AH-WR-1188

San Luciano

Tanker/Freighter · Mexico · Lost Published accounts disagree: some record the loss as occurring 38 nautical miles north of Manzanillo on August 6, 1965, after striking submerged rocks; others state she sank at Manzanillo during a hurricane in October 1959. · Baja California & the Mexican Pacific

Once the British steamer Argyll, this iron-hulled tanker ended her days as the San Luciano, wrecked at Manzanillo and now a shallow, popular dive and snorkel site.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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 as the Argyll in 1892 at West Hartlepool, England, this iron-hulled steamer later became a Boleo copper company tanker based at Santa Rosalia, Baja California Sur, and was renamed San Luciano. She was lost in Manzanillo Bay, Colima, though published sources disagree on whether this happened during a 1959 hurricane or a 1965 grounding. Her remains still break the surface at La Boquita beach, drawing divers and snorkelers to the shallow wreck.

Vessel

Built: 1892
Builder: William Gray & Company
Yard: West Hartlepool, England
Material: Iron
Length: 320.3 ft
Beam: 40.7 ft
Tonnage: 2953
Propulsion: Triple-expansion steam engine, single screw
Owners: Naviera de Baja California, S.A. (previously Compania Minera de Santa Rosalia / Cia. del Boleo)

Loss

Date: Published accounts disagree: some record the loss as occurring 38 nautical miles north of Manzanillo on August 6, 1965, after striking submerged rocks; others state she sank at Manzanillo during a hurricane in October 1959.
Cause: Not established
Location: Manzanillo Bay (Santiago Bay), near La Boquita
Water: Pacific Ocean, Manzanillo Bay
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 15
Condition: Partially exposed above water at low tide; a well-known shore feature at La Boquita beach.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: La Boquita, Manzanillo Bay, Colima
Region: Baja California & the Mexican Pacific

Wreck lies close inshore at La Boquita beach; no surveyed decimal position located.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Sparsely documented (45/100)

The date and cause of the vessel's final loss are not settled in the sources reviewed; accounts conflict between an October 1959 hurricane and an August 6, 1965 grounding.

Hartlepool History Then & Now
Build details, ownership history, and the two conflicting fate accounts.
Manzanillo Sun (local history feature)
Local dive-site history and description of the wreck's condition.