SS Colima
Steamship · Mexico · Lost 1895 · Baja California & the Mexican Pacific
A sudden gale drove this steamer onto a reef near Manzanillo in 1895, sinking her within minutes and killing most aboard, including her captain.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
SS Colima, under Captain D. E. Griffith, was driven by a sudden veering wind onto a coral reef near Manzanillo, Colima, on May 27, 1895. The hull was holed and the ship sank within about ten minutes. A falling mast killed the captain and two crewmen at the moment of impact, and contemporary press reported roughly 178 lives lost, with only one lifeboat confirmed to have escaped the suction of the sinking ship.
Vessel
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- Steam
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Loss
- May 27, 1895
- Storm
- Reef near Manzanillo, Colima
- Pacific Ocean, Manzanillo Bay
- Panama
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- Contemporary press reported approximately 178 lives lost; the captain and two crewmen were reportedly killed instantly when a mast fell as the ship struck.
- Captain D. E. Griffith
The Wreck Today
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Position
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- Manzanillo, Colima
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (55/100)
Build year, builder, dimensions, and tonnage of the Colima are not established in the sources reviewed here, and casualty figures vary somewhat between period accounts.
Berkeley Gazette, May 31, 1895 (via The Maritime Heritage Project)
Date, cause, captain, and casualty estimate for the loss of the Colima.
