The Royal Tar: Fire, Survival, and Eastport’s Overlooked Connection

The side-wheel steamer Royal Tar is often remembered simply as the “circus ship” that burned off the coast of Maine in 1836. That description, however, is misleading. That familiar label has distorted both the purpose of the vessel and the larger story of the disaster.

Drawing upon eighteen years of archival, maritime, technical, underwater, and on-site research, Dennis Dorsey will explore Eastport’s significant but largely overlooked connection to the Royal Tar, a connection that began at the outset of the vessel’s story and continued through the aftermath of the disaster. The presentation will place Eastport’s role within the larger story of the vessel and its operation, its final voyage, the development of the fire, rescue efforts, the people and animals aboard, conflicting witness accounts, and the events that followed.

Dorsey will explain how historical records, maritime knowledge, technical analysis, underwater research, and field investigation were brought together to evaluate the surviving accounts of one of Maine’s best-known maritime tragedies.

Speaker biography:

Capt. Dennis Dorsey is the author of SJ23 Totality of the Circumstances: The Burning of the Royal Tar, 1836 and Director of DiveQuest Exploration. His investigative approach draws upon a 25-year career in law enforcement investigations that included evidence recovery and digital forensics, decades operating vessels and technical diving, including underwater research and shipwreck investigation.

Copies of SJ23 Totality of the Circumstances will be available for purchase and signing following the presentation.