SS Helene
Inter-Island Steamer · United States · Lost 1929 · The Hawaiian Islands
A retired Hawaiian inter-island steamer, sister to the SS Maui, deliberately scuttled off Oahu in 1929 and later found intact in deep water by research submersible.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
Helene was built in 1897 for the Wilder Steamship Company to carry passengers, cattle, and freight between the Hawaiian Islands, later joining the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company fleet. After more than three decades of service, she was retired and scuttled off Oahu in 1929 along with two other aging steamers. The wreck was rediscovered intact in 2004 by the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory at a depth of roughly 505 meters, her hull and engine well preserved.
Vessel
- 1897
- Union Iron Works
- San Francisco, California
- Steel
- 170.6 ft
- 30.8 ft
- Not established
- Steam, triple expansion, single screw
- Wilder Steamship Company, later Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company
Loss
- October 8, 1929
- Intentional sinking
- South of Oahu, Hawaii
- Pacific Ocean, off South Oahu
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Not established
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 1657 ft
- Hull intact on the seabed; superstructure and funnel gone, triple-expansion engine and bow fittings visible.
- Not established
- 2004
- Not established
Position
- 21.43° N 157.97° W
- General area only
- South shore of Oahu, Hawaii
General area only: coordinate of the island of Oahu from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel ("South of Oahu, Hawaii"), not a surveyed wreck position.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (75/100)
Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL), University of Hawaii
Build details, disposal history, wreck survey findings.
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Oahu, HI
coordinate of the named place of loss
