For nearly 170 years, Le Lyonnais lay at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, though no one knew exactly where. Until last month, when a dive team found its wreckage about 200 miles off the Massachusetts coast.
“We always have kind of a list of ships that we’re looking for, but this one became a passion project for us over the last eight years,” Jennifer Sellitti said.
Sellitti, 50, and her partner, Joe Mazraani, live in New Jersey, where they are “lawyers by day and shipwreck hunters on the weekend,” operating Atlantic Wreck Salvage LLC and the vessel D/V Tenacious, Sellitti said.
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The team from Atlantic Wreck Salvage prepared for a dive. From left were Tim Whitehead, Tom Packer, Eric Takakjian, Jennifer Sellitti, Joe Mazraani, and Andrew Donn.Atlantic Wreck Salvage LLC
Sellitti, formerly a staff attorney for the Committee for Public Counsel Services in Massachusetts, became interested in Le Lyonnais in 2016 after she asked Mazraani to suggest a missing ship she could look into.
“I very quickly just became obsessed with this ship, and her story,” she said. “And every little piece of information I uncovered was this sort of this unraveling of what really is an incredible story about this collision.”
Contemporary accounts describe an avoidable tragedy. Different reports include varying numbers of people on board, but Sellitti’s research indicates 114 of 132 passengers and crew members died.
An 1856 report in The New York Times said the collision took place “in a thick fog.” The Adriatic’s captain, Jonathan Durham, initially expected Le Lyonnais would miss his ship, but after a light on the Adriatic was accidentally snuffed and relit, he saw that Le Lyonnais “had changed her course and was coming directly toward the [Adriatic].”
The Times report said Le Lyonnais kept going after the collision “and was almost immediately out of sight in the fog.” Durham told the Times his crew “hailed the steamer, and requested them not to leave us, but received no answer.”
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After those aboard Le Lyonnais abandoned ship for lifeboats and a makeshift raft, the “weather was very rough, and the hapless voyagers suffered terribly,” according to The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser of New South Wales, Australia.
“They encountered several severe snowstorms, and were short of water,” the paper reported, according to survivors’ accounts. “They had claret, bread and preserved meats. They were beaten about six days, until the afternoon of the 9th (Sunday), and two of their number (passengers) died during this terrible interval.”
The Adriatic, which had been bound for Savannah, Ga., instead went to Gloucester, Mass., for repairs, arriving“in distress” on Nov. 4.
Durham was later apprehended in France and put on trial there for the collision, according to Sellitti, who has written a forthcoming book called “The Adriatic Affair: A Maritime Hit-and-Run off the Coast of Nantucket.”
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Joe Mazraani wiped away sand to reveal a “deadeye” used as part of Le Lyonnais’s sail rigging.Andrew Donn
To find Le Lyonnais, the team combined what Sellitti learned from her research with information about anomalies on the ocean floor, which initially came from speaking with fishermen who work in the area, she said. Later, the team used sonar to scan the depths and then began diving toexplore the unknown bumps and masses they were finding.
“A shipwreck so old is like a needle in a haystack,” Sellitti said. “Back in the 1800s, they measured speed by dropping a rope with knots into the water. That’s where we get the name ‘knots’ from. They used stars for navigation. . . . They didn’t report positions the same way modern ships report positions.”
Assisting in the search was Captain Eric Takakjian, who had begun looking for Le Lyonnais almost a decade earlier. Takakjian said the ship is significant because it comes from a transitional period in seafaring.
“Her iron hull construction methods represented some of the earliest examples of that type of hull construction for oceangoing ships known to exist,” he said in a statement. “Similarly, her propulsion machinery is unique in that it represents one of several engine designs that were tried before precedents were set on ocean steamship machinery.”
The search required Mazraani and Sellitti to rebuild their boat so it could travel greater distances and involved painstaking scans of the ocean floor, which the team called “mowing the lawn.”
Last month, their dive crew spent five days in the water examining a handful of potential wreck sites, “and one of those turned out to be it,” Sellitti said.
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“I wish I could say there’s one ‘aha’ moment,” she said. “This was a lot of little things that were adding up.”
A portion of Le Lyonnais’s engine cylinder.Andrew Donn
The crew found portholes consistent with 1850s shipbuilding and other promising wreckage, but Sellitti became convinced they had found Le Lyonnais when they examined the steam engine cylinder, a type that was used only briefly and measured 57 inches — the size records showed for Le Lyonnais’s engine.
Then, during Mazraani’s final dive on Aug. 25, he found rigging that showed the ship had sails as well as the engine, Sellitti said.
“That was when we felt like we could say to the world that we had found it,” she said.
Sellitti and Mazraani aren’t revealing the ship’s exact position because they plan to continue dives and hope to learn more about the ship’s final hours from the debris.
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“We’re going to have years of exploring this,” Sellitti said. “Once storms come over the winter, they might bury parts of it and expose other parts of the wreck. So we’ll be going back every summer to continue to document it and explore it.”
Joe Mazraani, Eric Takakjian, and Tom Packer reviewed video of the ocean floor between dives.Atlantic Wreck Salvage LLC
Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. Follow him @jeremycfox.
Seatbelt usage in Massachusetts increased in 2025 for the third consecutive year, “marking the state’s highest seat belt usage rate on record,” officials said in a release this week.
The annual Massachusetts Safety Belt Observational Study found belt usage rate of 85.53 percent among the state’s drivers last year, up from 84.36 percent in 2024 and 80 percent in 2023, according to the Healey-Driscoll administration.
The increase in seatbelt usage last year corresponded with a lower rate of fatal crashes, with 342 reported in the state in 2025 compared to 364 in 2024, said a statement from the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security on Monday.
“We know that seat belts save lives, and it’s so important that seat belt usage continues to increase every year in Massachusetts,” said Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat, in the statement. “We’re grateful for the hard work of our partners in transportation, public safety and local governments to enhance safety on the roads for us all.”
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The governor’s words were echoed in the statement by her number two, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll.
“Whether you’re a driver or passenger, one of the most important things you can do to protect your safety is to buckle your seat belt,” Driscoll said. “This study shows that we’ve made progress in increasing the safety of road users.”
The annual study is required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to the statement, which said seat belt usage in Massachusetts has increased by more than 10 percent since 2015.
“Everyone has a role to play in keeping our roads safe, and wearing a seat belt is one of the simplest steps we can take to protect ourselves and the people we care about,” said Gina K. Kwon, the state’s public safety and security boss, in the release.
“When drivers and passengers buckle up every time, they help prevent serious injuries and make travel safer for families and communities across the Commonwealth,” Kwon said.
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Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.
The long-awaited hydropower line delivering electricity from Québec to New England is expected to be running in January after years of hurdles and delays, the company Hydro Québec stated.
“We have been actively testing the line and the transformers for the past several weeks and are making good progress,” a spokesperson for Hydro Québec said, adding the teams were actively working on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border and “expect to be ready begin energy deliveries in January.”
The New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) transmission line, initiated nearly in 2017 under the Baker administration and under construction since 2021, is set to deliver 1,200 megawatts of hydropower from Québec to New England over 20 years, becoming one of the largest sources of baseload power in the region.
Avangrid, the company behind the NECEC, announced in November it had secured the final permit to get the power line running after years of regulatory and legal hurdles. The company estimated the line would be running by the end of 2025 at the time.
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The project to bring Canadian hydropower to the New England power grid, estimated to cost about $1 billion, is expected to provide Massachusetts with approximately 20% of it overall electricity.
The clean energy line will deliver about $3 billion in net benefits to Massachusetts residents paying for electricity, including “reducing in ratepayer bills by around $50 million each year,” state officials said.
“This transmission line will deliver affordable, stable power from our partners in Canada to our residents and businesses,” Gov. Maura Healey said in November. “More energy means lower costs. The NECEC line is a key part of our all-of-the-above approach to lowering energy costs and delivering the power our economy needs.”
On average, officials estimated, residents can expect to save $18 to $20 a year over the contract term.
Avangrid said the project will cut carbon emissions by 3.6 million metric tons a year, “the equivalent of removing 700,000 cars from the road.” The hydropower source is expected to be “key to energy reliability in the winter” as demand grows, state officials said, and evening energy prices effected by the volatility of natural gas.
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The line cleared a closing legal hurdle in January 2025 when the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities agreed to a settlement with electric utility companies, the AG’s office, energy department and Central Maine Power approving project costs.
The clean energy project updates come weeks after the Trump administration dealt a blow to wind power projects across the U.S., including the Vineyard Wind farm off the coast of Nantucket delivering energy in New England.
New England Sports Network (NESN) on Monday announced that Boston Red Sox broadcast leaders Tom Caron and Dave O’Brien have been named 2025 Massachusetts Co-Sportscasters of the Year by the National Sports Media Association (NSMA).
Caron and O’Brien serve as the cornerstone voices of NESN’s Red Sox coverage, leading the network’s studio and game productions, respectively. Together, they anchor NESN’s comprehensive Red Sox broadcasts, delivering in-depth analysis, trusted storytelling and championship-caliber coverage to fans across New England.
“Tom and Dave represent the gold standard of sports broadcasting,” said David Wisnia, President & CEO of NESN. “Their credibility, storytelling, and deep connection to Red Sox fans elevate every broadcast. This recognition by NSMA is a well-deserved honor and a reflection of their impact on New England sports media.”
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This recognition continues NESN’s tradition of broadcast excellence, following Jack Edwards’ selection as the 2024 NSMA Massachusetts Sportscaster of the Year for his work as the play-by-play voice of the Boston Bruins.
Tom Caron joined NESN in 1995, recently celebrating 30 years with the network. For the past 24 seasons, he has been a central figure in NESN’s Red Sox coverage, serving as the network’s first baseball sideline reporter before becoming host of the Red Sox pregame and postgame shows during the club’s historic 2004 championship season. In addition to leading NESN’s Red Sox studio programming and hosting the “310 To Left” VODcast, Caron has served as studio host for Boston Bruins hockey and as play-by-play announcer for premier New England college hockey events, including the Beanpot Tournament and Hockey East Championship. A nine-time New England Emmy Award winner, Caron was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2021 and is deeply involved in numerous charitable organizations throughout the region, including serving as Co-Chair of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund.
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Dave O’Brien has served as NESN’s primary play-by-play voice of the Red Sox since 2016, following nine years with the Red Sox Radio Network. In addition to leading NESN’s game broadcasts, O’Brien is also the lead play-by-play announcer for college football and basketball on ESPN’s ACC Network. His career includes Major League Baseball postseason broadcasts, international World Series coverage, and play-by-play roles with the Florida Marlins, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves. A Boston native, O’Brien is a recipient of multiple national and regional broadcasting honors and is widely respected as one of the sport’s premier voices.
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The National Sports Media Association annually recognizes excellence in sports media across the country, honoring broadcasters who demonstrate outstanding professionalism, longevity, and impact in their markets.
About NESN NESN is consistently one of the top-rated regional sports networks in the country with award-winning Red Sox and Bruins coverage, and recently named RSN of the Year by Cynopsis. NESN and NESN+ are delivered throughout the six-state New England region and are available anytime, anywhere, on any device on the NESN 360 app via direct subscription or TV authentication. The network is also distributed nationally as NESN National. NESN’s free ad-supported streaming (FAST) channel, NESN NATION, offers 35+ hours of weekly live and original programming, including exclusive sports content, interviews, and behind-the-scenes features, available on Samsung TV Plus, Prime Video, Roku, LG, Twitch, Plex, and TCLtv+. NESN.com is one of the country’s most visited sports websites with dedicated digital video production and always-on news coverage. NESN’s social responsibility program, NESN Connects, is proud to support and connect its employees with charitable organizations in the Greater Boston community. NESN also manages SportsNet Pittsburgh, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates for all regionally televised games in and around Pittsburgh, as well as other local sports content. NESN is owned by Fenway Sports Group (owners of the Boston Red Sox) and Delaware North (owners of the Boston Bruins).
