Naufrágio do Vapor Catalão

The Catalão was a 3,261-ton steamer, 100.6 m long and 12.6 m wide, built in 1889 by the English shipyard Stephenson Robert & Co. Before flying the Brazilian flag, she had Spanish and English owners and belonged to the Companhia Transatlântica Argentina; at the time, she was owned by the firm Darisch & Cia., of Rio de Janeiro. She was on her first voyage under the Brazilian flag, from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro, Bahia and Pará.

Her cargo was alfalfa, charque (salted dried beef), molhados (wet goods) and perfumery, and her holds carried about 800 sheep and 190 oxen and cows. Many animals died during the salvage, but most were landed on the beach. Rumours of smuggling on board spread, and the tax authorities' investigation confirmed the illegal cargo and imposed sanctions on the ship's owner. The people of Laguna were furious when the Catalão's owner accused them of being “thieves and plunderers”. The telegraph at the Farol was only inaugurated after the wreck of the Catalão.

In clear water, what remains of the steamer can still be seen. The question has been raised whether part of these remains belongs to the Aldabi, a ship lost in 1937, but the Aldabi's wreck is recorded elsewhere: she struck the rock ledge at the tip of Cape Santa Marta and sank next to the cape's islet.