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ss Nuevo Dominicano

Some Notable Early Cruise Ships from Miami

 Port of Miami History

Ariadne  Bahama Star  Bilu  Boheme  Emerald Seas  Evangeline  Flavia  Florida  Freeport  Jerusalem  Mardi Gras  Nili  Nuevo Dominicano  Song of Norway  Starward  Sunward  Yarmouth 

3,445 tons; length 307 ft., width 47 ft., draft 17 ft., 13 knots; 72 all outside cabins; 177 passengers; triple expansion, single screw; built 1926, sunk 1953

ss Nuevo DominicanoGo to ss Nuevo Dominicano brochure

Built as Northland for the Clarke Steamship Company of Montreal, this ship was renamed New Northland to avoid confusion with a competitor. It first appeared in Miami, Palm Beach, Nassau and Havana in January, 1927, the same month the Seaboard Air Line Railroad reached Miami. New Northland was mainly deployed in the short haul route from Miami to Nassau and only during the frozen Canadian winter.

ss Nuevo Dominicano 11 day cruises to the West Indies
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In 1948, the vessel was sold to Flota Mercante Dominicana and renamed Nuevo Dominicano for the New York to Santo Domingo trade. In 1950, after a year and a half of disappointing passenger loads, it was purchased by F. Leslie Fraser, a Scottish/Jamaican shipping entrepreneur. Fraser's novel plan was to operate year-round cruises from Miami to the Caribbean and Bahamas with full cruise comforts, good service and delicious cuisine.

After three years it became apparent that the ship's capacity was too small for success, and it was sold back to the Dominican government. Nuevo Dominicano sailed on briefly until November 26, 1953, when it ran aground and sank while enroute to a refit. Fraser went on to create Eastern Shipping Corporation, Miami's first successful year round cruise line.

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