1919 – Sep 12~, Spanish stmr. Valbanera sinks, hurricane, ~Rebecca Shoal, Dry Tortugas, FL-488

–>500 Florida Keys Sea Heritage Journal. “Loss of the Steamship Valbanera.” 15/3, Spring 2005, 1.
— 488 Nash. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters 1977, p. 697.
— 488 NYT. “Halt Valbanera Search. No Further Trace of Those Lost…Liner.” 9-22-1919, p. 3.
— 488 Singer S. D. Shipwrecks of Florida (2nd Ed.), 1998, p. 290.

Narrative Information

Singer: “Undoubtedly the worst disaster off the Florida coast in this last century – in terms of lives lost from a single ship – was the sinking of the Valbanera. The Valbanera was built in 1905 at Glasgow, Scotland…. She could carry 1,000 passengers in three classes.

“The Valbanera left Spain for New Orleans via Havana. On board were 400 passengers and 88 crew members. Almost all the passengers were either Spaniards or Cubans, and most were to disembark at Havana….The trip was uneventful until she approached Cuba. She arrived off Morro Castle at Havana Harbor on Sept. 9, 1919, but a hurricane was sweeping across the island at this time. Rather than risk trying to enter the harbor, Captain Morton decided to ride the storm out at sea.

“At 1:15 p.m. on Sept. 12, the Valbanera radioed Key West and asked if there were any messages for her. Ten minutes later the Key West station radioed back, but there was no response from her. The hurricane was raging with considerable violence at the time, and it is most probable that the Valbanera sank within minutes after her call to Key West.

“On Sept. 19 the United States Sub-Chaser 203 and the Coast Guard vessel Tuscarora found the Valbanera sunk in 40 feet of water near the Rebecca Shoal Lighthouse, Dry Tortugas….

“It was reported that for a few days after the Valbanera sank, faint calls by wireless were being picked up from survivors of the Valbanera, asking for help. This was never verified, since no survivors or bodies were ever found, even though an extensive search was made. Most on board were believed to have been trapped inside the ship when she went down.

“The Valbanera must have sunk quite suddenly and without warning. Since there were no survivors, one can only speculate what actually happened. Had she entered Havana Harbor, she might have survived. Instead, 488 people lost their lives in one of Florida’s worst maritime disasters.” (Singer 1998, pp. 289-290.)

Smith: “Valbanera (1905) Pinillos, Izquierdo & Co. (Cadiz, Spanin). Built by C. Connell & Co., Glasgow, Scotland. Tonnage: 5,099. Dimensions: 399′ x 48′. Single-screw, 12 knots. Triple expansion engines. Two masts and one funnel. Wrecked in 1919.”

Newspaper

Sep 22: “Halt Valbanera Search.”
“No Further Trace of Those Lost on Spanish Liner.”

“Key West, Fla., Sept. 21. – Search for the 400 passengers and eighty-eight member of the crew of the Spanish passenger steamer Valbanera, lost off Rebecca Shoals Light, forty miles from here, in the recent gulf hurricane, continued today without results.

“Cuban Consul Milord, who directed the work of the divers who identified the sunken hulk as that of the Valbanera, today wired a complete report of his investigations to officials of the Penellis line, which owned the steamer. He also asked for additional instructions as to the employment of divers to search the wreck thoroughly for bodies.

“Pending receipt of a reply, it is not expected that further steps to search the wreck will be made. All vessels in these waters are keeping a look out for traces of survivors.
_____

“Washington, Sepat. 21. – Rear Admiral Decker, commander of the Seventh Naval District, with headquarters at Key West, today reported to the Navy Department that examination of the wrecked steamer off Rebecca Shoals Light, near Key West, had established beyond doubt that she was the Spanish passenger liner, Valbanera.

“Admiral Decker said that examination of the steamer’s davits by divers indicated that no effort was made to lower the port boats. In that case, with a passenger list of 400 and 88 in the crew, it would seem that many of those on board went down with the vessel. Admiral Decker reported, however, that there were no bodies or wreckage in the vicinity when the wreck was discovered by submarine chasers.

“Radio records at Key West, Admiral Decker added, showed that at 1:15 P.M. on Sept. 12 the Valbanera called Key West and asked if the station had any messages for her. Ten minutes later the Key West station called the steamer, but got no response. The hurricane was raging with considerable violence at that time, and it is considered likely that the ship sank within a mew minutes after her call.”

Sources

Florida Keys Sea Heritage Journal (Official Quarterly Publication of the Key West Maritime Historical Society). “Loss of the Steamship Valbanera.” Vol. 15, No. 3, Spring 2005, p. 1. Accessed 3-7-2021 at: https://keywestmaritime.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/v15-3_2005-spring.pdf

Nash, Jay Robert. Darkest Hours – A Narrative Encyclopedia of Worldwide Disasters from Ancient Times to the Present. New York: Pocket Books, Wallaby, 1977, 792 pages.

New York Times. “Halt Valbanera Search. No Further Trace of Those Lost on Spanish Liner.” 9-22-1919, p. 3, col. 4. Accessed 3-7-2021 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1919/09/22/issue.html

Singer, Steven D. Shipwrecks of Florida: A Comprehensive Listing (2nd Ed.). Sarasota, FL: Pineapple Press, Inc., 1998. Partially digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=6j6kjZQReqkC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_navlinks_s#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Smith, Eugene W. Passenger Ships of the World, Past and Present. Boston: George H. Dean Co., 1963. Accessed 3-7-2021 at: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015006056413&view=1up&seq=581&q1=valbanera