The Madiana was built in 1877 and was a new breed of iron-hulled trans-Atlantic passenger/light cargo ship, measuring 344.8 feet in length. On the night of February 10, 1903, the Madiana was en route from New York to the West Indies with passengers and general cargo.
According to reports from passengers, the ship was threading her way through a narrow channel leading to Bermuda’s Hamilton Harbour when she struck a reef northeast of North Rock. Near Bermuda’s uppermost reef system, the bottom of the ship’s hull and keel sit 25 feet below the surface. Atop this collection of hull plates and bulkheads are her two 15-foot diameter boilers and massive 18-inch diameter propeller shaft.
