Pre-Dreadnought Preservation
The Cristóbal Colón

The Cristóbal Colón - about 1897.
Source: The Naval Historical Center
This Spanish ship was also part of Admiral Cervera's squadron which attempted to escape Santiago harbor on July 3, 1898. She had not yet been fitted with her main 10-inch guns when dispatched from Spain to Cuba. Now a rusting hulk under the waters of southern Cuba, the Cristóbal Colón is a diving attraction..

Visit Shipwreck Central to view an awesome dive clip from the Cristóbal Colón. From the front page, click on the Interactive Shipwreck Map. Then, in the "Enter Search Criteria" Ship Name box, enter "Christobol Colon" (sic) to view brief video clip of the wreck. Hover your cursor over the dive flag shown on the map and then click on the ship name shown by your cursor. You can view the "Wrecks of the Spanish American War" dive clip directly. I believe it primarly shows a dive on the Cristóbal Colón's sister ship Almirante Oquendo. A complete video tape or DVD of "Wrecks of the Spanish American War" can be purchased at Shipwreck Central's online store.

For information on the ship before it went to its watery grave, see the Spanish American War Centennial Web Site's page dedicated to the Cristóbal Colón.

If anyone knows of good underwater pictures of this wreck, please e-mail me at [email protected].

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