AH-WR-1376

Topolobampo

Steamer · Mexico · Lost 1922 · The Sea of Cortez

A Mexican steamer swallowed by treacherous tidal currents at the mouth of the Colorado River in 1922, one of Mexico's worst maritime disasters of the era.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

The steamer Topolobampo was en route toward Baja California when she was caught in the powerful tidal currents at the mouth of the Colorado River on 19 November 1922. Period newspaper accounts described the vessel as overwhelmed by the river's outflow meeting the sea, with heavy loss of life among well-known residents of Sonora and Sinaloa. Details of the sinking reached the public only gradually in the following days.

Vessel

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

Loss

Date: November 19, 1922
Cause: Storm
Location: Near the mouth of the Colorado River, northern Gulf of California
Water: Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez)
Voyage: Baja California
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Contemporary reports described roughly half the crew and passengers as lost, but a precise, confirmed figure is not established in the sources reviewed.
Master: Not established