as a

Chief Engineer in the United States Navy. He played a major role in working with 

John Ericsson on the construction of USS Monitor, and sailed with the ironclad, 

although not a member of the crew, on its famous voyage south in 1862; he was 

onboard during the resulting battle with CSS Virginia, the former USS Merrimac. 
13

Alban C. Stimers (Naval History and Heritage Command H44389) 

Walker’s executive officer in 1855, William Gamble, went on to command the 

ironclad USS Osage in 1865 and retired as a commander. Another noted Walker

crew member was a young officer, Joseph Fry, who served aboard in 1850-1851. Fry 

left the Navy with the advent of the Civil War and was a blockade runner for the 

Confederacy. “On the beach” after the war, Fry accepted the position of master of 

the commercial steamer Virginius, chartered by Cuban nationalists to run guns into 

Cuba to support an uprising against the island’s Spanish rulers. Virginius was 

captured off Cuba by a Spanish warship on October 30, 1874. The “Virginius Affair” 

was one of the more prominent diplomatic crises faced by the United States in the 

late 19th century. Fry and his crew were imprisoned, tried as pirates, and most were 

executed within days despite diplomatic protests in the notorious case that inflamed 

passions on both sides of the Atlantic and nearly brought Spain and the United 

States to war.

Walker’s crews were diverse and included naval and merchant marine veterans, 

immigrants, foreign nationals, and a racially diverse crew which often included 

African-Americans. Walker figured in an incident involving one of its black sailors 

while in Charleston in what seems to have been late 1858. The sailor, G.E. Stevens, 

explained in a letter to J.C. White from Pensacola on early January 8, 1859: 

My duty on board this ship required that I should go ashore. The laws 

of South Carolina forbade my doing so. The day after I arrived I was 

ordered ashore and obeyed. When walking up King Street I was seized 

and arraigned before the Mayor. Fortunately for me, a young 

gentleman, a friend of Captain Huger (the Capt. of the Walker) saw 

the arrest and informed him immediately. The Captain rendered 

securities and I was released. (As quoted in Sterling 1973:219.) 

Thomas Bee Huger (1820-1862), Walker’s commanding officer at the time of 

Stevens’ arrest, joined the U.S. Navy as a midshipman in 1835, served in the 

Mediterranean and Home Squadrons, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1848. 

Assigned to the Coast Survey, Huger was the lieutenant (commanding) of Walker in 

1859, replacing B.F. Sands, and remained in command until early 1860; although 

when the steamer was lost, he was no longer in command. Huger resigned from the 

Coast Survey and the Navy in 1861 and joined the Confederacy. As commander of 

the gunboat McRae, he was mortally wounded during the Union assault at the 

mouth of the Mississippi on April 24, 1862, and died of his wounds the following 

day.
14

Thomas Bee Huger (Naval History and Heritage Command H66631) 

Walker’s Coast Survey Career 

(with contributions from Albert Theberge)

The Coast Survey Steamer Robert J. Walker was a small ship that accomplished a 

large job. Over the course of its career, its crew acquired over 900,000 hand leadline soundings, charted the Gulf Coast from Mobile Bay to the Mississippi Passes, 

and made a substantial contribution to opening up many of the Gulf ports to 

increased commerce. In addition, its work served to help prepare the Union Navy 

for planning actions on the Gulf Coast including the attack on New Orleans, the 

blockade of a number of ports, the establishment of Ship Island as a major base of 

operations, and the Battle of Mobile Bay. It also made contributions to the science of 

the Gulf of Mexico region by helping: 1) detail changes in bottom configuration of 

various areas with the passage of storms; 2) document the changing nature of the 

marshes of the Mississippi Delta region; 3) understand the tides of the Gulf of 

Mexico; and 4) understand the bottom configuration of the deep Gulf of Mexico by 

obtaining some of the first deep sea soundings in the Gulf. It made contributions far 

out of proportion to its physical stature as a small steamer with relatively small 

crews to the commercial, military, and scientific history of the Gulf Coast region. 

After transfer from the Revenue Service, Walker was assigned to the portion of the 

United States coastline designated Section VIII by the Coast Survey. This section 

extended from Dauphin Island to Vermillion Bay including the coasts of Alabama, 

Mississippi, and Louisiana. The primary working area of Walker remained Section 

VIII for the next eleven years. 
15

1862 chart delineating Walker’s area of work, but also most of the work completed by the crew of the 

steamer during its Coast Survey career. Interestingly, this particular graphic includes insets of the 

mortar boat attacks on Forts Jackson and St. Philip – attacks made possible by the geodetic work of 

the Coast Survey and the innovative naval mind of David Dixon Porter, commandant of the mortar 

boat fleet here. “Sketch H. showing the progress of the survey in section no. VIII, from 1846 to 1862. 

Bowen & Co., lith., Philada.” (Library of Congress 99447016). 

The Revenue Marine turned over Robert J. Walker to the Coast Survey on February 

11, 1848. The Coast Survey placed it under the command of Lieutenant 

(Commanding) Carlile P. Patterson. Patterson was a promising officer destined to 

become the fifth superintendent of the Coast Survey. Because during the previous 

month Patterson had used the schooner Forward for survey work in the vicinity of 

Mobile Bay’s entrance and continued that work in Walker, the basis for a direct 

comparison of the cost of sail versus steam for surveying purposes was established. 

Patterson reported that for a given unit of hydrographic surveying production in 

offshore waters where the steamship was the primary surveying platform, it was 40

percent less costly to operate than a sailing vessel. This report helped assure the 

growth of the steam vessel fleet in the Coast Survey.

In its first year, Walker finished surveying the offshore approaches to Mobile Bay 

and the approaches to Cat and Ship Islands. The work accomplished by the vessel 

also helped to determine the somewhat unique nature of tides in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Because of the small range of tides in the Gulf of Mexico, coupled with the great 

influence of winds on the tidal levels, it was a triumph of perseverance and analysis 

to discern that the tides in this area were composed of only one high and one low 
16

per day as opposed to the twice daily tides of both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. 

Studies of shifting channels, accreting and eroding barrier islands, and appearing 

and disappearing islands – all issues in the Gulf of Mexico today – were first noted 

in the 1848 report. In addition, the commercial significance of the survey of Mobile 

Bay and entrance was not lost on the mayor of Mobile: “...We trust sir, that the 

labors you are about to bestow upon Mobile Bay will fully confirm our present 

anticipations, and establish beyond controversy, the fact that our bay and harbor 

are capable of affording at least equal facilities with any other southern port to 

shipping of any description.” (Appendix No. 17, 1848 Report. P. 107.) Plans were in 

the making for a Mobile and Ohio Railroad and, if the railroad was to be successful, 

it was necessary to ensure that Mobile Bay would be able to handle deep draft 

vessels.

June 24, 1848, marked the end of Walker’s first season, and it returned to New 

York on July 29. Coast Survey’s annual report gave no statistics for the cruise other 

than the vessel and crew had acquired 2,000 linear miles of hydrographic data. 

Over an 11-year period, the ship made approximately 100,000 soundings in 1848.

On January 16, 1849, Patterson and the crew went from the Schooner Phoenix to 

Walker. Work commenced in Mobile Bay on February 26. During this season, the

ship surveyed 145 square miles in Mobile Bay, obtained 71,745 soundings, and ran 

1,160 linear miles. Work ended July 3. Patterson recommended the placement of 

numerous buoys and fixed aids to navigation in Mobile Bay, Cat Island Harbor, and 

Ship Island Harbor. Notable on this cruise was the death of Passed Assistant 

Surgeon Silas Holmes and five men who were with him in a small boat that 

capsized in a squall off Mobile on May 21. Only one man in the boat’s complement 

lived, “sustaining himself on an oar” (Baltimore Sun, May 29, 1849).

In 1850, James Alden replaced Patterson as the commanding officer. Walker was 

apparently left in the Gulf of Mexico, probably at the naval base at Pensacola, and 

was used by another, unnamed agency (an unauthorized use according to Bache,

which “deranged” plans for work in Section 8.) The ship was not ready for use by the 

Coast Survey until March and there were also delays caused by being unable to 

crew the ship. However, Alden did do a reconnaissance of Cedar Keys, Florida, and 

reported the existence of a shoal extending out eight or ten miles from Sea Horse 

Key and recommended establishing a light at the end of the shoal.

Alden completed a survey of Mobile Delta and almost completed the survey of 

Mobile Bay. In all, the ship and crew gathered 25,096 soundings in a shortened 

season with a 536 mile run in the bay. After closing work in the section, Walker

proceeded to Key West and then to Norfolk, where the ship was turned over to S. P. 

Lee for work offshore of the Virginia Capes and Maryland. This was one of the few 

occasions when Walker conducted work anywhere but in Section VIII. Under Lee,

Walker obtained 22,029 soundings in the offshore areas and 31,117 soundings by 
17

boat in bay areas. They ran 1,115 miles of soundings in outside work and 518 miles 

by boat in the bay. In late September, the vessel was returned to Alden. 

In 1851, Walker was occupied with offshore work south of Dauphin Island and Petit 

Bois Island, in-shore work north of the same islands, and in special examinations of 

Pass Christian Harbor and the mouths of the Mississippi. A steam-launch, specially 

constructed for inshore and harbor work, was lost in a storm off the Chandeleur 

Islands in May. In the early part of the season, James Alden was in command and 

finished the survey of Bon Secours Bay, the southeast corner of Mobile Bay. After 

this, Benjamin F. Sands took over as commanding officer and commenced the work 

described above. As noted earlier, Sands would remain commanding officer of the 

vessel until 1858. Walker worked off the Mississippi Delta, where “the marshes 

have made out seaward, mud-lumps have been washed away, and other formed.” 

Alden surveyed 233 miles and took 13,760 soundings, while Sands surveyed 688 

miles and took 28,244 soundings. Walker was relegated to a repair facility at the 

end of the season and received new boilers. According to Benjamin Isherwood, 

“[d]uring the present year, the Walker has been refitted with new boilers at the 

works of Messrs. Merrick & Son, Philadelphia” (Isherwood 1852:50). This 

machinery remained in place for the remainder of Walker’s life.

Following the repairs, in 1852 Walker continued surveying in Mississippi Sound 

from Dauphine Island to the longitude of Round Island including Horn Island 

Passage, made outside soundings (ten miles to sea) from the middle of Petit Bois 

Island to the middle of Horn Island, conducted a reconnaissance to the South and 

Southwest Passes of the Mississippi Delta, and made a survey of Naso Roads at the 

north end of Chandeleur Island. They took 65,362 soundings over 1,486 miles of 

sounding line. Sands’ executive officer this year was Charles Manigault Morris,

who, during the Civil War, would be the last commander of the raider CSS Florida. 

There is no mention of whether the ship returned north or was laid up at Pensacola 

this season. Other notable events involving Walker’s crew that year included the 

deaths of the second and third assistant engineers in a fever epidemic.

In 1853, Walker, under Sands’ command, engaged in checking for changes to the 

seafloor in the vicinity of Ship Shoal, Horn Island Pass, and Chandeleur Islands at 

the beginning of the season in response to the Great Mobile Hurricane of 1852 (a 

precursor of modern work in clearing channels and checking for obstructions in the 

wake of every great coastal storm). The ship then began work in Mississippi Sound. 

The crew made 69,079 soundings over 1,430 sounding miles. 

The ship was laid up in Pensacola following the 1853 season, probably sometime in 

June. While there, the steamer’s crew was stricken during a yellow fever epidemic. 

The New Orleans Daily Picayune reported on September 17 that “the surveying 

steamer Walker was laid up for the summer with an officer and a crew of eight men 
18

to take care of her. The officer (Engineer Nones) and six men have died, so that only 

two remain.”

In 1854, there was difficulty procuring 

crew so the field season did not begin until 

mid-March. The season began with 

searching for a shoal at 27 ̊ N 89 ̊ W south 

of the “Balize” (the east pass of the

Mississippi River). Deep sea soundings 

and temperature measurements were 

made as far south as 26 ̊ 40’. Total 

statistics included 11,943 soundings 

obtained over 1,167 miles; 11,602 of those

soundings were made outside of Horn and 

Ship Islands. The season was closed on 

June 1 with Sands taking Walker to 

Philadelphia for repairs and he in turn 

reporting to Washington for office work.

The ship apparently left Philadelphia in 

December 1854 and attempted to run a 

line of deep sea soundings from Key West 

to the Mississippi Passes, but poor 

weather made it impossible to sound in waters deeper than 250 fathoms. January 

1855 ended up with a succession of gales that were repeated in February during 

periods of foggy and hazy weather. Work continued on the Mississippi coast and 

offshore islands and, ultimately, the year’s work was the most productive of 

Walker’s career with 105,591 soundings acquired over 2,319 miles of sounding line. 

Sands invented a bottom sampling device during this season that worked on all 

attempts except one, which failed when it seemingly encountered a hard rocky 

bottom. Sands ran soundings in the Gulf Stream while running north at the end of 

the season and then in October ran the section south from Nantucket, one of the 

more difficult sections run in the past because of its length. 

In 1856, Walker attempted to leave Philadelphia early in the year, but was detained

by ice on the Delaware River. It attempted to leave in the middle of March but the 

ice damaged its paddlewheels necessitating further delay at New Castle for repairs. 

A stormy passage south allowed for no deep-sea soundings until reaching the 

latitude of Cape Fear. From there, Walker ran soundings to Cape Canaveral. From

Key West, it ran deep sea soundings north to the Mississippi Delta. Walker reached 

Pass Christian on May 1 but proceeded to Pensacola for provisions, as the weather 

was inclement for surveying. On May 5, operations commenced and continued until

closing the season on June 11. They took 62,434 soundings during the short season, 

covering 1,716 miles. 

“What is not a little curious is, that the 

bottle thrown overboard in latitude 28 ̊ 

58’, in the longitude of Mobile, where the 

surface temperature was 69 degrees, 

was found near Jupiter Inlet, on the 

eastern coast of Florida, having found its 

way to, probably by wind and countercurrents, into the comparatively warm 

current of the Gulf Stream.” 

This observation, in 1854, is perhaps the 

first indication of the Gulf of Mexico 

Loop Current. The bottle was thrown 

over on April 8, 78 miles south of the 

west end of Dauphin Island and found 

two months later on June 6 by a Mr. 

Douglas Dummet near Mosquito Inlet. 

The bottle had traveled over 750 miles if 

it had taken a straight course over the 

59 days.
19

Walker left Philadelphia on November 19, 1856, for the 1857 season and attempted 

deep-sea soundings, but poor weather in vicinity of Cape Hatteras stopped those 

efforts. Gales and boiler repairs at Key West delayed the arrival of Walker on its 

working grounds from Key West to Pensacola, finally departing from Pensacola on 

February 1. Despite the delays, Walker had a successful season working as far west 

as Bay St. Louis and then Chandeleur Sound. The ship and crew ran a line of deep 

sea soundings from Pass a l’ Outré (the main channel into the Mississippi prior to 

1860) to Key West. The deepest sounding observed was 1511 fathoms and brought 

up blue mud. During the working season, they obtained 75,529 soundings over 

1,832 miles of sounding line. The ship then returned to Philadelphia for winter 

layup.

Walker left Delaware Bay on January 4, 1858, having been detained due to a 

shortage of officers. On January 20, 1858, Walker’s crew, as well as that of the 

nearby Coast Survey steamer Varina, “turned to” help combat a major fire ashore at 

Fort Pickens while off Pensacola. The Annual Report of the Survey noted:

While detained at Pensacola, assistance was rendered by Commander 

Sands, with the men and boats of the steamer WALKER, on the 

occasion of a fire which happened at Fort Pickens on the night of the 

20th of January. On the day following the accident, a communication 

was addressed to him by Captain John Newton, corps of U.S. 

engineers, commanding the harbor of Pensacola, in acknowledgment of 

the obligation to the officers and crew, who, in conjunction with the 

hydrographic party in the C.S. schooner VARINA, had promptly 

repaired to the scene of the disaster (Coast Survey 1857:93).

Walker’s survey party commenced work in Atchafalaya Bay on February 6. In 

March, Walker conducted a hydrographic examination of the western end of Lake 

Borgne, with an additional 2,152 soundings and over 37 miles of lines. Near the end 

of the season, Walker proceeded on a line of deep sea soundings from Southwest 

Pass to the Tortugas. The deepest sounding ever obtained Walker on this line was 

at 1710 fathoms. The season ended on May 3, by which time the crew had obtained

75,951 soundings over 1,117 sounding miles. Walker arrived in Philadelphia in 

early June. Commander B. F. Sands was detached and Lieut. Cmdg. Thomas B. 

Huger became the next commanding officer of Walker in September 1858 (Coast 

Survey 1858:106).

Under Huger’s command, in 1859 Walker arrived on the west coast of Florida in 

early January and conducted an investigation of the channel into Cedar Key, 

Florida, with the crew making 15,102 soundings over a 166-mile run. Walker then 

proceeded to Pensacola for provisioning and departed for Atchafalaya Bay on 

January 15, 1859. On that run, 69,447 soundings were observed over 743 sounding 

miles. During the survey work, Walker was primarily used as a hotel ship because 
20

of shallow waters in the working area. The ship conducted deep-sea soundings on 

the trip south to Key West and then ran a section of Gulf Stream from the Tortugas 

to Havana while on the way north. In Philadelphia, Lt. Cmdg. John Julius Guthrie 

was assigned as Walker’s commanding officer on October 10, 1859. He had served in 

the Navy continuously since 1834.

Walker’s 1860 season began on January 20 in the Cedar Key, Florida, area where it 

conducted a thorough examination on its way to the Gulf. Work there finished in 

mid-February after obtaining 41,811 soundings over 467 miles run. The work on the 

Louisiana coast included 13,072 soundings (acquired over 244 miles) in Chandeleur 

Sound, and 34,916 soundings (acquired over 612 miles) on the Mississippi Passes. 

Both Chandeleur Sound records and Mississippi Passes records were lost in the 

sinking of Walker. Upon return to the Northeast in June, Walker stopped at Norfolk

and thence planned to continue on to New York although the vessel was sunk on 

the night of June 21, 1860.

The Accident 

(with contributions from Albert Theberge and Dawn Forsythe) 

On June 21, 1860, Walker, with 72 on board (71 crew and the wife of executive 

officer Joseph Seawell), was lost at sea as the result of a collision with the 250-ton 

schooner Fanny, bound from Philadelphia to Boston with 240 tons of coal and

running close-reefed before a gale (Vincent 1860:560-561). The executive officer, 

Joseph A. Seawell, was the officer on watch at the time of the collision. Seawell was 

a naval veteran, but had been dismissed from the Navy on the recommendation of 

the Efficiency Board in 1855. Twenty men died in this accident, making it the worst 

single disaster to strike the Coast Survey. To this day, it remains the single greatest 

loss of life suffered by NOAA or a predecessor agency of NOAA. 

The New York Herald of June 23, 1860 printed the account of the Quartermaster, 

Charles Clifford:

At the time of the collision Lieutenant J. A. Sewall [sic], the executive 

officer, was on watch. It was about quarter-past two in the morning. 

We saw the schooner ahead, coming before the wind, and put the helm 

hard aport to clear her. The schooner was close aboard of us. The lights 

of both vessels were burning clear. The atmosphere was cloudy, and 

the wind blowing fresh from the northeast. The schooner thereupon 

put her helm hard astarboard, which made a collision inevitable. She 

struck the steamer forward of the port guard and wheelhouse, cutting 

her down to the water’s edge, and carried away her own head booms. 

The schooner hung for a moment, then swung alongside, and carried 

away the forward and quarter boats of the steamer. Getting clear of 

the schooner, we worked ahead, but found the Walker was sinking; cut 
21

away her mainmast, booms, and got everything movable on deck, to 

make a raft for the men. Everybody cool, and the officers behaving 

with great presence of mind, lowered both starboard boats and dropped 

them astern for use when the vessel went down. By this time every 

soul was on deck except those who may have been killed or injured by 

the collision, and a sick man on board, nearly seventy years of age, 

almost helpless, had been carefully lifted out and put in one of the 

boats. All was orderly. The men stayed by the steamer until she was 

sinking, and then, without confusion, such of them as could took to the 

boats. Many of the crew went down with the steamer, however, 

clinging to the spars and portions of the wreck, and expected to be 

saved in that way. The captain stayed on board until the steamer went 

down, and just before she disappeared from sight jumped into the 

water, and was picked up by one of the boats. Lieutenant Sewall was 

drawn down in the vortex, and, after remaining for a considerable time 

floating on a portion of the wreck, was also rescued by one of the boats. 

A heavy sea was running, and many of the men were doubtless washed 

off the spars and drowned from the mere exhaustion of holding on, 

while others were killed or stunned on rising to the surface by 

concussion with spars and other parts of the wreck. The steamer had 

entirely sunk from sight in thirty minutes after the collision. Many of 

the crew were rescued by the boats, in which were about forty-four 

persons, and they were in turn picked up by the schooner R.G. Porter, 

Captain S.S. Hudson. He did nobly, keeping his vessel about the spot 

where the wreck went down until two o’clock in the day, and using 

every endeavor to render us comfortable and afford the desired 

assistance. Finding that it was useless to remain longer in searching 

for the missing, Captain Hudson stood into Cape May, where he 

arrived about four o’clock on Thursday afternoon.

The above account is corroborated in all particulars by that of 

Lieutenant Commanding J.J. Guthrie, Unites States Navy, with whom 

another of our reporters likewise had an interview at a later hour in 

the evening. He states, in addition to the above, that on arriving at 

Cape May a schooner was there with a rent in her foresail, her head 

spars carried away and her cutwater injured.

The name of this vessel was the Fanny, and the time of her arrival was 

such as to make it almost certain that she was the author of the 

accident. While in Cape May the officers and crew were provided with 

much needed refreshments and clothing by the citizens. Prominent 

among those who rendered assistance were Mr. West, the proprietor of 

Congress Hall, J. C. Little, of Our House; Captain Johnson, of the 

steamer Kennebec, and Captain Cannon, of the Delaware, and Messrs 

T. M. Quicksall and J. W. Burton, of Philadelphia. Lieutenant Guthrie 
22

speaks in the highest terms of the conduct of the crew under the trying 

circumstances, and states that when the steamer went down every 

man was at his post, there being in the boats only three individuals 

and a dog. A heavy gale was blowing at the time and a rough sea 

running, which caused the steamer to careen and settle much more 

rapidly than she otherwise would have done, as well as prevented 

those engaged in the work of rescue from saving all those who were 

enabled for a time to keep themselves above water. It is hoped that as 

a number of schooners were in the vicinity others may have been 

picked up, and, indeed from the maneuvers of one of them, the captain 

states that it is almost certain that such is the case. The survivors who 

came on to this city have reported themselves to the Commandant of 

the Navy Yard, and been paid off. All are in a destitute condition, 

however, officers and crew having lost everything except the clothes on 

their backs. In view of these circumstances, and the bravery and 

discipline manifested on the trying occasion, it behooves government to 

take some steps to recompense them for their loss.

Captain Mayhew of Fanny indicated that his vessel’s bow had struck with 

considerable force, and that it was his opinion that his bow anchor, catted forward, 

had opened up the plates of Walker’s hull. With considerable damage, and thinking 

Walker was in no danger, he had proceeded on to Cape May (Vincent 1860:560-561).

Superintendent Bache referred to this tragedy in only three separate paragraphs in 

his 1860 Annual Report; perhaps he found it too painful to deal with, or maybe the 

events overtaking the country overwhelmed all else in 1860 and 1861. With the 

approaching Civil War, there was never an inquiry concerning the causes of this 

accident and the assignment of responsibility for its consequences. Surprisingly, 

Superintendent Bache never printed a listing of names of the deceased crewmen. 

The contemporary newspapers carried accounts of the sinking and the names of the 

crew. The story published in the New York Times on June 23, 1862 provides the 

most comprehensive accounting of the crew, and then who was lost:

Mr. Guthrie, son of Lieut. Guthrie, in charge of the crew. John 

McMullen, Captain main-top. John Burton, master-at-arms. Charles 

Clifford, John Brown, J.R. Hall, Essex D. Corcoran, (sick and unable to 

report himself,) Quartermasters. Robert Bell, Joseph Meary, George 

Penn, Joseph Peterson, John Desmond, John Rowe, Joseph Clark, 

John Brien, Andrew Young, William Logan, William J. Jones, John 

Smith, James A. Golden, seamen. James Clark, James Delorse, Alonzo 

Hood, John A. Minor, John W. Walsh, Burnett Canah, ordinary 

seamen. John C. Johnson, boatman's mate. James Young, gunner's 

mate. Edward Lynch, arms mate. Joseph Wilson, sailmaker. John 

Taylor, firemen. Michael Lyons, Daniel Evans, Frederick Dougherty, 

Henry Hunter, Michael Boyle, coal passers. Peter Decker, (boy.) John 
23

Harrison, C.T. Thomas Rixley, Lds. William H. Mapes, 1st C.F. Henry 

Dick, S.S.

There were three others known to have arrived in the steamer, making 

forty-four in all who are saved.

LIST OF THE MISSING.

The following list of the missing crew has been supplied by Mr. 

CHARLES GIFFORD, Quartermaster on board of the Walker, to whom 

we are also indebted for the particulars of the collision:

Marcus (or Marquis) Buoneventa, ward-room steward.

Michael M. Lee, ship's cook, (colored.)

James Patterson, ward-room cook, (colored.)

Henry Reed, second mate.

Timothy O'Connor, sacond gunner.

John Driscol, seaman.

Michael Olman, seaman.

George W. Johnson, son of Mr. Johnson, the actor.

Charles Miller, ordinary seaman.

Robert Wilson, seaman.

John M. Brown, captain of after guard.

Jeremiah Coffee, cooper.

Cornelius Crow, landsman.

John Farren, fireman.

James Farren, fireman.

Samuel Sizer, fireman.

George Price, fireman.

Joseph Bache, fireman.

Daniel Smith, fireman.

Peter Conway, fireman.

Total 20.

RECAPITULATION.

Names of those saved............44

Names of those missing.........26

Total of the crew.....................64

The foregoing list corresponds with the names of the lost as 

telegraphed from May's Landing, N.J., and signed by N.G. PORTER, 

but afterwards the following names are added:

S.J. HUDSON.

JOHN ENGLISH.

E. SMITH.

WM. TAYLOR.
24

The Annual Report of the Coast Survey did not focus on the human loss, but rather 

the impact on the Survey itself, and included these observations, appearing at 

different places in the report:

The progress of the work has been, taking all its branches together, 

greater than during the year before, but the loss of one of our best 

steamers by collision at sea has been a sad drawback to the general 

prosperity of the work. As my estimates for the time of completion of 

the survey must be materially affected by this loss, I earnestly 

recommend a special appropriation to replace the steamer at the 

earliest practicable period. 

The loss of the steamer Walker, by collision at sea, requires an 

appropriation to replace her. As the government acts as its own 

insurer, this is an indispensable item of estimate. The loss of a 

considerable part of the records of last season's work, and the loss of 

time from having no steamer to take the Walker's place in the Gulf of 

Mexico, will be sensibly felt in our progress, and I would respectfully 

urge that another steamer be supplied at the earliest practicable 

period, so as to enable us to work up again as soon as possible to the 

former efficiency.

I have elsewhere referred to the wreck of the steamer Walker, on the 

21st of June of the present year. This disaster, which involved loss of 

life to twenty of her crew, with the total loss of the vessel and all the 

records on board, was occasioned by collision with a schooner laden 

with coal, and occurred about three o’clock in the morning, while the 

Walker was off Absecom [today spelled Absecon], New Jersey, in 

command of Lieutenant J. J. Guthrie, U. S. N., and on her passage 

from Norfolk to New York. The officers of the Walker and survivors of 

her crew were rescued from imminent peril by Captain L. J. Hudson, 

[referred to as Captain S. S. Hudson in most accounts] of the schooner 

R. G. Porter, and safely conveyed to May’s Landing, on the coast of 

New Jersey. The steamer sunk in less than half an hour after the 

collision, which took place about twelve miles from land (Bache 

1861:1,10.44).

Other contemporary reports indicated that after Superintendent Bache received a 

telegram on June 21, notifying him that the Walker had sunk and twenty of the 

crew were missing, he immediately wrote to Guthrie, asking him to report the 

circumstances of the disaster. Guthrie wrote Superintendent Bache on June 23: 

It becomes my painful duty to report to you the loss of the U.S. Coast 

Survey Steamer “Walker” which was sunk at sea in five fathoms of 

water about six miles SE of “Absecum [sic] Light” on the coast of New 

Jersey, in consequence of being run into by a schooner - supposed to be 
25

the “Fanny” on the morning of the 21st of this month about 2:20 A.M...

Two of the boats were stove in and rendered useless by the collision, 

the two remaining ones were lowered, and many of the crew saved by 

this means, and the timely assistance of the “R. G. Porter” of Mays 

Landing, N. J., Capt. S. S. Hudson, who came to our assistance in this 

hour of need... I cannot withhold... profound regret for the melancholy 

fate of that portion of the crew who are still missing and who it is to be 

feared have found a watery grave. During this sad catastrophe the sea 

was running high and the wind very fresh... I need not add that the 

loss of my own professional reputation, necessarily incident to such an 

accident occasioned very slight regrets compared to the depths of 

sorrow I endure for the missing – and heartfelt sympathy entertained 

for the anxious and bereaved families and friends – I am sure you 

understand the workings of the heart sufficiently to render it 

unnecessary for me to essay to unfold mine in written terms...

Lieutenant Guthrie finished his letter with a request for Superintendent Bache to 

notify the Secretary of the Navy and “obtain for me a court of inquiry and 

investigation.” Bache replied to this letter on June 25: “I have telegraphed to 

request a detailed report of the circumstances of the disaster to the ‘Walker’ as the 

one now made gives no idea of the facts of the case...”

Guthrie responded with additional detail: 

... On the night of the 21st about 2:20 A.M., I was awakened by an 

unusual noise on deck, and my first thought was that the 1st officer 

was getting a cast of the lead, but soon after heard the Executive 

Officer tell someone to call the Captain – an officer came down and 

reported to me that the vessel was sinking – I went on deck and 

directed her to be headed inshore, and to give her all the steam speed 

possible, seeing Absecum Light distinctly – being about West – Nor. 

West – distant about nine miles... A schooner was near us, which I 

hailed and requested to keep by as we were sinking – soon after this 

the engineer reported the fires extinguished – and the water gaining 

very rapidly on us – I had previously sent men down in the coal 

bunkers to see if the leak could be stopped in any possible way – it was 

found to be impracticable – finding she must inevitably go down soon –

I directed the mainmast to be cut away – the boats to be lowered and 

some of the ladders to be towed astern for buoys – and also directed the 

quartermaster to get a cast of the lead – he reported five fathoms 

water – Soon after she sunk. It was found two of the boats had been 

crushed... the two remaining ones picked up what portion of the crew 

they thought they could carry in safety; Nothing was saved, except 

what was on and about the persons of those who were rescued – all the 

Note Books, Instruments, charts of the vessel etc. went down with her 
26

and as all the records are gone – I have to depend upon memory for the 

facts – all of which it is impossible to remember distinctly... 

Lieutenant Guthrie thought that the steamer might be raised or that the engines 

and machinery could be recovered. Guthrie was mistaken. The steamer had sunk in 

approximately 13 fathoms instead of the 5 fathoms that Guthrie initially thought, 

and was now thought to be about 12 miles offshore instead of the 5 to 6 miles 

reported. If there is any criticism of Guthrie, it is that he had no idea where his ship 

was when it was struck and also that he was not awake and on deck as his vessel 

had just passed the busy entrance to Delaware Bay and would be approaching 

progressively more congested waters as it approached New York City.

Lieutenant Guthrie's second letter seemed to appease Superintendent Bache. Bache 

wrote back on July 6, “If your desk could be procured containing the papers of the 

survey, it would be worth $2500 and if the engines or parts of it can be had it would 

help us materially.” Bache also advised Guthrie “to consult the District Attorney, 

for which I will pay, as to the propriety of libeling the Sch. Fanny, making in 

conjunction with Mr. Seawell’s statement of facts to him upon which he will ground 

his opinion.” After Superintendent Bache’s allusion to “libeling” the Fanny, there 

seemed to be little additional effort to conduct an investigation into the causes of 

the accident or the placing of blame. The advent of the Civil War pushed the affair 

out of the way, although some, including family, never forgot. A chronicle of coastal 

events noted in 1881:

In June, 1860, about three A.M., as Captain Sheppard S. Hudson, from 

Mays Landing, of the schooner R.G. Porter, was running before a gale 

off Absecon beach, he was startled by appalling cries of distress from 

drowning men, struggling the waves all around him. The United 

States Revenue [sic] Steam Cutter “Walker” had been sunk a few 

minutes previously by collision with the schooner Fanny. Captain 

Hudson, with great labor and risk to his own vessel, remained until he 

had rescued fifty-one out of seventy-one persons, and for this noble 

deed he has to this day received no token of regard, not even the 

thanks of our own Government (Brown 1881:62).

The career and fate of the last captain of Robert J. Walker is important to note. 

John Julius Guthrie (1815-1877) was born in Washington, North Carolina. He 

received an appointment to West Point but after a year transferred to the U.S. Navy

and served aboard USS John Adams before transferring to the USS Columbia in 

1838, where he served until 1842. Guthrie was an officer of great character and 

promise, and in 1842 was promoted to lieutenant and attached to the Sloop-of-War 

USS Warren. He then served on the USS Union (1844), the U.S. Schooner On-KaHy-e (1845-1846), and the U.S. Schooner Flirt (1846), with the Home Squadron 

during the blockade of Veracruz during the Mexican War. Guthrie then joined the 
27

crew of USS Brandywine (1847-1850). He also served on USS Saranac (1852-1853), 

and USS Levant (1855-1858).

While on USS Levant in the Far East, Guthrie captured a Chinese flag while 

fighting ashore when the U.S. briefly intervened in the Second Opium War and sent 

ships to protect U.S. lives and property. After a brief landing at Canton, which was 

unopposed and without incident, the retreating U.S. boats were fired upon. In 

retaliation, Levant, USS San Jacinto and USS Portsmouth attacked and silenced 

the Chinese forts protecting the entrance of the Pearl River, with landing parties 

encountering fierce resistance when they took the forts and spiked the guns. The 

U.S. suffered a loss of ten dead and 32 wounded, while the Chinese lost hundreds. 

Guthrie’s bravery under fire and his capture of the flag attracted favorable 

attention, especially in his home state of North Carolina.

Guthrie’s service also included time with the U.S. Naval Observatory in 

Washington, D.C. as a hydrographer, and with the Coast Survey, when he 

commanded Walker. Following his time on Walker, in which his 17-year-old son, 

John J. Guthrie, Jr., was a member of the crew (and survived), John Julius Guthrie 

was attached to the USS Saratoga as its executive officer on anti-piracy patrol. On 

April 21, 1861, as the Civil War commenced back at home, Saratoga captured an 

American slaver, the clipper Nightingale of Boston, off Kabenda Bay, forty miles 

north of the Congo on the west coast of Africa, and freed 961 slaves, landing them in 

Liberia. This was the last capture of a slaver by the United States’ African 

Squadron.

John Julius Guthrie (National Civil War Naval Museum 1999.0050.0002) 

When Saratoga returned home to Brooklyn Navy Yard, the war was underway, and 

Guthrie resigned his commission in the U.S. Navy on July 6, 1861. On July 13, he 
28

was appointed a 1st lieutenant in the Confederate States Navy. He served as 

commander of a floating battery at Island No. 10 on the Mississippi, and then 

briefly as the second commanding officer of the ironclad CSS Chatahoochee. 

Chatahoochee was disabled by a boiler explosion during Guthrie’s command, and 

his colleagues later criticized his actions following the accident, when he came on 

deck and instead of taking command decided instead to bless and administer the 

final rites to his dead or dying crew. Guthrie went on to a successful career as 

commanding officer of the government-owned blockade runner Advance, but was 

not on board when the steamer was captured in 1864. In 1865, back in his native 

North Carolina at war’s end, Guthrie applied for and received a pardon from the 

U.S. Government as a former Confederate officer.

In 1875, Guthrie returned to public service as the newly appointed Superintendent 

of the U.S. Life Saving Service’s Sixth Life-Saving District for stations just being 

built on the Outer Banks. On November 24, 1877, the USS Huron, en route to the 

Caribbean, stranded in the surf off Nag’s Head and began to batter apart with 132 

officers and crew. Hearing of the disaster, Guthrie joined the steamer B & J Baker, 

attempting to arrive in time to rescue as many as they could from the wreck. On the 

morning of November 25, they reached the wreck in heavy seas and launched a boat 

to reach shore and make contact with the survivors. The boat was caught in a heavy 

swell and capsized, killing Capt. Guthrie and four of the steamer’s crew. In all, 102 

people died, 98 of them Huron’s crew (Stick 1981:83). The ocean that had not 

claimed John Julius Guthrie when Walker sank on June 21, 1860, finally took him 

seventeen years later.

Remote Sensing Survey

(Pradith and Steinmetz)

While the general location of Robert J. Walker’s loss was known, the wreck was not 

relocated or salvaged, and an 1864 chart of the area does not mark it.
29

 

“Absecom Inlet, New Jersey,” 1864 (Rutgers University Special Collections) 

The wreck site has never been charted as a wreck, but in time became known to 

local captains and divers. Steinmetz notes that the wreck may have been wiredragged during World War II (Steinmetz 2013). 

A review of Chart 1108-A, a classified WWII chart, shows eight ship wrecks within 

a radius of approximately 10 miles from the site of the Walker (most inshore). The 

closest to the position below is that of an unknown wreck located at 39 14 45 N and 

74 23 00 W. This wreck was wire-dragged and cleared to a depth of 38 feet. The 

wrecks discovered in the vicinity are noted as items 595 to 601 and 233. Because of 

the relative proximity to shore, those wrecks listed as wire-dragged by the Coast 

Survey probably have navigational errors of less than a 1⁄4 mile and possibly 

significantly better. The navigation would probably have been by 3-point visual fix 

on known objects on land ( www.photolib.noaa.gov/bigs/cgs05499.jpg).

The charted obstructions in the area include the target wreck and others in an area 

of shoals. The AWOIS (Automated Wreck and Obstruction Information System) 

record for the site states it is an unknown wreck/obstruction and notes:

178 ANTHONY VRAIM, DIVERS; OBSERVED SUNKEN WWI 

FREIGHTER; LORAN-C 

9960-X-26929.10, 9960-Y-42939.30 (ASF CORRECTED) POS.39-13-

28.5N,74-17-17.25W.
30

Multibeam sonar data acquired by NOAA in 2004 roughly defined a wreck that was

approximately 40 meters (134 feet) in length, and while it did not appear completely 

intact, it did appear to be articulated – i.e. the bow, and stern more or less line up 

with the midships section. While the dimensions of the 2004 multibeam sonar 

image correlated closely to the Walker’s historically reported dimensions, the 

project sought to determine whether there were other shipwrecks in the vicinity.

This data was correlated by Vitad Pradith, who used reports provided by Joyce 

Steinmetz. Steinmetz’s data was culled from fishermens’ and divers’ database 

locations from her dissertation fieldwork. The information helped define a search 

area for an updated multibeam survey with higher resolution equipment than that 

available in 2004.

The NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson, working in the area on Hurricane Sandy-related 

surveys, was detailed to spend a day surveying the area believed to be where 

Walker sank. The survey area was selected based on Bache’s published statement 

in the Coast Survey annual report that the wreck was 12 miles southeast of 

Absecon Light. The basis for Bache’s determination is unsure, but it is assumed 

that it was based on the reports of Guthrie and Seawell. 

2013 Survey Area 
31

Pradith plotted the true SE bearing in 1860, using the NOAA National Geophysical 

Data Center’s magnetic field declination webpage (www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomagweb/#ushistoric) and geo-referenced the historic 1880 chart to the 2010 chart, 

utilizing the latitude/longitude grid on the perimeter of the charts. 

Given the probability that Site A was Walker, based on diver observations and the 

2004 multibeam image, high resolution scanning of Site A was the top priority. 

Using the 2004 survey position as an origin, the survey plan created concentric onemile and two-mile diameter search areas. Steinmetz’s research number was from a 

compiled commercial fishermen’s hang database. These snag locations are recorded 

in the fisherman’s pilothouse; the actual snag location would be the length of the 

fishing vessel from the GPS antenna to the snag on the sea bottom. This offset will 

vary with each length of fishing vessel and length of fishing gear. The fisherman’s 

wreck location and the 2004 survey location are 400 feet apart, almost parallel to 

the now defunct Loran grid lines, sometimes used by fishermen on autopilot to run 

bottom-fishing operations.

After adjusting for true SE in 1860, that location was used as an origin for 

concentric one-mile and two-mile diameter search areas. This area was titled the 

Bache area. The distance between the Site A location to the Bache location is 1.7 

nautical miles. Had the team not had knowledge of Site A from the sport diving and 

commercial fishing community, it would have taken a 4 nm diameter search area on 

the Bache position to find Site A; greatly increasing the survey time and resources. 

To the diver and fishermen’s locations, Pradith added AWOIS locations and plotted 

over the survey areas. This resulted in two major clusters, one at Site A and 

another just east of Bache’s location, with three outlier hang positions from 

Steinmetz’s research. This was an expected and welcomed result.

2013 Site Survey “Clusters” 

The survey plan was to ensonify the survey area with a high frequency (400kHz) 0.5 

x 1 degree multibeam echo sounder that would provide the science team with full 
32

bathymetric coverage of the seafloor. Target resolution (i.e. the ability to discern 

discrete objects) is dependent on various factors (e.g. range, angle, acoustic pulse 

length, and oceanographic conditions) but is conservatively estimated to be 30 

millimeters (mm) based on previous experience. The science team anticipated the 

ability to discern bathymetric features at a 30 mm resolution for this particular 

sensor. This represented an four-fold improvement in sensitivity over the 2004 data. 

The multibeam data was to be acquired at an opening swath angle of +/- 60 degrees 

to ensure high resolution detection using narrow beam widths with a bias toward 

amplitude detection. Additionally, minimal pulse lengths and power settings were

monitored to avoid oversaturation of the sonar. The post processing methodology 

was to reduce swath angles to +/- 45 degrees, and then apply attitude, sound speed, 

and water level corrections. NOAA hydrographers towed a 500 kHz high resolution 

side scan sonar simultaneously with the multibeam mapping operations to acquire

side scan sonar imagery. Both sensors were coupled with a GPS-aided inertial 

navigation sensor to provide high accuracy positioning and motion compensation.

Key aspects to be examined included the wreck’s orientation and placement in 

relationship to the nearby shoal. Key questions were:

1. Does the sonar indicate the level of structural intactness for the vessel?

2. What are the dimensions?

3. Is there evidence of dragging or displacement of structure?

4. Is the vessel in its original (sinking) orientation?

5. Is the vessel oriented in a position to be heading for shore?

The survey took place on June 21, 2013, the 153rd anniversary of Robert J. Walker’s 

loss, in conjunction with a shipboard memorial service and the lowering of a 

memorial wreath into the sea.

The side scan sonar was set to a 75 meter range scale and the multibeam echo 

sounder provided 100% full coverage, to match the objective of the survey to find the 

target of interest. This data should not be used for navigation. If significant features 

were found, the survey crew developed the feature with multibeam immediately. 

Data processing occurred aboard Thomas Jefferson close to real-time.

The outer ring of Site A and the Bache 1 nm diameter area did not contain any 

Walker-like vessels. In the Bache inner area, the only feature appears to be a spoil 

site of 90’ length by 58’ width by 6’ height. 
33

3D visualization of the feature found in the Bache area, measuring 90’ in length. It resembles a 

spoil-like area with the characteristics of a loose aggregate, such as coal or stone. 

For future study, in the south end of the outer Bache area, which was not surveyed 

this trip, AWOIS lists a sunken barge, which may be related to the feature. 

Site A, with the length of the wreck measured 
34

Site A with the maximum width of the wreck 

Site A, the only shipwreck located in the survey area, matched a number of key 

characteristics for Robert J. Walker. The higher resolution sonar allowed for 

discrete mapping and measurement of features such as length, which was defined 

at 131 feet. 

1) The wreck site is within 1.7 nm of Bache’s historical location.

2) The vessel heading, headed northwest towards shore and Absecon Inlet.

3) The vessel type, based on the observation of shaft-like structures spanning

top of the engine, indicated the wreck was a sidewheel steamer.

4) The boiler/engine configuration, with twin engines aft of a mass that was

indicative of the boilers’ placement.

5) The vessel length, 131 feet, closely matched Walker’s length. The maximum

width of 35.22 feet was approximate for Walker when sidewheel widths were

added, i.e. 24 feet, 6 inches + 12 feet = 38 feet, 6 inches. The port sidewheel

appeared to be partially missing in the sonar, which might account for the

three-foot difference.

6) The structure assumed to be a boiler or boilers had a width or length of 15.99

feet, and Walker’s boilers were 15 feet, 2 inches in length.

7) The one clearly visible paddle wheel hub width, as measured by sonar, was

six feet, which matched the reported width of Walker’s sidewheels.
35

With the sonar survey completed, and with an indication that Site A likely 

represented the wreck of Robert J. Walker, the next phase of diving observations, 

documentation and recording commenced on June 22-23. The sonar survey results 

and the coordinates for the wreck were then relayed to the Office of National 

Marine Sanctuaries Research Vessel SRVx, which was en route to New York in 

response to a request to locate the Hurricane Sandy toppled remains of an historic 

lighthouse swept off its base and into Long Island Sound. 

The SRVX crew, joined by a Maritime Heritage Program team of Tane Casserley, 

Russ Green, and Matthew Lawrence, ONMS Director Daniel Basta, and USS 

Monitor NMS Superintendent David Alberg, and working under the direction of 

Chief Scientist and ONMS Maritime Heritage Director James Delgado, conducted a 

day and a half of systematic dives to 85 feet to study, measure and photograph the 

wreck in an effort to identify it, and to assess its condition. Vitad Pradith joined the 

SRVX team, as did Office of General Counsel Intern Lydia Barbash-Riley, who was 

tasked with preparing the draft Environmental Assessment for the site if it was 

identified as Robert J. Walker. SRVx was commanded by Pasquale DeRosa and 

crewed by Steve Bawks and Todd Recicar. 

Work began with an additional high frequency (900 kHz) side scan sonar survey of the 

site. This side-scan sonar survey was run with slow, close spacing to better qualify 

features on the site, which included the bow and the machinery. Because of the slow 

speed and current, some of the images have distortion; nonetheless, key features 

were readily identifiable and a more discrete sense of the site was obtained.
36

In the left image, the bow is visible at the top of the picture, and the starboard side 

of the hull is visible emerging from the sediment. Sand or mud has mounded and 

obscured the port bow. Toward the bottom of the picture, a mass of machinery is 

visible, with structure rising above the seabed behind it. In the right image, the 

central machinery area is defined, despite distortion at the top of the picture, as two 

engines linked to a paddlewheel shaft with an upright wheel on the port side, and 

the hubs of the starboard wheel bare on the shaft, but with what may be sidewheel 

parts lying aft of the hub. The shadow of the starboard engine indicates a cylinder 

lying low and horizontally in the hull.
37

In this acrosstrack side-scan sonar image, the bow is visible to the right, displaced 

from the centerline and upright, with an exposed anchor lying aft of it. The port side 

of the hull is visible with lines of frames, curving aft to the port paddlewheel shaft 

and hub of the wheel. Inboard (and below) of the shaft and hub is the machinery

space, with the engines and the probable remains of the boilers. As the multibeam 

sonar also showed, sediment is encroaching on the wreck along the portside. 

There are vessel remains and structure lying inside the hull between the 

machinery and the bow.

In this acrosstrack view, the hull structure along the port side is better defined, and 

the vessel structure lying between the machinery and the bow is linear and 

suggestive of the boilers. The construction contract for Robert J. Walker noted that 

the hull plates were eight feet in length and 5/16th of an inch thick, double and 

single riveted with 10/16th of an inch headed rivets. The frames (ribs) were 10-lb. Tbar. The beams were 15-lb. T-bar. The ship had watertight bulkheads and coal 

bunkers made with 3/16th inch plate. 
38

Diving Observations 

Dives on the wreck on June 23 focused on the machinery and the forward areas of 

the wreck due to limited visibility and current. The dives confirmed that the wreck 

had the same variety, number, and dimensions of the engines as installed in that of 

Robert J. Walker, two horizontal, half beam, condensing engines of the “Lighthall 

Patent.” 

The Lighthall Lever Half-Beam Engine, patented on October 23, 1849 (Patent 6811) 

by William A. Lighthall of Albany, New York, is illustrated here:

Lighthall Patent Lever Half-Beam Engine as placed in a hull (U.S. Patent Office) 

The position and placement of two low, horizontal cylinders are a direct match for 

those on the wreck. The side-scan sonar image of the engines shows the same form

of the cylinder in shadow relief in the image on the left. The cylinders were divermeasured at 2 feet, 9 inches in diameter, which is the recorded dimension for 

Walker’s cylinders.
39

The entabulature for the paddlewheel shaft has collapsed, but all of the basic 

structural elements of the engine and the wheel mechanism appear to be in place on 

the wreck. Utilizing the patent drawing for the engine machinery, the following

images delineate features observed on the wreck. 

Lighthall’s Lever Half Beam Engine Patent, Side Elevation. “Steam cylinders (H) lying horizontally, 

may be inclined when so required, (K) the condenser, (L) the bed plate, (M) the air pump, (A-A) the 

pillow block fastened to the keelsons and bottom of the vessel, (B) the beam center, (C) the 

attachment to the piston or prime mover, (D) the upper center for “connecting rod” (E), (F) the crank 

pin, and (G) the shaft center.” (U.S. Patent Office) 
40 

This image shows the cranks on one engine. These cranks connected the crank pin 

(F) to the shaft center (G) on the engine patent drawings.

The crank connects in this image to the paddlewheel shaft with an eccentric; the 

entablature that supports the paddlewheel shaft lies tilted to port on the left side of 

the image.

The eccentrics are on the inboard 

edge of the entablature on each 

engine. 
41

The paddlewheel shaft, eccentric, and entablature are shown here, aligned in their 

original position on the starboard engine.

The starboard paddlewheel shaft terminates at three flanges that secured the 

paddle arms to the paddle shaft. Each flange was spaced three feet apart, indicating 

that the paddle floats were six feet long. These dimensions match the historically 

reported dimensions of Robert J. Walker’s paddlewheels. 
42

The hubs retain the broken stubs of the iron paddlewheel arms.

The collapsed remains of the boilers lie forward of the engines. The basic shape of 

the boilers is rectangular, however, few other characteristics were noted during the 

diving survey due to the boiler’s highly deteriorated condition. In addition to the 

form, the length, as noted in the sonar survey, is comparable with those of Robert J. 

Walker. 

Walker’s Boilers (Isherwood 1852) 
43

The vessel’s hull remains include its bow, which has toppled to the seafloor on its 

portside. The red outline defines the original location of the bowsprit.

One iron stock Admiralty Pattern anchor lies close in and partially beneath the 

bow, in what may be its stowed or “catted” position.
44

A second anchor of the same style lies aft of the bow.

The hull is comprised of iron plate attached to iron T-bar frames. This also conforms 

to the known characteristics of Robert J. Walker. The hull rises above the level of 

the seabed from the sediment on the port side, but disappears into the sediment aft 

of the engines and boilers on that beam. It is also largely buried by sediment on the 

starboard side. However, aft of the bow on the starboard side, a portion of the hull 

is exposed. The sediment in this area was disturbed, and in this area, coming 
45

out of the mud, were a number of blue woolen blankets. The blankets did not appear 

to be modern, and were in various stages of disintegration.

The blankets are tangled in the wreckage. The area in which they lie is where the 

schooner Fanny probably collided with Robert J. Walker; the lack of hull here may 

be indicative of the collision damage. A possible explanation for the blankets may be 

found in a contemporary account of the sinking:

Some of the men were sent down into the coal-bunker, where they 

found the water rushing in. They tried to stop the leak with beds and 

blankets, but found it impossible, as the hole was so large that they no 

sooner put a bed into it than it was carried through. In this way, one 

bed after another was lost in the effort. (Vincent 1860:558)

Conclusions 

The research design for this project outlined a series of questions to be addressed in 

the dives. 

1) Determine site integrity (is there evidence of dragging or displacement of the

hull?) How much is left of the vessel?

The wreck appears to be in its original position when it sank, aligned toward the 

shore and the Absecon Lighthouse, and resting slightly to port. There is evidence of 

bottom trawl fishing impacts having displaced or shifted the hull, and there is a 
46

degradation of hull structure which may be attributable to trawl net and other 

fishing gear impact. The vessel appears to have sunk by the bow, with the bow 

striking the bottom first and bending or breaking at the keel, leaving the bow 

oriented upward.

2) Is there any damage which might be attributed to the cause of the wreck? Is

there collision damage on the port bow?

There is a gap in the hull aft of the port bow. This, and the presence of the blue 

woolen blankets aft of it, in the area where the coal bunker was located and where 

one contemporary account speaks of the crew attempting to plug the hole with 

bedding suggests that this is collision damage and the cause of the sinking.

3) What is the length of the vessel?

As measured by sonar, the wreck is between 131 and 134 feet.

4) What is the beam of the vessel?

The beam could not be determined on this dive, but the overall width of the wreck 

at its maximum extent is just over 35 feet.

5) Can the depth of hold or draft be determined?

No. 

6) Are there sidewheels? What are their dimensions?

The vessel had sidewheels; surviving hub dimensions indicate a float length (width) 

of six feet, which matches Robert J. Walker’s. Diameter of the wheels could not be 

determined as the wheels have disintegrated.

7) Is there evidence of masts? If so, how many? What is/was their placement?

No evidence of masts was seen.

8) Is there evidence of a stack? If so, how many?

No evidence of stacks was seen.

9) What type of iron was used in the hull members? Are the frames T-bar or

another type? What are their dimensions?
47

Iron plate was used to form the hull, and it is affixed to iron T-bar. Dimensions 

were not obtained. 

10)What is the length and thickness of a hull plate(s)?

This could not be determined without excavation.

11)What type of rivets were used, and what is their size?

This could not be determined without excavation.

12)Are there portholes present in the hull? If so, what type are they? What are the

dimensions?

No portholes were observed on the site. Portholes removed from the site in past 

years conform to Robert J. Walker’s documented rectangular shaped deadlights.

13)Are there engines present? If so, what type of engine are they? How many are

there?

Two horizontal, half beam, condensing engines of the “Lighthall Patent” were 

observed on the wreck. This conforms to the engines of Robert J. Walker. 

14)What is their placement?

The engines were placed, side by side, midships and aft of the boilers. This conforms 

to the layout of Robert J. Walker’s engine room.

15)What is the diameter of the cylinder(s)? What is the shaft length?

The cylinder diameters are 2 feet, 9 inches. The shaft length is six feet. This

conforms to the engine dimensions of Robert J. Walker. 

16)How do the engines connect to the paddlewheel shaft?

The engines connect to the paddlewheel shaft by means of a crankpin and cranks, 

consistent with Robert J. Walker’s engine design.

17)Are there boilers present? If so, what type of boiler are they? How many are

there? What is their placement?

The collapsed remains of two rectangular boilers were observed forward of the 

engines. Their length of 15 feet is consistent with Robert J. Walker’s. 
48

18)Are cannon or cannon balls present on the wreck? If so, can the type/caliber be

determined?

No cannon or cannon balls were observed.

19)Are there any diagnostic artifacts on the wreck such as ceramics, glassware, or

other materials?

No diagnostic artifacts were observed.

20)Are any manufacturer’s marks evident or present?

No manufacturer’s marks were observed on any of the machinery.

In conclusion, more than sufficient evidence exists to confirm that the wreck at Site 

A is the United States Coast Survey Steamship Robert J. Walker, lost on June 21, 

1860.

Follow Up 

The wreck has been identified through site characteristics and diagnostic features 

and measurements.

The assessment of the wreck is a preliminary step in what should be a more 

detailed study of the site, and potentially, in time, a process of limited excavation to 

learn more about the ship. One area that would be a priority for study is the stern, 

which is buried in sediment. This area was the one in which the Coast Survey 

activities took place and where material evidence of survey equipment and material 

culture related to the survey personnel might be located. The area in which the 

woolen blankets are located is another area where limited testing and recovery of 

some of the blankets could take place.

The immediate next steps are to reach out to the New Jersey sport and wreck 

diving communities, and to the commercial fishing community. The identification of 

the wreck should be shared, as should the changed status of the wreck. Robert J.

Walker was not abandoned after its wreck, and is therefore still owned by the U.S. 

Government consistent with the laws and policies that apply to sovereign immune

public vessels. For example, the President’s Statement on the United States Policy 

for the Protection of Sunken State Craft explains how the U.S. Government retains 

title to all of its sunken vessels, “unless title has been abandoned or transferred in

the manner Congress authorized or directed,” regardless of the passage of time. 
49

As the U.S. Government owns Walker, laws regarding the protection and 

management of Government property apply, including, but not limited to: the 

National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (16 U.S.C. § 470); and laws regarding 

the destruction or theft of U.S. Government property (18 U.S.C. § 641 et seq.). 

Under the maritime law of salvage, public and private owners have the right to 

deny salvage. In addition, U.S. sovereign wrecks are immune from arrest under the 

law of salvage without the consent of the U.S. Government, and in this instance the 

Department of Commerce (DOC) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

(NOAA) as the management agency. As such, the law of salvage and authority of 

federal Admiralty courts may also provide protection of Robert J. Walker from 

looting and unauthorized salvage.

Robert J. Walker was managed by the U.S. Coast Survey when it sank. Since then, 

the wreck has neither been abandoned nor been designated surplus property by the 

United States. As the Coast Survey is now part of NOAA, DOC/NOAA is the federal 

agency that manages the Walker on behalf of the U.S. Government. Because 

Walker is a historic shipwreck, DOC/NOAA also has a responsibility under the 

NHPA to consider it for listing as a “historic property” on the National Register and 

to develop a plan for its management and preservation. NOAA will also prepare a 

National Register of Historic Places nomination for the wreck site. The wreck will 

be prominently marked on official U.S. nautical charts and other notices. NOAA 

will ask the fishing community to avoid trawling or dredging near it; NOAA will 

also work with others to avoid any activities that might harm the wreck site and 

therefore make it less of a diving attraction as well as an historic site.

NOAA will work with stakeholders, including the New Jersey wreck diving and 

fishing communities; the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Officer; the 

Department of the Interior; the U.S. Coast Guard; the National Marine Fisheries 

Service; the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; and other interested parties 

in developing a Programmatic Management Agreement under the National Historic 

Preservation and National Environmental Policy Acts. In order to collect baseline 

information for the development of management strategies and alternatives, NOAA 

intends to work closely with the wreck diving community on projects to map and 

document Walker in recognition of the community’s assistance in finding and 

identifying Walker, and its continued interest in diving the site, which will be 

maintained with no restrictions on non-intrusive access. 

It is not NOAA’s intention or plan to make the wreck site of Robert J. Walker a 

sanctuary, nor to require any permits to dive on the wreck. The public will continue 

to be able to dive the Walker to view and take pictures of the wreck so that it can be 

enjoyed by current and future generations of divers. There will be education and 

outreach about the history of the wreck site and how diving should be conducted in 

a manner that is respectful of the site as the final resting place and gravesite of 20 

crew members. Divers do not need permits to visit the Walker. However, in 
50

recognition of the Walker as a gravesite and historically significant wreck, the 

structure and artifacts should not be disturbed (as in moving or removing artifacts)

without NOAA authorization.

As a matter of policy and practice, in situ preservation – leaving artifacts in place – 

is the preferred option for preserving the wreck for the public interest in this wreck 

as a destination for diving and bottom fishing, as a memorial for the lives that were 

lost when it sank, and the archaeological and historical value of the site. See: NOAA 

Guidelines for Research, Exploration and Salvage of RMS Titanic, 66 Fed. Reg. 

18905, April 12, 2001 for guidelines on exploring and researching a shipwreck that 

is also a gravesite. As Walker rests at a depth of 85 feet in a mud hole, partially 

covered by silt, the wreck appears to be sufficiently preserved in situ while still 

accessible to the public.

NOAA’s management plan will facilitate continued diving and fishing activities in a 

manner consistent with historic preservation law and policy and to enhance the 

diving and interpretive experience. While in situ preservation is preferred and 

collecting Walker artifacts as “souvenirs” will not be authorized, NOAA is willing to 

cooperate in scientific research and recovery of artifacts for conservation, curation, 

and display in a museum open to the public done in compliance with the Federal 

Archeology Program (FAP) and the NHPA will be part of its management. See:

Curation of Federally Owned and Administered Archaeological Collections, 36 

C.F.R. 79. 

NOAA will reach out to local museums, beginning with the New Jersey Maritime 

Museum in Beach Haven, the Absecon Lighthouse Museum in Atlantic City, and 

the New Jersey Shipwreck Museum in Wall to investigate partnerships and 

exhibits on Robert J. Walker. Because Absecon Light was the intended final 

destination for Walker as the crew desperately tried to reach shore after the 

collision, and the wreck is closest to it, NOAA will work with the Absecon Light 

Museum to create a permanent memorial there to the twenty lost crew members of 

Walker, who currently have no memorial to mark their sacrifice in the line of duty.

There are a number of artifacts in the community in the possession of divers who 

have collected them from the wreck site in the past and before the identity of the 

wreck was known. Some of those recoveries, such as those of the rectangular 

portholes, were important clues in establishing the wreck’s identity. NOAA is not 

seeking any action against persons who recovered artifacts before the public knew it 

was U.S. Government property. NOAA recognizes that some divers and artifact 

collectors want to contribute to the scholarship of our nation’s maritime heritage 

through the artifacts in their possession. In regard to those artifacts, NOAA 

proposes that people can donate their Walker artifacts to NOAA for conservation 

and public display at one or all of the public museums in New Jersey. In addition to 
51

sharing the story of the Walker, this exhibit would recognize the role of wreck 

divers in locating and identifying the wreck as well as helping tell its story.

NOAA is not creating a permit system nor undertaking any actions that necessitate 

an Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act. 

However, NOAA will prepare an Environmental Assessment as a means to 

proactively assess the site and establish a baseline for understanding what any 

impacts might be, including any potential development by other agencies, Federal 

or State, on the site from dredging, energy development projects, etc.

In addition to this report, NOAA will continue to research the site and Walker’s 

history, working with the New Jersey wreck diving community as well as any and 

all other interested parties. NOAA’s genealogist, Lisa Stansbury, will work with the 

archives and other sources to better understand the life stories and family

connections, and to find modern descendants of those members of Walker’s crew 

who lost their lives and to share their stories with the public. NOAA will also foster 

the means for private divers to contribute to ongoing research through specialized 

training and using the results to provide 3D online maps, dive slates, etc.

The story of Robert J. Walker is an important one in the development of the United 

States and, in particular, ensuring safe navigation for those who work on the 

nation’s waters, and for the facilitated and safe flow of commerce by water. It is a 

story of innovation, of science at sea, and of long hours of service to the nation. It is 

also a story of those who paid the ultimate price for that service and devotion to 

duty.

Commander Lawrence Krepp, Lieut. Commander Chris van Westendorp, and Ensign Eileen Pye 

prepare to honor the lost crew of Robert J. Walker off the New Jersey coast on board the NOAA ship 

Thomas Jefferson on June 21, 2013. (NOAA) 
52

Acknowledgements 

The goal of remembering and memorializing the service and sacrifice of Robert J. 

Walker and its crew has been a long lasting goal of NOAA’s unofficial historian,

retired Captain Albert Theberge. This project would not have taken place without 

his commitment to that cause. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance and 

participation of Joyce Steinmetz and Timothy J. Runyan in focusing attention on 

Site A as the potential wreck site and for Joyce's detailed research. 

We also gratefully acknowledge the participation of those fishermen and divers who 

worked with Joyce Steinmetz, and in particular Captain Eddie Boyle. We also thank 

John Cloud of the NOAA Central Library for his support and research, Mark Mollan 

of the National Archives, and Dr. Robert Browning, the Chief Historian for the U.S. 

Coast Guard. The support and participation of Anna Gibson Holloway and David 

Krop from The Mariners’ Museum, in Newport News, is also gratefully 

acknowledged.

The support of the Office of Coast Survey and their partnership is gratefully 

acknowledged. The support of Rear Admiral Gerd Glang, Captain Jon Swallow, 

Commander Shep Smith, Jeff Ferguson, Matt Kroll, Dawn Forsythe, and Vitad 

Pradith made this project happen. 

Thanks are also due for the support afforded by Rear Admiral Michael Devany of 

the Office of Marine and Aircraft Operations and in particular Commander 

Lawrence Krepp and the crew and officers of the NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson who 

conducted on-site surveys. 

The support of the United States Coast Guard in this project is also gratefully 

acknowledged. Coast Guard Station Atlantic City in the Coast Guard’s Fifth 

District hosted SRVx . We thank Station Commanding Officer Commander K. 

Moore and his crew for their hospitality and assistance.

We also acknowledge the support and assistance of NOAA’s Office of General 

Counsel, International Law, notably Peter Oppenheimer, Ole Varmer, Lydia 

Barbash-Riley, and Chauncey Kelly.

The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries team, both on board the NOAA ship 

SRVX, and ashore, also made this project happen. Daniel J. Basta, Ted Lillestolen, 

Reed Bohne, David Alberg, Jeff Gray, Craig McDonald, Russ Green, Tane 

Casserley, Matt Lawrence, Pasquale DeRosa, Steve Bawks and Todd Recicar. 
53

The 2013 SRVx team on the dock at Atlantic City at the end of the Robert J. Walker mission. L to R: 

Steve Bawks, Lydia Barbash-Riley, David Krop, Vitad Pradith, David Alberg, Tane Casserley, Russ 

Green, Dan Basta, Matt Lawrence, Jim Delgado, Todd Recicar, and Pasquale DeRosa. 

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