Some of
the many wrecks that Captain Younger takes us to are:
SAETIA: Also known locally
as one of the "twin wrecks". Freighter - Built: 1918.
Sunk: November 9, 1918. Gross tonnage: 2,873. Dimensions: 322
feet long by 48 foot beam. This ship was sunk by a mine layed
by the famous U-117. It lays near the upside bow section of what
is believed to be the Oklahoma, a tanker, that is the other ship
of the twin wrecks.
CHEROKEE: Also known locally
as the "Gunboat" because of the deck gun mounted on
the bow before it was established that she was the Cherokee
. U.S. Navy tugboat that foundered in a summer storm. Built:
1891. Sank: 1918. Length: 120 ft. Depth: 100 ft. Sits upright
in the sand. This wreck is best accessable from Indian River
Inlet.
MOONSTONE: WWII patrol craft which sank due to
collision with the USS Greer (DD-145) October 15, 1943. Built:
1929. Length: 171 ft. Depth: 130 ft. The Moonstone was orignially
commissioned the Lone Star, a luxury steel-hulled motor yacht
built in Germany and sold to the U.S. Navy in 1941. This is the
most intact of the deeper wrecks out of Indian River and a very
popular dive site. She sits upright in the sand and the engine
room can be carefully accessed through the gash cleaved by the
Greer. The 3-inch deck gun is the most awesome landmark and fell
off in the winter of '97/'98 during a net dragging. Most of the
depth charges still sit in their racks on the fantail.
CHINA WRECK: Name unknown. Wooden
schooner designated the "China Wreck" because of the
cargo of English chinaware she was carrying. Appears to have
burned and sank between 1867 and 1878 from research in dating
the china (Gary Gentile incorrectly states it circa 1876, a transposition
typo'). Discovered in 1970 during routine hydrographic survey.
Length: 135 ft. Depth: 45 ft. Has offered up literally thousands
of pieces of china to avid recreational divers over the years.
In spite of the shallow depth, this is not a novice dive due
to the heavy current and usually low visibility. This wreck is
best accessable from Indian River Inlet.
MANHATTAN:
Passenger-freighter
which sank in collision with the schooner Agnes Manning.
Built: 1879. Sank: 1889. Length: 228 ft. Depth: 90 ft. Most of
the wreck is flat to the bottom with the hull plates collapsed
outward. Two big anchors remain at the bow with the engines and
boilers obvious and squares of the cargo holds clearly discernible.
A good digging wreck as well as a good lobster wreck. We've seen
a ship's lantern, women's high top leather shoes, mantle clock
and lots of other goodies come up in recent years.
NINA: Iron hulled U.S. Navy tug which foundered at sea.
Built: 1865. Sunk: 1910. Length: 137 ft. Depth: 80 ft. A favorite
digging wreck continuing to produce many artifacts for the diligent
salvage hound. Good "bug" catchers can usually find
a lobster if they try. The ribs of the bow are very apparent
and are of good relief. Take care with the stern section, as
a fishing trawler dropped its net over it in 1994.
WASHINGTONIAN: Freighter carrying
cargo of sugar from Honolulu. Sank in a collision with the Elizabeth
Palmer. Built: 1914. Sank: 1915. Length: 407 ft. Depth: 100
ft. Highest relief is 20 ft., lies upside down, a mass of large
broken hull plates. You can swim right through the bow section
which is a hang out for large schools of fish. A favorite lobster
wreck, especially on night dives.
ELIZABETH
PALMER:
Wooden five-masted schooner, one of the largest American sailing
vessels of her time. Sank in collision with the Washingtonian.
Built: 1903. Sank: 1915. Length: 300 ft. Depth: 90 ft. Long rows
of low lying ribs with good hiding places for lobster and tautog.
JAKE'S: Unknown broken up
wooden wreck. Depth: 70 ft. A favorite second dive site for many
charters. The major underwater landmark is a large anchor and
chainpile which frequently provide a hiding place for large lobsters.
Home to many varieties of fish.
WENDY'S: Unknown wooden wreck
with extensive ribs of varying size. A large spread out wreck.
Depth: 105 ft. A favorite bug wreck.
H BUOY: Also known as "Sandy's
Anchor Wreck" and "H Bar". Large broken up unidentified
wooden wreck. The bow section lies low to the sand with the anchor
and chain identifying it. The stern section has 10 ft.+ relief
with lots of cubby holes for lobsters. Depth: 85 ft.
FENWICK
SHOALS:
Home to several broken up low lying wrecks with boilers present
on both the inner and outer sites. Inner Fenwick depth: 35 ft.
Outer Fenwick depth: 25 ft. The Thresham and the Brinkburn
are rumored to be two of the overlapping wrecks on the shoals.
Local instructors do open water check-out dives there. There
can be a stiff current and there is virtually always a surge,
sometimes quite strong. Most of the wreck is covered by bright
yellow encrusting sponge and myriad starfish. On good visibility
days, divers can be seen on the bottom from the surface. Among
the many inhabitants of the shoals are stingrays, tautog, sea
bass, trigger fish, butterfly fish, puffer fish and the occasional
stargazer or turtle.
HVOSLEF:
Freighter
torpedoed by U-94 March 10, 1942. Built: 1927. Length:
255 ft. Depth: 140 ft. The Hvoslef was carrying sugar
from Spain to Boston when she was struck by 2 torpedoes. The
ship sank in 2 minutes. The bow is the most intact part of the
wreck. The midships is open, exposing the engine and boilers,
and the stern breaks down into the sand. Portholes and other
nautical treasures are still being found by diligent salvage
hounds. Lobster and tautog are among the inhabitants.
JACOB JONES:
Destroyer
torpedoed by the U- 578 on February 28, 1942. Built: 1919.
Length: 314 ft. Depth: 120 ft. The Jacob Jones is basically
plastered all over the sea-bed. There are several sections, the
largest being the mid-ship section consisting of boilers, engine
and associated stern wreckage. The mid-ship torpedo tubes lie
atop the mass of debris with the torpedoes still inside. Gun
shells are commonly recovered from the site.
NORTHERN
PACIFIC:
Passenger
liner destroyed by fire February 8, 1992. Built: 1915. Length:
509 ft. Depth: 150 ft. The Northern Pacific's upside down
hull is almost perfectly intact, although several broad breaks
allow access to the interior including the engine room. The port
side is ripped outward exposing portholes, many of which lie
loose in the sand. Large lobsters are found in the debris field
that extends out into the sand.
CITY OF
GEORGETOWN: Four-masted
schooner which sank in a collison with the USS Prinz Oskar
on February 2, 1913. Built: 1902. Length: 168 ft. Depth:
110 ft. Largely sanded in, with wooden beams and ribs sticking
out five feet or less from the bottom.
CITY OF
ATHENS: Passenger-freighter
which sank in a collision with the French cruiser La Gloire
in the wee hours of the morning on May 1, 1918 with 67 lives
lost. Built: 1911. Length: 309 ft. Depth: 110 ft. Also known
as the "Ammo Wreck" because of the vast quantities
of 8 mm LaBelle cartridges recovered regularly by divers. These
were part of the cargo. This is a fantastic digging wreck with
not only thousands of bullets recovered, mostly from cases broken
up on the port side near the bow, but also large quantities of
pharmaceutical bottles, some still with contents and corks intact.
The nicest piece we've seen come up was a sterling silver gentleman's
pocket watch. Just forward of the engines is the place to dig
for assorted glassware and china. This wreck is best accessable
from Indian River Inlet.
CLEOPATRA:
Passenger-freighter
carrying a cargo of cotton which sank in a collision with the
Crystal Wave on October 29, 1889. Built: 1865. Length:
184 ft. Depth: 100 ft. Generally dived in conjunction with the
City of Athens on the way back to the dock. This wreck
is best accessable from Indian River Inlet.
CRYSTAL
WAVE: Sidewheel
excursion steamer sunk in a collision with the Cleopatra on
October 29, 1889. Built: 1874. Gross tonnage: 777. Length: 203
ft. Beam: 22. Depth: 100 ft.
SAN
GIL:
A freighter carrying bananas which was torpedoed to her watery
grave by the U-103 on February 4, 1942. Built: 1920. Length:
325 ft. Depth: 140 ft. Although some sections are broken up,
the main wreckage is pretty much in one piece with a list to
the starboard side.
DRY DOCKS:
Five
different large sets of dry-docks were scuttled at different
locations and depths to the sand of 130-140 ft. The top of the
docks can usually be reached at 100-110 ft. They are home to
large pelagic schools, huge starfish, anemones, mussels and lobsters.
They are located in the general vicinity of the Moonstone
and other wrecks out of Indian River.
POSEIDON:
Freighter
which sank in a collision with the SS Somerset July 31,
1918. Built: 1914. Length: 295 ft. Depth: 90 ft. Also known as
the "Little Oiler". The bow is recognizable, a good
hide-out for large lobsters, but most of the wreck consists of
overlapping steel hull plates which lie flat to the sand.
JENNIFER'S:
Unknown
wooden wreck, mostly large ribs. Depth: 80 ft. A favorite site
for lobster. Also known as the "Bingo" wreck.
KING COBRA: Steel-hulled tug which
foundered in a winter storm. Built: 1887. Sank: 1979. Length:
67 ft. Depth: 45 ft. Intact and upright in the sand near the
mouth of the Delaware Bay. Home to some large tautog. Ripping
current. Usually dived in conjunction with the China Wreck. This
wreck is best accessable from Indian River Inlet.
PATTY'S
PITCHER:
Unidentified wooden wreck generally thought of as a good lobster
wreck. Depth: 105 ft.
S.S. Ethyl-C,
Many more will be added to this page.
For more detailed information, See The
Ships We Dive