AH-WR-1336

Cienfuegos

Passenger Steamship · United States · Lost 1895 · The Bahamas

A 292-foot iron passenger steamer ran aground on Eleuthera's Devil's Backbone reef in 1895, with every soul saved by local villagers.

Become Captain of Record

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Cienfuegos was an iron-hulled passenger steamship operating between New York and the Caribbean when she struck the Devil's Backbone reef off north Eleuthera in February 1895 during heavy weather. Local villagers carried out a rescue that saved everyone aboard. Her scattered iron hull, with a recognizable bow, engine, and boilers, remains one of the most-dived historic wrecks in the Bahamas.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Iron
Length: 292 ft
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: February 1, 1895
Cause: Grounding
Location: Devil's Backbone reef, Eleuthera Island
Water: Atlantic Ocean, off Eleuthera
Voyage: New York City
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 10-35
Condition: Iron hull collapsed and scattered; bow, engine, and boilers remain the most identifiable features.
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established