SS Cuba Shipwreck

Crow

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Jan 28, 2005
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Greeting all just another shipwreck yarn. Grab a favorite brew sit back and enjoy the following story.

The SS Cuba pictured below was a steamship owned by the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. Originally launched in 1897 as the German SS Coblenz, she was seized by the United States in 1917, and named SS Sachem, until Pacific Mail purchased her from the Shipping Board on February 6, 1920, for US$400,000 and renamed SS Cuba.

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Pacific Mail first used the Cuba to carry passengers and cargo between San Francisco, California, and Havana, Cuba, then shifted to a San Francisco-to-Cristobal route.

On the morning of September 8, 1923, The ship's radio was out. She had been navigating through a dense fog for several days. Cuba struck a reef just off San Miguel Island in the Santa Barbara Channel off Point Arguello of Santa Barbara County, California.

All aboard survived and were rescued by USS Reno, a Clemson class destroyer that was accompanying the ships that were later involved in the Honda Point Disaster of the same day. 71 people were saved at 4:30am in fog. The Cuba was a total loss. The wreck is located at approximately 34.032°N 120.454°W.

The Cuba was carrying a valuable cargo?

To be continued........

Crow
 

In the following newspaper story below. gives more insight into the shipwreck.

San Pedro Daily News, Volume XXI, Number 191, 14 September 1923 — HINT TREASURE LOST IN WRECK ...jpg


San Pedro Daily News, Volume XXI, Number 191, 14 September 1923 — HINT TREASURE LOST IN WRECK ...jpg

Mystery indeed is there a coin spill or gold and silver unaccounted for? Perhaps somewhere near away from the shipwreck?

Crow
 

Today the shipwreck is protected under California law. Divers dive on the shipwreck below.

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Today marine archeologists have fully surveyed the site. below debris field.

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The question remains was there still specie lost on the two lifeboats that over turned away from the shipwreck. is there gold or coins still buried in the sand filled rock gutters of the sea floor away from the wreck?


Crow
 

Mornin' Crow,
If anyone wants to go after the possible values on that vessel they would need to be very young since if would take years to get any permit through the maze of authorities in California. And during the current administration (and under current laws), that objective is not worth the effort nor would any attempt today (to salvage) be legal.
But your stories are always interesting and welcomed.
Don in SoCal
 

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Thank you for the story. The news article makes me wonder if the captain and crew maybe "lost" a portion of the coins by "accident."
 

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