List of shipwrecks of North America

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This is a list of shipwrecks located in or around North America, within the territorial waters of countries which for political purposes are considered a part of the North American continent, including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, and the island nations of the Caribbean.

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Bermuda[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
	March 1877	A fishing sloop that was wrecked on the northern reefs.
	February 1890	A schooner that was wrecked on the reefs en route to Nova Scotia.
	February 1894	A brigantine that was wrecked on Mills Breakers.
	25 April 1873	A cargo ship that ran aground on Mills Breakers and was abandoned after several unsuccessful salvage attempts.
	2 December 1920	A schooner that was wrecked on the southwest reefs.
	17 May 1818	A brig that was wrecked on a reef en route from England to Baltimore.
Caraquet	25 June 1923	A mail steamship that was wrecked on the northern barrier reef.
	21 February 1783	A fifth-rate warship that was lost at Castle Harbour.
Collector	26 May 1823	A schooner that was wrecked northeast of St. George's.
	June 1943	A luxury yacht that was wrecked on Mills Breakers in severe weather.
	30 July 1942	A schooner that was wrecked on a reef with a cargo of drugs, cement, and whiskey, an incident which inspired the novel and film The Deep.
	25 October 1936	An ocean liner that ran aground on a reef, becoming Bermuda's largest shipwreck.
	17 March 1856	A barquentine that was wrecked on the northern reefs.
	22 February 1886	A steamship that was wrecked on the Western Reef.
Eagle	12 January 1659	A merchantman that was wrecked on the northeast breakers.
Elda	20 June 1956	A yacht that was wrecked close to the Eagle.
"Frenchman wreck"	c. 1750	An unidentified ship, wrecked around 1750; found in 1983.
	1984	An American ship that was scuttled as a dive wreck one mile off shore.
	3 December 1838	A frigate that was wrecked on a reef in rough weather.
	11 January 1752	A sloop that foundered in a series of storms and was wrecked on the rocks at Hogfish Cut.
	16 March 1937	A Norwegian steamer also known as Aristo, that grounded after mistaking the Colon wreck for a ship still underway. She was recovered from the reef, but sank under tow the following day.
	30 November 1878	A British steamer that struck a reef and was run aground to prevent her from sinking.
HMS Katherine	4 April 1763	A brigantine that was wrecked en route to Jamaica.
	1984	An American tug that was scuttled as the first intentionally created dive site in Bermuda.
	14 December 1879	A cargo ship that ran aground near Western Blue Cut, after just five years of operation.
	16 February 1778	A British armed transport and hospital ship that was wrecked on the western reefs.
	10 February 1903	A passenger steamer, formerly the Balmoral Castle, that struck a reef near Hamilton Harbour.
"Manilla wreck"		An unidentified ship, wrecked mid-18th century.
	13 September 1864	An American Civil War blockade runner that struck a reef while being piloted by a Bermudian, and sank within eight minutes.
	18 July 1777	A Spanish privateer that was wrecked on the reefs, and discovered in the early 1960s.
	1 January 1873	A cargo ship that ran aground on the reefs, and although later recovered, sank en route to St. George's.
Montana	30 December 1863	An American Civil War blockade runner that hit a reef off the north shore.	32°21.817′N 64°54.812′W / 32.363617°N 64.913533°W / 32.363617; -64.913533 (Montana (ship))
	7 February 1926	A Bermudian fishing ketch that was wrecked on the western reefs.
	1 January 1880	A barque that was wrecked south of Gibs Hill Lighthouse.
	22 December 1940	A Greek steamer that was wrecked off David's Head.
Pollockshields	1915	A cargo ship, formerly the Herodot, that was wrecked near Elbow Beach.
		A Canadian yacht that was wrecked in 1967, refloated for salvaging, and re-sunk near the Royal Naval Dockyard.
	13 April 1889	A cargo ship that caught fire and sank following a storm.
	12 September 1621	A Portuguese nao that was wrecked on the west reefs, and discovered in 1960.
	1595–1596	A 350-ton Spanish ship that was wrecked to the north of the main island, and discovered in 1951. Valuable treasures and artifacts have been raised, including a 32-ounce gold bar, two smaller gold bars, and an emerald-studded gold cross.
Sea Venture	25 July 1609	An English ship that was deliberately grounded after taking damage in a storm, and subsequently broke up and sank.
	24 November 1920	A Norwegian steamer that was wrecked on the northern reefs.
	26 March 1661	A passenger and cargo ship that ran aground off Sonesta Beach.
HMS Vixen	1896	A coastal defence ship that was scuttled as a blockship off Daniel's Head.	32°18′21.31″N 64°53′7.88″W / 32.3059194°N 64.8855222°W / 32.3059194; -64.8855222 (HMS Vixen (1865))
	November 1619	An English cargo ship that was sunk in a gale in Castle Harbour.
Wychwood	14 August 1955	An English steamer that ran aground off Gibs Hill Light. The ship was refloated but then abandoned at Five Fathom's Hole, and later blown up as a hazard to navigation.
	13 February 1924	A cargo ship, also known as Zovetta or Rita Zovetto, that ran aground off St. David's Light.

Canada[]

Caribbean[]

Bahamas[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
USS Adirondack	23 August 1862	A sloop-of-war that struck a reef off Man-O-War Cay.
HMS Algerine	20 May 1813	A schooner that was wrecked on the Little Bahama Bank.
USS Chippewa	12 December 1816	A brig that ran aground on a reef.
HMS Conqueror	13 December 1861	A Conqueror-class ship of the line that was wrecked on Rum Cay.
USS Courier	14 June 1864	A storeship and gunboat that ran aground in the Abaco Islands.
SS El Faro	1 October 2015	A cargo ship that was sunk by Hurricane Joaquin near Crooked Island.
MS Logna	16 October 1982	A cargo ship that was scuttled as a dive site and artificial reef about two miles offshore of Xanadu Beach Resort & Marina, Grand Bahama; known as "Theo's Wreck".
HMS Nimble	4 November 1834	A schooner employed in anti-slave trade patrol until it struck a reef in the Old Bahama Channel.
USS San Jacinto	1 January 1865	A steam frigate that struck a reef near Great Abaco Island.
SS Sapona	1926	A cargo steamer run aground near Bimini during a hurricane.	25°39.040′N 79°17.593′W / 25.650667°N 79.293217°W / 25.650667; -79.293217 (SS Sapona)

British Virgin Islands[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
HMS Astraea	23 May 1808	A British frigate wrecked on Anegada's Horseshoe Reef.
HMS Nymph	18 June 1783	A British sloop that caught fire, foundered, and sank in Road Town's harbour.
RMS Rhone	29 October 1867	A British packet ship wrecked during a hurricane off the coast of Salt Island.	18°22′07″N 64°32′08″W / 18.3687°N 64.5356°W / 18.3687; -64.5356 (RMS Rhone)

Cuba[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
Almirante Oquendo	3 July 1898	An Infanta Maria Teresa-class armored cruiser that was scuttled about 700 metres (2,300 ft) offshore in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.	19°58′39″N 76°8′40″W / 19.97750°N 76.14444°W / 19.97750; -76.14444 (Spanish cruiser Almirante Oquendo)
Cristóbal Colón	3 July 1898	A Giuseppe Garibaldi-class armored cruiser that was sunk in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.	19°56′N 76°45′W / 19.933°N 76.750°W / 19.933; -76.750 (Spanish cruiser Cristóbal Colón)
USS Merrimac	2 June 1898	A steamship that was sunk by Spanish cruisers in the harbor at Santiago de Cuba.	19°58′37″N 75°52′18″W / 19.97694°N 75.87167°W / 19.97694; -75.87167 (USS Merrimac (1894))
Vizcaya	3 July 1898	An Infanta Maria Teresa-class armored cruiser that was sunk in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.	19°58′N 76°8′W / 19.967°N 76.133°W / 19.967; -76.133 (Spanish cruiser Vizcaya)

Dominican Republic[]

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Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
Astron	7 April 1978	A freighter that ran aground and broke in two off the coast of Punta Cana.	18°43′49.79″N 68°27′14.27″W / 18.7304972°N 68.4539639°W / 18.7304972; -68.4539639 (Astron (ship))
		Originally a tourist mover that was to be sunk as an artificial reef off the coast of Bayahibe, but sunk accidentally right in front of Dreams resort.
	December 2006	Scuttled in the area of Juan Dolio at depths ranging from 24 to 60 feet (7.3 to 18.3 m).[1]
	25 August 1724	A Spanish galleon that ran aground during a hurricane in Samaná Bay.
Diomedes		A French ship lost in the fierce maritime , in the 17th century, in Palenque, Bani.
Dolphin		A 64-foot-long (20 m) fishing boat, and sister ship of the Hickory. It lies in El Portillo, Las Terrenas, and has served as an underwater base for rescue operations.
Hickory	1986	A 140-foot-long (43 m) former US Coast Guard vessel, commanded by Captain Tracy Bowden for underwater exploration and rescue operations, the Hickory was sunk by Hurricane George while carrying 50 passengers. All survived. It is now a national park in La Caleta, Santo Domingo.
Imperiale		A French ship lost in the , in the 17th century, in Palenque, Bani.
		An old tugboat 155 feet (47 m) long that rests in about 80 feet (24 m) of water very close to the Hickory in the same park. This ship was scuttled there for the same reason – to serve as a tourist attraction. The depth where this shipwreck lies varies from 27–60 feet (8.2–18.3 m). The three propellers of this tugboat are still clearly visible.[1]
London		Sunk in the 17th century in Samaná Bay.
Monte Cristi Pipe Wreck		Thought to have been a merchant trader, probably sunk in the latter part of the 17th century. Named for the large number of clay smoking pipes it carried as cargo.
	24 August 1724	A Spanish galleon sunk by a hurricane in Samaná Bay.
Nuestra Señora de la Limpia y Pura Concepción, known as La Concepción	1641	This Spanish treasure ship built in 1620 was reportedly overloaded with silver bullion for its return journey to Spain as part of the 1641 treasure fleet. The fleet sailed from Havana on September 20, 1641 but was heavily hit by a hurricane nine days later. Concepción got separated from the main fleet and tried to make for Puerto Rico, but on October 31 foundered and sank on a sand bank north of Hispaniola, which is now called Silver Bank after this shipwreck. First found by William Phips in 1687, his operation managed to salvage 34 tons of silver and other treasure[a]. Back in England the expedition's revenue was assessed as £205,536[b]. In the 20th century it was the object of several known treasure hunting expeditions: A. Korganoff in 1952, Edwin Link in 1955, Falcon-Barker in 1962[4] and Cousteau in 1968, until finally being re-discovered by Burt Webber in 1978. More than 95,000 silver coins, Ming Dynasty ceramics, gold chains, and many other artifacts were salvaged at that time.[5][6][7][8][2]
Quedagh Merchant		An Indian merchant vessel captured on 30 January 1696 by William Kidd, who renamed it the Adventure Prize. Shortly before he was arrested for piracy, Kidd entrusted the ship to hired merchants, who sold off most of the goods, set fire to the ship, and absconded to Holland. The wreck was discovered in 2007 off the coast of Catalina Island.
Scipion	October 1782	A French ship that took part in the blockade against Cornwallis and thus was instrumental in the American Revolutionary War; sunk in a battle against the British fleet. Found and positively identified by Tracy Bowden. Recovered October 2009 by Deep Blue Marine Inc.
St. George	1999	Sunk as an artificial reef near La Romana.

Grenada[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
MV Bianca C.	24 October 1961	A passenger ship that was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine in 1944, before construction on the ship was completed. It sank for the second time near St. George's, following an explosion.	12°03′11″N 61°45′32″W / 12.053°N 61.759°W / 12.053; -61.759 (Bianca C (ship))

Haiti[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
Bluenose	28 January 1946	A celebrated Canadian racing schooner that foundered on a reef off Île à Vache.
Crête-à-Pierrot	6 September 1902	A cruiser that was scuttled to prevent capture while harboured at Gonaïves.
Mary Celeste	3 January 1885	A brigantine found in 1872 in the Atlantic Ocean, unmanned and under full sail, heading towards the Strait of Gibraltar. It was later deliberately run aground and burned in an insurance fraud attempt, off the western coast of Port-au-Prince.

Lesser Antilles[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
MV Angeln	21 February 2010	A container ship that capsized off Saint Lucia.
MS Antilla		A supply ship that was scuttled to prevent capture off Aruba.	12°36′06″N 70°03′29″W / 12.60175°N 070.05815°W / 12.60175; -070.05815 (MS Antilla (1939))
MV Christena	1 August 1970	A ferry boat that sank off St. Kitts.
Cygne	13 December 1808	An Abeille-class brig that ran aground off Martinique and was scuttled to prevent capture.
Hilma Hooker	12 September 1984	A drug-smuggling ship that was seized by the authorities at Bonaire, then took on water and sank at harbour.	12°06′14″N 68°17′22″W / 12.1039°N 68.2895°W / 12.1039; -68.2895 (Hilma Hooker)
SS Pedernales		A lake tanker that was torpedoed by U-156, and later towed into a dry dock and cut in three. The fore and aft sections were joined together, and the middle section was sunk as a target.	12°34′44″N 70°03′30″W / 12.57889°N 070.05833°W / 12.57889; -070.05833 (SS Pedernales)

Saint Vincent[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
SS Antilles	8 January 1971	An ocean liner that ran aground on a reef near the island of Mustique.

Trinidad and Tobago[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
MV Mahiri	19 February 1974	An Empire F type coaster that sprung a leak and sank under tow off Port of Spain.	10°37′N 61°34′W / 10.617°N 61.567°W / 10.617; -61.567 (MV Mahiri)

Turks and Caicos Islands[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
2009 Turks and Caicos Islands migrant shipwreck	26 July 2009	A wooden boat carrying migrants from Haiti that capsized near West Caicos.
General Pershing	11 July 1921	A schooner that was wrecked on Endymion Rock.
Molasses Reef Wreck		Early 16th-century Spanish shipwreck, the earliest European shipwreck in the Americas to be scientifically excavated.
Trouvadore	March 1841	A Spanish slave ship that was wrecked off East Caicos. The crew were arrested upon reaching land, and the 168 Africans took up residence at Grand Turk Island.

Guatemala[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
SS Springfjord	27 June 1954	A cargo ship that was bombed and sunk off Puerto San José by the CIA, who were engineering a coup d'état in Guatemala.	13°55′59″N 90°49′01″W / 13.933°N 90.817°W / 13.933; -90.817 (SS Springfjord)

Mexico[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
USS Alabaster	1982	A patrol boat that caught fire off Puerto Vallarta.
USS Belet	16 January 1972	A Crosley-class high speed transport that ran aground on .
Challenger	October 1875	An extreme clipper that was wrecked in a gale and drifted ashore at Manzanillo.
USS H-1	12 March 1920	A H-class submarine that ran aground off Isla Santa Margarita.
USS Jubilant	August 2001	An Admirable-class minesweeper that was sunk as an artificial reef off Veracruz.
HMCS Kootenay	2001	A Restigouche-class destroyer that was sunk as an artificial reef.
HMS Monkey (1826)	13 May 1831	A schooner that wrecked while being towed across the bar at Tampico.
USS Palomas	25 May 1969	A schooner that ran aground on Sacramento Reef, 4.5 miles (7.2 km) off the coast of Baja California.
HMCS Restigouche	2001	A Restigouche-class destroyer that was sunk as an artificial reef off Acapulco.
USS Scuffle	1999	An Admirable-class minesweeper that was sunk off Cozumel.
USS Somers	8 December 1846	A brig that capsized off Veracruz.

Panama[]

Ship	Sunk date	Notes	Coordinates
SS Cheribon	11 April 1902	A cargo ship that was wrecked on a reef near Remedios District.
Nuestra Señora de Encarnación	1681	A merchant vessel that sank in a storm at the mouth of the Chagres River. The wreck was rediscovered in 2011.
Sub Marine Explorer		A submersible that was used for harvesting oysters and pearls in the Pearl Islands, until it was abandoned in 1869.	8°16′54″N 78°50′45″W / 8.28158°N 78.8459°W / 8.28158; -78.8459 (Sub Marine Explorer)

United States[]

Notes[]

References[]

• "Bermuda Shipwrecks". Aqua Explorers, Inc.

Further reading[]

• Marx, Robert F. (1987). Shipwrecks in the Americas. New York: Dover. ISBN 0-486-25514-X.

External links[]

• WRECKSITE Worldwide database of + 65,000 wrecks with history, maritime charts and GPS positions (subscription required)
• Ship Information Database Contains historical data about ships that were registered with Canadian ports or that sailed Canadian waters.