Tampa Landmarks · Picnic Island, Port Tampa Embark the S.S. YucatanPort Tampa, June 9, 1898 — the last American soil the Rough Riders would stand on before Cuba ✦ ✦ ✦When Colonel Wood spotted the empty S.S. Yucatan moored at the pier amid the chaos of 16,000 soldiers competing for ships, he did not hesitate. He walked aboard and claimed it. Within hours, the Rough Riders were loading men and equipment — marching the final mile on foot — for the voyage that would take them to Cuba and into history. Securing the Yucatan — June 9, 1898Port Tampa on the morning of June 9 was the most chaotic scene in American military history up to that point. Some 30,000 soldiers, thousands of horses, artillery pieces, and mountains of supplies were funneling through a single pier nine miles from Tampa. Nearly half of all the troops in Tampa would not find berths — the ships simply weren't there. Wood and Roosevelt raced ahead from the stopped coal train, leaving the regiment to offload equipment and follow on foot. At the pier, Wood spotted the S.S. Yucatan — empty, moored, and unclaimed. He immediately boarded it, securing the vessel before any other regiment could claim it. It was an act of pure initiative that saved the Rough Riders' place in the Cuba expedition. 🔍
Morning, June 9 — The Pier
Wood Spots the Empty YucatanAmid chaos at the Port Tampa pier — 16,000 troops competing for limited berths — Colonel Wood identifies the S.S. Yucatan moored empty at the dock. He immediately boards it and claims it for the Rough Riders before another regiment can act. 📣
Morning, June 9 — Word Back to the Regiment
Roosevelt Calls the Regiment ForwardWith the ship secured, Wood tasks Roosevelt to bring up the regiment. Roosevelt sends word back: gather equipment and march on foot the final mile from the stopped coal train to the S.S. Yucatan at the pier. The men move out. 🚢
June 9–13 — Loading
Rough Riders Board — Joined by 2nd InfantryThe Rough Riders load aboard the S.S. Yucatan. Once aboard, they are joined by four companies of the 2nd U.S. Infantry Regiment. Due to space limitations, approximately 200 Rough Riders cannot board — they remain in Tampa for the duration of the Cuban campaign. ⚓
June 13–14, 1898 — Departure
The Yucatan Departs for CubaAfter days of waiting at anchor in Tampa Bay as final orders were issued and the fleet assembled, the S.S. Yucatan and the rest of the invasion fleet depart Port Tampa, bound for Daiquirí, Cuba. The Rough Riders would never see American soil again until August 14, 1898. S.S. Yucatan — Passenger ManifestThose Who Sailed
Rough Riders embarked
~590 officers & men
Additional troops
4 companies, 2nd U.S. Infantry Regiment
Rough Riders left behind in Tampa
~200 men (approx. 34%)
Total U.S. troops unable to embark
~15,000 (nearly half of Tampa force)
Departure date
June 13–14, 1898
Destination
Daiquirí, Cuba — landed June 22–23, 1898
We were all of us as happy as school-boys on a holiday, for we knew we were on the eve of great events, and we rejoiced that our training was over and that the fight was at hand. — Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, aboard the S.S. Yucatan Historical Marker — Full InscriptionRough Riders Embark the S.S. YucatanOn the morning of June 9, 1898, the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, "The Rough Riders," disembarked from an empty coal train (approximately 1 mile east of here) joining 16,000 U.S. Army troops mobilizing in Port Tampa for the invasion of Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Due to a shortage of transport ships and rapidly changing plans, Colonel Leonard Wood, Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, and a small group of cavalrymen quickly made their way to the port where they found a chaotic scene, making the orderly loading of troops, equipment, and supplies impossible. Colonel Wood, identifying the empty S.S. Yucatan along the pier, immediately boarded it. After securing the ship he tasked Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt to bring up the regiment and its equipment on foot and board the Yucatan. Once aboard, the Rough Riders were joined by four Companies of the 2nd U.S. Infantry Regiment. Due to limited space on invasion fleet ships, almost half of the 30,000 U.S. Army troops in Tampa and approximately 200 Rough Riders were unable to embark, remaining in Tampa for the duration of the Cuban campaign. Erected June 8, 2023. Marker LocationPicnic Island Blvd., Port Tampa, FL 33616
Coordinates: 27.86° N, 82.54° W |
