AH-WR-0802

La Jenelle

Passenger Liner · United States · Lost 1970 · Southern California & Catalina

A former Puerto Rico passenger liner, famous for a wartime rescue at sea, was finally lost in a 1970 gale off Port Hueneme.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Launched in 1930 as the Borinquen, this liner ran between New York and Puerto Rico and served in multiple World War II theaters. As the Bahama Star under Eastern Steamship Lines, she took part in the 1965 rescue of nearly 400 people from the burning Yarmouth Castle. Renamed La Jenelle, she was anchored outside Port Hueneme in April 1970 when a gale drove her onto the beach, a total loss.

Vessel

Built: 1930
Builder: Bethlehem Shipbuilding
Yard: Quincy, Massachusetts
Material: Steel
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam turbine
Owners: New York and Puerto Rico Steamship Company; later Eastern Steamship Lines

Loss

Date: April 13, 1970
Cause: Storm
Location: Outside the harbor at Port Hueneme, California
Water: Pacific Ocean
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 2
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Remains visible near shore for years after grounding
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 34.15° N 119.20° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Port Hueneme, California
Region: Southern California & Catalina

General area only: coordinate of Port Hueneme from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel (outside the harbor at Port Hueneme), not a surveyed wreck position.