DELRAY SHIPWRECK INCHULVA

By  Mike Miller November 6, 2025

The Delray Shipwreck Inchulva lies off Delray Beach, Florida in the Atlantic Ocean where the steamship sank in 1903. The wreck sits 150 yards from shore in 15 to 25 feet of water. Boilers and debris are scattered across a 70-foot field.

Divers and snorkelers can reach the wreck from the beach. The site draws history seekers and marine explorers. A historical marker stands nearby on the multi-use path.

The SS Inchulva steamship in its prime

Shipbuilders launched the Inchulva in England in 1892 as the Alberta. The 386-foot steel freighter weighed 4,823 tons. It carried cargo using a single propeller.

In 1898 Hamilton, Fraser & Company bought it. They renamed it the S.S. Inchulva to fit their "Inch" fleet of six vessels. The vessel hauled wheat, lumber, and cotton.

On September 6, 1903, it left Galveston for Newport News, Virginia. Captain G.W. Davis commanded a crew of 27. The ship entered a hurricane path near the Bahamas.

Winds hit 90 mph and waves battered the deck. The cargo shifted and steering became impossible. At 2 a.m. on September 11, gales rose off Fowey Rocks.

By noon, the storm peaked. Steering gear failed, anchors dragged, and the Inchulva grounded at 5 p.m. near Delray.

It broke into five pieces. Nine men drowned, including the engineer. Eighteen survived.  Locals at Chapman House, a local hotel,  sheltered them and gave them hot meals and fresh clothes.

The dead received dune burials overlooking the sea where they wrecked.

On September 19 a British Naval court in Jacksonville cleared Captain Davis and his officers of any wrongdoing. The inquiry blamed nature for the wreck and not the captain or crew.

The hurricane wrecked crops and boats across South Florida. Damages reached $500,000. The Inchulva joined other Gulf Stream wrecks from early 1900s storms.

In 1980 a marker was erected by the Historic Palm Beach County Preservation Board to commemorate its inclusion as a State Historic Site.

Delray Wreck SS Inchulva Historical Marker

The wreck sits south of Delray Beach Municipal Beach, Delray Beach, FL 33483. Coordinates are 26°27′13″N 80°03′22″W.

Enter from Anchor Park or Seagate Beach Club. No hours restrict access. You can visit anytime the tides allow, just swim or paddle out 150 yards from shore.

Snorkel on calm days, or dive with certification for deeper sections. The water stays 15 to 25 feet deep. Enter at low tide for visibility. You can rent gear in town.

• Survivors recuperated for a week at Chapman House hotel before heading to New York. 

• Waves once uncovered the full debris field after storms. 

• The storm cut news wires, delaying reports for two days. 

• Buried crew included seamen from England and the U.S. 

Florida is the fastest-growing state in the United States and also the fastest-changing.  If you see anything in this article that has changed or is in error, please let me know.

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