Valbanera
Passenger Steamer · Lost 1919 · The Florida Keys
The Spanish liner Valbanera vanished in the 1919 Florida Keys hurricane after being turned away from Havana; all 488 aboard died.
Become Captain of Record
The Vessel and Her Loss
The 400-foot Pinillos Line steamer Valbanera sailed from the Canary Islands in the summer of 1919 with 1,142 passengers, mostly emigrants to Cuba, and 88 crew. After 749 passengers left at Santiago de Cuba on September 5, she reached Havana as the Florida Keys hurricane struck and could not enter port, signalling she would ride out the storm at sea. She was never heard from again. All 488 aboard died — the deadliest loss of that hurricane.
Vessel
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- Steel
- 400 ft
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- Steam (screw)
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Loss
- September 12, 1919
- Storm
- Florida Straits, during the 1919 Florida Keys hurricane
- Straits of Florida
- Santiago de Cuba → Havana, Cuba
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- 488
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The Wreck Today
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Position
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- Position not established
- Key West, Florida
No pin: no surveyed wreck position in the sources used.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Sparsely documented (50/100)
Based on a published secondary account; original records were not independently inspected.
Article narrative of construction, voyage and loss (secondary summary of cited books and newspapers).
NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary — Valbanera
Confirms loss in the 1919 hurricane west of Key West with all 488 aboard.
