Built in 1897, she was an antique 147-foot luxury yacht trimmed in teak and mahogany and originally named the Hiawatha. She plied the Great Lakes as a pleasure yacht until the early 1920s as the personal yacht of millionaire Julius Fleischmann, the son of the founder of Fleischmann & Company, an industry giant yeast firm. Julius also served as the mayor of Cincinnati. She was known as one of the fastest and most attractive yachts that sailed along the east coast. After three decades, the yacht was sold in 1924 and renamed the Esmeralda and moved to Miami. The Esmeralda sank two years later off the Miami Municipal dock, now Bicentennial Park, during a category 4 hurricane in 1926 that claimed many other vessels. Of the six passengers aboard the Esmeralda when she sank at her mooring, only one survived. The hurricane claimed over 300 lives in South Florida. Esmeralda was raised from the bottom in 1927 and then unceremoniously towed to sea and disposed. In 1994, she was accidentally discovered by divers following a trip to the Mystic Sea. Their anchor was fouled and the dive boat drifted off that wreck and the northbound current snagged their hook into a second wreck. Once the divers descended, they discovered the yacht and very conspicuous artifacts indicating that the vessel had sunk unexpectedly. Several Ashcroft gauges and the bronze engine manufacturer plaque were recovered, but nothing that positively identified the wreck. Further research came across documentation that confirmed it was the Esmeralda. Even after decades below, her hull is largely intact, but the deck and bulkheads have deteriorated. Portions of her upper deck remain off her starboard side. Numerous artifacts remain on the site including portholes, light fixtures, large tubs and sinks mostly resting in the stern of the ship. The engine can still be found within the machinery spaces towards the stern. Undoubtably, more artifacts remain within the wreck, but most are buried by considerable sediment. The wreck is home to large grouper and hogfish, while the occasional sailfish might be spotted during decompression stops especially during the spring.