Iristo
Cargo Steamer · Norway · Lost 1937 · Bermuda
A Norwegian freighter that mistook the wrecked Cristobal Colon for a moving ship in 1937 and followed her onto the same reef system.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in Ohio in 1918 and sailing under several names before becoming the Norwegian steamer Iristo, the ship was carrying gasoline, flour and heavy equipment from Newfoundland to Bermuda in March 1937 when her captain, unfamiliar with local waters, mistook the previously wrecked liner Cristobal Colon for a vessel under way and followed her course onto a reef near North Rock. A tug pulled her free, but she took on water and sank a mile off the North East Breakers before reaching port. She is often called 'Aristo' locally, after a misspelling in a New York Times report.
Vessel
- 1918
- Not established
- Lorain, Ohio, United States
- Steel
- 250 ft
- 43.5 ft
- 1821
- Steam, single screw
- Norwegian owners (acquired 1935)
Loss
- March 1, 1937
- Navigational error
- Near North Rock, one mile east of the North East Breakers
- Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda reef platform
- St. John's, Newfoundland → Bermuda
- 200 barrels of gasoline, flour, a fire engine and a steamroller
- Not established
- 0
- Captain Christian Stephensen
The Wreck Today
- 50 ft
- Stern lies within about 20 feet of the surface.
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 32.479° N 64.657° W
- Surveyed position
- North Rock, Bermuda
Position from the Bermuda Government's Historic Wreck and Mooring Locator dataset.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Bermuda 100 Project, UC San Diego
Vessel history, loss narrative, captain's identity.
Government of Bermuda Historic Wreck and Mooring Locator
Coordinates, year sunk, length, depth.
