Kestrel 1895
Marker: recorded wreck position (Steam era).
Key facts
| Name | Kestrel | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1895 | Wikidata P576 dissolved/abolished/demolished date |
| Era | Steam era | derived from year |
| Ship type | shipwreck | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Nationality / flag | Brazil | Wikidata P8047 country of registry |
| Sea / ocean | South Atlantic Ocean | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | Brazil | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 35 km from land |
| Position | -23.9789, -46.3168 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
The Kestrel was a British barque that was built in 1871 with coal-fueled steam engines and three masts. She spent her career carrying goods across the Atlantic. On 11 February 1895 she was anchored at Santos, near São Paulo, Brazil, when she was caught in a tropical storm. Her anchor chain broke, and she was driven aground on to Boqueirao Beach. All but three crewmen were ashore when the ship was grounded, including Captain Cochrane. The remains of the ship were rediscovered in 2017 after they were uncovered by a storm.
Diving & visiting
The remains of a wooden sailboat were rediscovered on Embare Beach, near to Canal 5, on 22 August 2017 by a beach cleaning crew during low tide after storm erosion. Around 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) of sand were removed from the beach since the construction of Canal 5 in 1927.
The ship was built before 1930, given the materials used, and the wreck is 50 by 12 metres (164 ft × 39 ft) in size. Initially it was thought that it might be the Vapor Glória or the steamship Gloria, but both of these were ruled out and it is currently believed to be the Kestrel. Other possibilities are Elitel Fritz or Madonna Della Costa, which both ran aground in the same area in 1894.
Location
- Recorded position: -23.9789, -46.3168 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: South Atlantic Ocean
- Nearest coast: Brazil
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Kestrel (barque) (revision 1351087310), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Rediscovery”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
- SS Guararema 1949 · 2 km
- Príncipe de Asturias 1916 · 111 km
Browse more: South America wrecks · wrecks off Brazil · South Atlantic Ocean · Steam era