Rita Zovetta
Steel-Hulled Cargo Steamer · Italy · Lost 1924 · Bermuda
An Italian steamer carrying manganese ore from the Black Sea that ran aground near St. David's Lighthouse in a 1924 storm while following a pilot boat.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Rita Zovetta, built in 1919 in Glasgow as the tanker War Gascon and later converted to carry dry cargo, was sailing from Poti on the Black Sea to Baltimore, Maryland under Italian ownership when she ran aground in heavy seas near St. David's Lighthouse, Bermuda, on 13 February 1924. She was following a Bermudian pilot boat through bad weather at the time. No lives were lost, and most of her manganese ore cargo was offloaded before she sank. The wreck, close to the nearby Pelinaion, was heavily salvaged for scrap metal after World War II.
Vessel
- 1919
- A. Stephen & Sons, Ltd.
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Steel
- 399 ft
- 52 ft
- 5107
- Steam
- Parodi & Accame, Genoa
Loss
- February 13, 1924
- Storm
- Off St. David's Lighthouse, Bermuda
- Atlantic Ocean off Bermuda
- Poti, Georgia (Black Sea) → Baltimore, Maryland
- Manganese ore
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 20-70
- Stern section and boilers relatively intact; wide debris field including prop shaft, engine, winches, and chains.
- Not established
- Not established
- Protected historic wreck site with a 500m no-fishing limitation, Bermuda Dive Sites program
Position
- 32.358° N 64.641° W
- Surveyed position
- St. David's Lighthouse, Bermuda
Position published by Bermuda's Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of Bermuda
Loss narrative, position, and salvage history.
Build history, conversion, dimensions, and tonnage.
