Le Lyonnais vanished beneath the Atlantic depths in November 1856, but its story has resurfaced with a fresh discovery off Massachusetts. The ship did not capsize in a sudden storm or during a dramatic wreck; it sank after being struck in a fateful hit-and-run incident. As it sailed from the United States toward France, the French steamship collided with the U.S. sailing vessel Adriatic. The Adriatic sustained only minor damage and continued toward Gloucester for repairs, while Le Lyonnais, badly breached, could not persevere. Despite attempts to seal the hole, the damage worsened, and three days later the vessel sank. Of 132 passengers aboard Le Lyonnais, merely 18 survived.

The fate of the vessel was known, but the precise resting place of its wreck remained hidden for decades. In August 2024, a dedicated shipwreck hunting and salvaging team located the Le Lyonnais roughly 200 miles from New Bedford, Massachusetts. The team identified their target through several confirming details: a horizontal steam engine, iron hull plates, and, most decisively, a 57-inch engine cylinder that matched the ship’s records exactly. Jennifer Sellitti, a crew member and author of The Adriatic Affair: A Maritime Hit-and-Run off the Coast of Nantucket, notes that Adriatic Captain John Durham was later apprehended by French authorities and faced trial. Even with international interest, the sinking of Le Lyonnais faded from public memory as the Civil War began to unfold.