Arabia (steamboat)

History
United States
NameArabia
OwnerCaptain William Terrill and William Boyd
OperatorWilliam Terrill
RouteOhio River, Mississippi River, and the Missouri River
Way numbered
Laid down1853
Out of serviceSeptember 5, 1856
IdentificationIn 1897, there was an 'expedition' to the buried ship to recover a large amount of whiskey reported to be onboard. The caisson used during this excavation was left in place and recovered during the 1988 excavation.
FateSank after hitting tree snag.
General characteristics
Class and typeRiver excursion paddle steamer
Tonnage222 grt
Length171 ft (52 m)
Beam29 ft (8.8 m)
Installed power1 25,000 boiler
Propulsion2 28 ft (8.5 m) paddlewheels
Speed5 mph (8.0 km/h)
CrewApproximately 30

The Arabia is a side wheeler steamboat that sank in the Missouri River, on September 5, 1856, when it was gored upon a submerged tree snag. It was rediscovered in 1988 by a team of local researchers in what became Kansas City, Kansas. Its recovered artifacts are housed in the Arabia Steamboat Museum.