PODCAST: The Adriatic Affair - Finding the 1856 Le Lyonnais Wreck

The Fascinated by Shipwrecks Podcast, hosted by Kathy A. Smith, is dedicated to the People & the Science of Maritime Archaeology.

• The Adriatic Affair: Finding the 1856 Le Lyonnais Wreck
  • “Of the people on the ship, 114 died and only 18 survived. Those that did lived through extraordinary conditions in the North Atlantic. Storms. Dehydration. Starvation. Bitter, freezing temperatures until they were eventually rescued by a passing ship.” - Jennifer Sellitti

On November 2, 1856, the French passenger steamship, Le Lyonnais, sank after colliding with the American sailing vessel Adriatic off the coast of Nantucket.

Just 18 of the 132 people aboard survived, enduring horrendous conditions before being rescued. The tragedy sparked a trial of Adriatic’s captain Jonathan Durham who left the scene without rendering assistance. In 2024, Atlantic Wreck Salvage team members, co-led by Jennifer Sellitti, found the ship, the story of which is the subject of her book: The Adriatic Affair: A Maritime Hit-and-Run Off the Coast of Nantucket.

In this episode, host Kathy A. Smith talks with Sellitti about how she went from an attorney-by-day shipwreck layperson to becoming a diver and U.S. Coast Guard captain who has helped lead several Atlantic Wreck Salvage’s shipwreck investigations;