SS City of Rio de Janeiro
Marker: recorded wreck position (Date not recorded).
Key facts
| Name | SS City of Rio de Janeiro | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Ship type | ocean liner, sunken vessel | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Nationality / flag | United States | Wikidata P8047 country of registry |
| Operator | Pacific Mail Steamship Company | Wikidata P137 operator |
| Sea / ocean | San Francisco Bay | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | United States | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 3 km from land |
| Position | 37.8133, -122.4890 | Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0) |
About the wreck
SS City of Rio de Janeiro was an iron-hulled steam-powered passenger ship, launched in 1878, which sailed between San Francisco and various Asian Pacific ports. On 22 February 1901, the vessel sank after striking a submerged reef at the entry to San Francisco Bay while inward bound from Hong Kong. Of the approximately 220 passengers and crew on board, fewer than 85 people survived the sinking, while 135 others were killed in the catastrophe. The wreck lies in 287 feet (87 m) of water just off the Golden Gate and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as nationally significant.
City of Rio de Janeiro was one of many ships that were lost due to challenging navigational conditions in this area.
Diving & visiting
Divers engaged by the Pacific Mail Line immediately began a search for the ship but failed to find any traces of it due to the depth of the water in the area, well beyond the diving or salvage capabilities of the time.
For several years after the disaster, bodies washed up on the beach near Fort Point, including, in July 1902, the remains of Captain Ward, which were identified by the watch chain wrapped around his rib cage.
Location
- Recorded position: 37.8133, -122.4890 (Wikidata P625 coordinate location (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: San Francisco Bay
- Nearest coast: United States
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 SS City of Rio de Janeiro (revision 1372505673), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Salvage attempts”; 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 City of Chester 2 km
- King Philip shipwreck 1878 · 7 km
- Frederick Griffing's 8 km
- Lydia 1907 · 10 km
- USS Thompson 41 km
- USS Conestoga 44 km
Browse more: North America wrecks · wrecks off United States · San Francisco Bay