During Prohibition, the steamship Manteo was involved in what was celebrated as the largest liquor bust at sea in Boston's maritime history up to that point.

The Raid and Seizure

The Manteo, a sizable coastal steamer operating along the Atlantic seaboard, was intercepted and boarded by federal customs officials and Boston harbor authorities.

The Smuggling Ruse: The ship's operators attempted to disguise the massive illicit cargo by labeling and manifests that claimed the vessel was transporting standard Atlantic freight, including fish, lobsters, meats, and canned goods. [1]
The Haul: Upon cracking open the cargo hold, authorities discovered over 1,000 cases of high-grade, assorted foreign liquors. The contraband was valued at the time at approximately $50,000 to $300,000 depending on retail vs. street value estimates (equivalent to millions of dollars today). [1, 2]

The Network Exposed

The bust went far beyond a typical shoreline interception. Because the Manteo was a legitimate commercial steamer rather than a small, anonymous "contact boat," the raid yielded a treasure trove of evidence:

High-Profile Arrests: The captain and over a dozen crew members were immediately taken into federal custody. The investigation quickly climbed the corporate ladder, leading to the arrest of the steamship company's president on federal charges of conspiracy to violate the customs laws. [1]
The "Black Book": Officers seized the ship's logging manifests and personal ledgers, which contained a massive distribution registry. The books revealed the names and locations of more than 1,000 undercover liquor dealers, rum-runners, and distribution agents operating across New York, New England, and Canada—effectively crippling a massive coastal syndicate. [1]

The Manteo bust proved that rum-running wasn't just a game for midnight speedboats; it had infiltrated mainstream commercial shipping lines to satisfy the massive demand of Boston's thriving underground speakeasy scene. [1, 2]

If you are researching this event for a project or family history, let me know if you would like to explore:

The legal aftermath and trials of the steamship executives.
How the Boston "Rum Row" network operated compared to other major coastal hubs.
Details on other famous local rum-running vessels of the era, such as the Cretan or the Black D