Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Nuevitas, Camagüey, December 5 - The majestic and enigmatic Bay of Nuevitas holds a rich heritage beneath its waters. Among them is one that still resonates more than a century later: the remains of the steamship Nuevo Mortera, an iron colossus transformed into a tomb of dreams and cargo.
The ship had confidently set sail from the port of Nuevitas bound for Puerto Padre, Las Tunas. However, on February 4, 1895, upon reaching the bay's channel, in front of the imposing Fuerte San Hilario, the English steamship Pocklington, loaded with cattle and commanded by the Scotsman John White, ignored the desperate warnings of Captain José Viñolas. In a matter of minutes, the foreign vessel rammed the Nuevo Mortera twice. The collision was brutal. The water surged through, and in just fifteen minutes, the giant sank.
Three lives were lost in the disaster, while more than a hundred passengers and crew struggled to survive. The sea swallowed not only bodies but also riches: 1,370 tons of merchandise and 80,000 pesos destined for the Chaparra sugar mill, also in Las Tunas. Sewing machines, tableware, rice, sugar… everything was buried beneath the waves.
Specialist Juan Carlos González Blanca, representative of the ECOTUR travel agency in Santa Lucía and Nuevitas, stated: “The wreck of the Mortera steamship, sunk after colliding with a cargo vessel in the narrow entrance to Nuevitas Bay, has become over time one of the most important symbols of the Santa Lucía tourist destination and a landmark for recreational diving in the Caribbean.”
For decades its remains lay forgotten until in the 1980s and 1990s – of the last century – they began to be explored by local divers. They discovered its enormous potential as a dive site, located between 10 and 27 meters deep, an ideal range for sport diving.
The story of the Nuevo Mortera, which once transported the salaries of Spanish soldiers, is intertwined with the fascination of those who explored it in search of treasure and with the unique experience of cohabiting with the bull sharks that inhabit the bay.
Thanks to the daring of divers like Dieppa and Armandito, the site has been transformed into a unique setting where these imposing animals can be fed underwater, making the Nuevo Mortera an exceptional attraction that has shaped the tourist and underwater identity of Nuevitas. (Celia Serrano Maldonado/Radio Nuevitas) (Photo Radio Nuevitas)
