AH-WR-1357

SS Antonio López

Merchant Steamship · Spain · Lost 1898 · Cuba & the Greater Antilles

A blockade-running Spanish transport shelled and burned off Puerto Rico, now the only known Spanish shipwreck of the war in U.S. waters.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Antonio López was a state-of-the-art Spanish steel-hulled steamer built for transatlantic passenger and mail service before being pressed into military transport duty. Attempting to run the American blockade of San Juan in June 1898 with badly needed artillery and supplies, she was chased down by USS Yosemite, shelled, and driven ashore near Dorado, where she burned. Her wreck is now a designated National Historic Landmark.

Vessel

Built: 1882
Builder: William Denny and Brothers
Yard: Dumbarton, Scotland
Material: Steel
Length: 384 ft
Beam: 42 ft
Tonnage: 3709
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Compañía Transatlántica Española

Loss

Date: June 28, 1898
Cause: Enemy action
Location: Ensenada Honda, near Dorado, Puerto Rico
Water: Caribbean Sea
Voyage: Cádiz, Spain → San Juan, Puerto Rico
Cargo: Military supplies, food, and twelve artillery pieces
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Reports describe several wounded but no confirmed deaths in the sources reviewed.
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Burnt-out hull remains on Angelina Reef off Mameyal Beach, Dorado.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: U.S. National Historic Landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places