AH-WR-1275

Minnie Breslauer

Cargo Steamer · United Kingdom · Lost 1873 · Bermuda

An English steamer that sank on her maiden voyage in 1873 off Bermuda's Horseshoe Bay, and whose salvage vessel was itself lost at the same reef.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Built in 1872, the steel-hulled steamer Minnie Breslauer was on her maiden voyage from Malaga to New York with wine, dried fruit, cork and lead ingots when her captain, unfamiliar with Bermuda's reefs, ran her onto the South West Breaker off Horseshoe Bay in early 1873. All 24 crew were saved, but the ship, though pulled free, sank before reaching repair. In a further twist, the salvage vessel Gleana, hired to recover her cargo, later broke free of her anchor during a storm and was wrecked at the same reef.

Vessel

Built: 1872
Builder: Not established
Yard: Portugal (built for English owners)
Material: Steel
Length: 300 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: January 1, 1873
Cause: Grounding
Location: South West Breaker reef, off Horseshoe Bay, South Shore
Water: Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda South Shore
Voyage: Malaga, Spain (via Portugal) → New York
Cargo: Wine, dried fruit, cork and 160-pound lead ingots
Aboard: 24
Lives lost: 0
Master: Captain Peter Corbet

The Wreck Today

Depth: 35-70
Condition: Bow broken and reef-encrusted in shallower water; stern with rudder, quadrant and four-bladed propeller intact in deeper water.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established