Some 176 shipwrecks have been identified in the waters around Grand Bahama. The Bahamas Lost Ships Project, a collaboration between maritime historian James Jenney and Allen Exploration, traced these wrecks using archival records dating from 1526 to 1976. Most of these vessels—82 percent—sank in the 19th century, and 73 percent of them went down off the western edge of Little Bahama Bank, a shallow limestone plateau that runs north of Grand Bahama.
Only 19 of the 176 mapped wrecks have been confirmed underwater so far. Some estimates place the total number of wrecks in the region above 5,000, meaning the documented inventory covers a small fraction of what likely lies on the seafloor. This article covers what the research reveals about Grand Bahama’s wrecks: what cargo they carried, why they sank, and how to see related exhibits without diving.
82 percent of the documented wrecks sank in the 19th century, and 73 percent went down off western Little Bahama Bank.
The Bahamas Lost Ships Project has created the most comprehensive wreck database in the Caribbean, but 89 percent of the total inventory still awaits discovery. Anyone hoping to visit a specific underwater wreck site near Grand Bahama will find few marked locations.
Grand Bahama’s Underwater Geography and Cargo Routes
The Little Bahama Bank is a shallow carbonate platform extending north of Grand Bahama and the Abaco islands. Its western edge, where 73 percent of recorded wrecks occurred, sits close to the Gulf Stream, the main shipping lane between the Caribbean and the North Atlantic. Ships coming from Cuba, Hispaniola, and the southern colonies would pass near this bank before heading north toward Europe or the American eastern seaboard.
Nineteenth-century merchant vessels dominated the wreck record. American ships account for 52 percent of the 176 documented wrecks, followed by British vessels at 24 percent and Spanish at 13 percent. The cargo they carried tells a specific economic story: molasses, sugar, lumber, whiskey, rum, madeira wine, coconuts, brandy, bacon, fish, potatoes, and salt all appear in the database. Cotton was particularly profitable. Records from 28 wrecks also point to involvement in the illegal Spanish slave trade in Cuba, with sugar, molasses, cigars, and timber as linked cargoes.
The Bahamas Lost Ships Project database includes each vessel’s name, sinking date, cargo, disaster type, and country of origin. Researchers catalogued 251 different kinds of cargo across the wrecks.
One notable entry is the whaling ship A. Nickerson, which sank with 110 barrels of whale oil. Most vessels, however, went down after hitting reefs or island shores, not from storms or combat. Bahamian salvors recovered cargo from 60 ships between 1656 and 1908, typically taking home between 45 and 66 percent of the cargoes’ value. They retrieved gunpowder, cotton, sugar, and molasses, among other goods.
Shipwrecks traced by the Bahamas Lost Ships Project, covering vessels from 1526 to 1976.
Visiting the Wreck Sites and Museum Collections
No public dive trails mark the mapped wrecks around Grand Bahama. Only 19 of the 176 have been identified underwater, and none are developed for tourism. The main access point for anyone interested in Grand Bahama’s maritime archaeology is the Bahamas Maritime Museum in Freeport, where the project’s interactive exhibit opened in 2023.
The Bahamas Maritime Museum Exhibition
The museum displays findings from the Bahamas Lost Ships Project, including artifacts recovered from the wreck of the Maravillas, a Spanish ship carrying gold, silver, and gems that sank in 1656. Allen Exploration’s team surveyed and recovered treasures from that wreck, and some of those objects are part of the exhibit. The display also includes a digital map of the 176 wrecks and information about the cargo database.
The museum sits in Freeport, roughly ten minutes by car from the main cruise port. Visiting hours are limited, so checking ahead is worthwhile. The exhibition does not include access to any underwater wreck site, and no local operators run tours to the mapped locations.
The interactive exhibit at the Bahamas Maritime Museum is the only place to see the wreck database and recovered artifacts. No public boat tours visit the mapped wreck sites, and none of the 19 identified wrecks are marked for snorkeling or diving.
What the Research Reveals About the Wrecks
The database covers vessels that sank over 450 years. American ships make up 52 percent of the total, reflecting the volume of trade between the United States and the Caribbean after independence. British ships at 24 percent and Spanish ships at 13 percent point to older colonial shipping lanes. The 82 percent concentration in the 19th century aligns with the peak of the sugar and cotton trades, when Grand Bahama’s position along the Gulf Stream made it a frequent wreck site for vessels navigating shallow waters without reliable charts.
Directors of the project include James Jenney (Director of Research), Dr. Michael Pateman (Director of the Bahamas Maritime Museum), and Dan Porter (Director of Fieldwork at AllenX). Marine archaeologist Sean Kingsely also worked on the project. Their research is ongoing, with 89 percent of the total inventory still awaiting discovery.
Practical Planning for Wreck and Maritime History Visits
Grand Bahama’s wreck history is best accessed through the museum and the published research. No field trips or dive excursions link to the 176 mapped wrecks, and the 19 identified sites are not marked for recreational use.
Getting to the Bahamas Maritime Museum
The museum is on West Settlers Way in Freeport, about 15 minutes from Grand Bahama International Airport. Taxis are available at the airport; fares are flat-rate and negotiable. The museum is also within walking distance of the Port Lucaya Marketplace if you are staying near the harbor. Hours vary seasonally, and the museum sometimes closes for private events.
If you are interested in Bahamian maritime history beyond shipwrecks, the museum’s collection also covers rum-running and colonial trade routes.
Best Time to Visit
Freeport is busiest from December to April, when cruise ship traffic peaks. The museum is less crowded on weekday mornings. Hurricane season runs June through November, and some exhibits may close during storm warnings.
Call the museum before visiting to confirm hours. The interactive exhibit sometimes requires advance booking for school groups, which can reduce walk-in space.
Costs and Local Friction
Entry to the museum costs around $15 for adults. Photography is allowed in most areas. The museum has no café, but the Port Lucaya Marketplace is a five-minute walk away. Freeport’s public transport is limited, so renting a car or using taxis is the main option for reaching the museum from other parts of the island.
The museum does not offer snorkeling or diving excursions to any wreck site. Visitors expecting to see an underwater archaeological site from a boat will be disappointed. The experience is entirely land-based and museum-focused.
What to Know Before You Go
The wreck research is academic, not commercial. No tour operator runs trips to the mapped sites, and no local dive shop offers a wreck itinerary based on the database. The value of the project lies in the historical record, not in accessible dive sites.
Packing and Preparation
The museum is air-conditioned, so a light jacket is useful. Freeport is hot and humid year-round; bring water and sunscreen for the walk from the car park. The museum gift shop sells books on Bahamian maritime history but does not carry diving equipment or maps of underwater sites.
Local Etiquette and Customs
Bahamians are generally reserved in museums; speaking quietly and not touching artifacts is expected. Photography without flash is usually fine, but check signage. The museum staff are knowledgeable and happy to answer questions about the wreck database.
- Visit the Bahamas Maritime Museum in Freeport to see the interactive wreck exhibit and artifacts from the Maravillas.
- No dive or snorkel tours visit the 176 mapped wrecks—plan for a land-based experience.
- Call ahead to confirm hours, especially during hurricane season or cruise ship peak times.
Grand Bahama Wreck Questions
How many shipwrecks are around Grand Bahama?
The Bahamas Lost Ships Project has traced 176 wrecks in the region. Some estimates put the total number of wrecks on the seafloor above 5,000, but only 19 have been identified underwater so far.
Most of the documented wrecks are 19th-century merchant vessels that sank after hitting reefs along the western edge of Little Bahama Bank.
Can I dive the Grand Bahama shipwrecks?
No. None of the 19 identified wrecks are marked for diving, and no local operators run tours to the mapped sites. The only public access to the wreck research is through the Bahamas Maritime Museum in Freeport.
Dive shops on Grand Bahama do offer reef and blue hole dives, but they do not include any of the wrecks cataloged in the project.
What cargo did the Grand Bahama wrecks carry?
Researchers catalogued 251 different kinds of cargo, including molasses, sugar, lumber, whiskey, rum, madeira wine, coconuts, brandy, bacon, fish, potatoes, and salt. Cotton was especially profitable. Records from 28 wrecks also link to the illegal Spanish slave trade in Cuba.
The whaling ship A. Nickerson sank with 110 barrels of whale oil, one of the more unusual cargoes in the database.
Who mapped the shipwrecks around Grand Bahama?
The Bahamas Lost Ships Project was launched in 2023 by Allen Exploration and In Search of Shipwrecks (ISOS). Maritime historian James Jenney led research, with Dr. Michael Pateman of the Bahamas Maritime Museum and Dan Porter of AllenX as directors.
The project aims to cover all historical maritime losses in the country and is the first comprehensive shipwreck database in the Caribbean.
Are there any treasures still on the wrecks?
Allen Exploration’s team recovered gold, silver, and gems from the wreck of the Maravillas, a Spanish ship that sank in 1656. But most wrecks were merchant vessels carrying everyday cargo like lumber and molasses, not treasure ships.
Bahamian salvors historically retrieved cargo from 60 wrecks between 1656 and 1908, taking 45 to 66 percent of the cargoes’ value, so many wrecks were already stripped.
The Bahamas Lost Ships Project reframes Grand Bahama’s wrecks not as lost treasure troves but as a ledger of Atlantic trade—a record of the goods, routes, and risks that shaped the region. For anyone interested in that history, the museum in Freeport is the place to start. For those expecting underwater exploration, the real discovery is that most of these wrecks remain unseen, and will likely stay that way.
For more on Bahamian history shaped by the sea, see the plantation ruins that tell a different story of Grand Bahama’s past.
Sources and further reading
Unraveling the Secrets of the Long-Lost Shipwrecks in the Bahamas. Mack Gold, 2025.
Project Maps Shipwrecks in the Bahamas. X-Ray Mag, 2024.
Cool New Map of Shipwrecks Around Bahamas. RealClear History, 2023.
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