City of Washington

City of Washington is a wreck on Elbow Reef, lying east-northeast of the 36 ft light tower that marks the Elbow. Average depth is 20 ft (6 m) and the maximum is 25 ft (8 m). It is the most intact ship on the Elbow, and the shallow water makes it a good spot for snorkelling and night dives.

She was built in 1877 as a schooner turned steamship, with two masts, three decks, a length of 320 ft (98 m) and a 38 ft (12 m) beam. She carried passengers and freight between New York, Cuba, Panama and Mexico. In 1898 she was anchored near the USS Maine in Havana harbour when the Maine blew up, and her crew rescued 90 sailors, using the dining salon as a hospital. She then served as a troop transport in the Spanish-American War and was converted to a coal barge in 1911. While under tow on July 10, 1917, she struck Elbow Reef and sank within minutes.

The wreck today. She is greatly deteriorated, though the hull and keel shapes can still be made out, and debris spans an area 325 ft (99 m) long. Coral has grown in the washout under the wreck.