AH-WR-2014

Vizcaya

Passenger-Cargo Steamer · Lost 1890 · The New Jersey Coast

The Spanish liner Vizcaya sank off Barnegat in October 1890 after a collision with the schooner Cornelius Hargraves, bound for Havana; dozens died. Divers call her the Spanish Wreck.

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Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

The Compañía Transatlántica's iron steamer Vizcaya, built at London in 1872, left New York for Havana with merchandise and passengers under Captain Francisco Cunill. On October 30, 1890, about eight miles east of Barnegat Inlet, she collided with the schooner Cornelius Hargraves and sank. The museum records 69 lives lost. Divers know the wreck as the Spanish Wreck.

Vessel

Built: 1872
Builder: Not established
Yard: London, England
Material: Iron
Length: 287 ft
Beam: 38 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam (screw)
Owners: Not established

Loss

Date: October 30, 1890
Cause: Collision
Location: About 8 miles east of Barnegat Inlet
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: New York, New York → Havana, Cuba
Cargo: General merchandise
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: 69
Master: Francisco Cunill

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Not established
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: Not established
Accuracy: Position not established
Nearest: Barnegat, New Jersey
Region: The New Jersey Coast

No pin: the museum describes its positions as approximations.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)

Based on the New Jersey Maritime Museum's shipwreck database, compiled from newspapers, Life-Saving Service reports and books; those original records were not independently inspected.

New Jersey Maritime Museum — Shipwreck Database
Museum's compiled data sheet for this loss (dimensions, owner, master, voyage, crew, cargo, cause, lives lost).
The SandPaper — Desperate Struggle for Survival
Confirms the collision within sight of Barnegat Lighthouse on the night of 30 October 1890; both vessels sank in 45 feet.