The Cristobal Colon- Shipwreck Diving Bermuda
The Cristobal Colon was a Spanish luxury liner
built in 1923. She was 500
feet long, 61 foot in the
beam, and displaced almost
11,000 tons. She was
one of the finest and most
luxurious passenger ships
of her time.
On October 25th, 1936, the vessel was heading from Cardiff, Wales, to Vera Cruz, Mexico with 160 crew members aboard, but no passengers. Her captain, Cresencia Navarro Delgardo, decided to swing by Bermuda in order to check the instruments. He was steaming at 15 knots some eight miles north of the island and to the east of North Rock when he sighted a light, which he believed to be the lighthouse at St. David’s. A short while later he saw a closer blinking light, which he thought must be the North Rock Beacon; it wasn’t. The beacon had been out of service for more than a week, and bad weather had prevented repairs.
Delgardo altered course away from what he thought was the beacon and ran hard onto North Rock itself. The crew all managed to make it safely ashore, but their troubles weren’t ended. At that time, the Spanish Civil War was still raging and many believed the Cristobal Colon was on her way to Mexico to pick up weapons for the Spanish government. Be that as it may, the Spanish Government seemed in no hurry for the return of the stranded crew and, believing their own government would have to pick up the tab for the crew’s keep, the Bermudians put them to work. Finally, however, they embarked for Spain on Christmas Eve, 1936. Legend has it that, upon their return, General Franco had them all executed.
For a number of years the wreck sat high in the water on the rocks eight miles from the islands. Her position made salvage an easy task. Her furniture, fittings, equipment, and art work were all taken from the ship. Many of the best pieces were stolen by looters who arrived under cover of darkness in fleets of motley boats. Even today, Bermudian homes are adorned with bits and pieces from the wreck. Of the hundreds of islanders who plundered the great ship, only 13 were caught and brought to trial; of those, 12 were convicted.
High in the water and intact as she was, the Cristobal Colon was a hazard to other shipping. Not that they would run into her. She looked for all the world like she was still under way. In 1937, the captain of Iristo, a Norwegian ship, spotted the wreck and, believing her to be negotiating the channel, he decided to follow her in. Within minutes, he, too had run afoul of North Rock. This brought some action. The Colon was stripped of her masts and funnels in an effort to warn other ships away.
When war broke out in Europe the once-proud ocean liner became a target for U.S. Air Force bombers. Slowly but surely she was blown apart, reduced to the waterline, and then to rubble spread over a wide area on the ocean floor.
Today, she is still the largest shipwreck in Bermuda. She lies in shallow water on both sides of the reef that caused her demise. She is, perhaps, one of the most interesting underwater sites in the islands – a photographer’s dream come true. Her eight massive boilers, machinery, winches, and propellers can be seen at various depths from 15 feet to more than 70 feet.
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