City of Waco was an American steamship which sank with much loss of life on November 9, 1875, in the Gulf of Mexico off Galveston, Texas.

The ship was built in 1873 by John Roach & Sons at their Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works in Chester, Pennsylvania for the Mallory Line of New York City.

Shortly before midnight a fire broke out aboard, rapidly engulfing the ship, which burned down to the waterline before sinking with the loss of all 56 crew and passengers.

[3] An investigation into the tragedy discovered that the ship had nine hundred 5 US gal (19 L) cans of Astral lamp oil stored on deck, in direct contravention of maritime regulations which forbade the transport of such a dangerous cargo on a passenger ship.

[3] The wreck was broken up with explosives in 1900 to clear the entrance to the port and then largely forgotten.