She is known for the terrible circumstances of her 1849 shipwreck, in which the captain and two officers left the sinking ship aboard the only lifeboat, leaving passengers and the rest of the crew to fend for themselves.

At one point during the crossing, Captain Shaw, son of the owner, had the passengers confined below to stop them coming up on deck during a storm so they would not impede the crew in working the ship.

[2] Hannah was transporting more Irish immigrants fleeing the famine from Warrenpoint and Newry[1] to Quebec City, when she sank in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Sunday, 29 April 1849,[3][4] resulting in, as well as can be ascertained, 49 deaths.

[5] The Hannah set sail from Newry, Ireland on Tuesday, 3 April 1849 with a crew of 12 under its 23-year-old master, Curry Shaw,[6] transporting mainly agricultural labourers and their families.

[5] According to the documentary Famine and Shipwreck, An Irish Odyssey, ship's doctor William Graham later accused Shaw of several times slipping into the bunks of unmarried young women during the voyage.

Captain Marshall compiled a slightly different list that includes ten passengers not found on the Guardian's tally and omits four that are.

"[10] However, according to Famine and Shipwreck, An Irish Odyssey, Shaw successfully defended himself by casting doubt on the testimony of Graham and others, and escaped punishment.

[4] Journalist Brian McKenna has produced another documentary of the incident called Famine and Shipwreck, An Irish Odyssey, which was broadcast on 17 March 2011 on CBC Television.