&sq=&lang=&file=File:SS_Pacific_(1851).jpg) SS Pacific, from a drawing commissioned early in her career
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Pacific |
| Builder | William H. Brown, New York |
| Launched | September 24, 1850 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk after collision, November 4, 1875 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Steamship |
| Tonnage | 876 tons |
| Length | 223 ft (68 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft 6 in (10.21 m) |
| Decks | 2 |
| Installed power | 275 hp (205 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Capacity | 546 passengers |
| Crew | 52 |
SS Pacific was a wooden sidewheel steamer built in 1850 most notable for its sinking in 1875 as a result of a collision southwest of Cape Flattery, Washington. Pacific had an estimated 275 passengers and crew aboard when she sank. Only two survived. Among the casualties were several notable figures, including the vessel's captain at the time of the disaster, Jefferson Davis Howell (1846–1875), the brother-in-law of former Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The sinking of Pacific killed more people than any other marine disaster on the West Coast at the time.