LIVING HISTORY
9
SAND AND SEA
engine. The British cargo ship
was purchased by Jenkins & Co.
of London in 1893 and renamed
the SS Breconshire, which is the
name of a county in South Wales.
She was traveling from New
York to Tampa when she foundered
on the coral reef due to
faulty navigational charts, never
to motor again.
The 19th century shipwreck,
also known as the Boiler Wreck,
is Vero Beach’s most famous
shallow-water wreck and one
of the few that requires no dive
gear to enjoy. All that is needed
is a mask and snorkel and anyone
can explore the sunken ruins, deteriorated with age but
teeming with hundreds of species of tropical fish and marine
life. Just a decade or so ago one of the boilers and the bowsprit
could be seen at low tide but harsh elements and shifting
sands have banished those identifiable features beneath
the water.
POPULAR SNORKELING SITE
Generations of Treasure Coast residents have explored
the site and recall harvesting giant lobsters from the boilers
and close encounters with turtles, sharks, grouper, dolphin,
tarpon and even a few right whales. But as the years flew by,
the wreck was reduced to a mere shadow of its former self,
falling victim to the sea’s harsh elements as well as human >>
JOE SEMKOW
The SS Breconshire rests in
its watery grave just 150 ft
off Vero’s beach.
JEANIE BURKE
Mike Blatus’ contagious smile
remains a memorable trait.
JOE SEMKOW
The ghostly hull of the ill-fated SS Breconshire is visible in clear, calm water.