 Valbanera in aBarcelona dry dock | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Spain | |
| Name | Valbanera |
| Owner | Pinillos, Izquierdo & Co. |
| Route | Spain toPuerto Rico,Cuba and theGulf Coast |
| Builder | Charles Connell & Co.,Scotstoun |
| Yard number | 309 |
| Launched | 31 October 1906 |
| Homeport | Cádiz |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sank, 9 September 1919 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Passenger-cargo ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 399.7 ft (121.8 m) |
| Beam | 48.0 ft (14.6 m) |
| Depth | 21.5 ft (6.6 m) |
| Installed power | 444Nhp |
| Propulsion | Dunsmuir & Jackson 3-cylindertriple expansion |
| Speed | 12knots (14 mph; 22 km/h) |
| Capacity | c. 1,200 passengers |
| Crew | 88 |
Valbanera was asteamship operated by the Pinillos Line ofSpain from 1905 until 1919, when she sank in ahurricane with the loss of all 488 crew and passengers aboard.Valbanera was a 400-foot-long (120 m) steamer capable of carrying close to 1,200 passengers.[1] She sailed a regular route between Spain andPuerto Rico,Cuba, and theGulf Coast of theUnited States. The ship sank with the loss of all 488 people on board during theFlorida Keys Hurricane in September 1919.
In the summer of 1919 the ship left theCanary Islands after earlier calling at several ports in Spain, loaded with cargo and 1,142 passengers, mostly immigrants to Cuba, and 88 crew members. Although most of the passengers were booked forHavana, 749 left the ship when it called atSantiago de Cuba on September 5. The1919 Florida Keys Hurricane hit Havana on September 8, beforeValbanera reached the port. She was unable to enter the harbor, and signalled she would move away from shore to ride out the storm.[2]
On September 13, the Cubanconsul in Key West contacted the commandant of theUnited States Navybase in Key West concerning rumors thatValbanera had sunk. Radio operators at the base reported hearingValbanera in contact with theMorro Castle radio station in Havana on September 12, but further investigation indicated that they had probably mistaken the call letters forInfante Isabel, ECY, which had been in contact with Morro Castle, for the call letters forValbanera, ECV. The last confirmed radio communication withValbanera had been on September 9. The U.S. Navysubmarine chaserUSS SC-320 spotted a submerged wreck with just the masts above water in the vicinity ofRebecca Shoal (about 45 miles (72 km) west ofKey West) on September 12, but identified it as a two-mastedschooner. Two other Navy ships passing the area on September 13 did not notice anything of a wreck. Another sub chaser sent out on September 16 returned the next day with confirmation that a large ship was wrecked on Half Moon Shoal. On September 19Coast GuardcutterTuscarora and sub chaser203 were able to see the nameValbanera on the wreck. The next day the officer who had reported the wrecked schooner on September 12 confirmed that he had seenValbanera. The wreck was 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Rebecca Shoal, with just the masts and a couple of lifeboats above the water. There were 488 passengers and crew onValbanera when she sank. No bodies were seen or recovered.[3][4]
"After the Storm", a short story byErnest Hemingway, was based on a tale he had heard about an attempt to salvage goods from theValbanera.[5]
24°34′25″N82°29′38″W / 24.5737°N 82.4939°W /24.5737; -82.4939
