M/V Eleuthera Express, Capt. Junior Pinder, built Germany, serving Eleuthera

by Eric Wiberg
This photo from the 1962-1974 time frame shows the Eleuthera Express as the M/V Spiekeroog, her original name. However the mailboat has undergone significant addition to the stern section, including turning it from a “spoon” or rounded stern to a square one, plus raising the bow and it would appear the rails. The scuppers or holes along the deckline are still clearly visible.

MAILBOAT NAME: M/V Eleuthera Express (first edition)
PAST NAMES: M/V Treasure Trader (1978-1979), M/V Wischhafen (1974-1978), Spiekeroog (1962-1974)
DIMENSIONS: 250 tons, 400 dead weight tons (DWT) IMO # 5336471, Call sign C6EF
CONSTRUCTION: built by Neue Jadewerft Wilhelmshaven, Germany
YEAR BUILT: 1962
EARLY CAREER: so far as is known she has been serving the Bahamas from 1979 to the late 80s

BAHAMAS CAREER: served Harbour Island, Spanish Wells, Rock Sound, Governor’s Harbour Eleuthera from Nassau
CAPTAINS: Captain Junior Pinder
FATE: lost off Cuba and Haiti in the 1980s – A Norwegian / Finnish ship captain informed me in late 2014 that, having called Captain Pinder from Finland (!): “Anyway I gave them a call in Nassau and yes, as suspected the present Eleuthera Express is another vessel, built in Louisiana in 1996-97. The old German-built Eleuthera Express was sold already in 1980 to a group in Miami who renamed the vessel, but this name is unknown. She sank between Haiti and Cuba in late 80’s early 90’s. So all official sources including Equasis are therefore giving the wrong information. Case closed!”

With best regards and many thanks
Jan Rautawaara
OWNERS: not known, simply “Eleuthera Express,” PO Box 4201 Nassau, NP Bahamas is the address of the owner & manager according to IMO database www.equasis.org.
NOTES: The IMO site equasis.org shows that no updates have been made since 2011. The ship is listed on some sites as a “dead ship” indicating not all the paperwork is up to date. She is listed as “out of class” and no longer updated to 1 June 2010, however clearly the vessel is still sailing.