| Virginia
Coast Shipwrecks |
MAP |
| Anglo
African: A 4,186 ton freighter sunk in 25 fsw after being stranded
on Cape Charles on January 5, 1909. Although seldom dived because
of the usually less than favorable conditions near the Cape, this
can be a very interesting wreck. |
Buarque:
A 5,152 ton passenger freighter sunk in 250 fsw after being torpedoed
on Feb. 15, 1942. This is an extremely interesting wreck and has
only been dived a few times. |
| Chenango:
A wreck believed to be the Chenango lies upside down in 140 fsw
just south of the Virginia / North Carolina border. The wreck is
broken into two sections. The stern section is mostly intact. The
prop has been salvaged. The forward section is broken down with
little relief. This wreck is infrequently dived and deserves further
exploration. |
Chilore:
8,310 ton ore carrier torpedoed by the U-576 off Cape Hatteras,
then struck an allied mine, and finally foundered in 60 fsw near
the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay while under tow. The wreck was a
hazard to navigation and subsequently reduced to an enormous pile
of rubble. The Chilore is seldom dived. |
| Cuyahoga:
320 ton USCG Cutter that sank after colliding with the 12,762 ton
MV Santa Cruz II near Smith Point, Va. on October 20, 1978. Eleven
men lost their lives in the collision. The Cuyahoga was raised and
later sunk in 120 fsw as an artificial reef. The wreck is upright,
intact and interesting to explore. |
Doxie
Girl: An intact clam boat that sank in 60 fsw during the 1970s.
Although frequently dived, the bell, complete with the clapper and
davit, was recovered by Dave Etchison. |
| Ethel
C: 2,847 ton freighter sunk in 190 fsw on April 16, 1960
after it's cargo of scrape iron shifted while enroute from New York
to Newport News, Va. The wreck is upright, intact, and visually
spectactular. There are three levels of superstructure amidships.
The navigation bridge rises to 140 fsw. The engine room is located
in the stern and is now accessible through the skylight, which collapsed
sometime during the winter of 1994/1995. As of October 1995, many
of the portholes in the stern superstructure were still there. Because
the amidships section is so interesting, the stern is explored less
frequently. There are still many interesting artifacts to recover.
|
Eureka:
3,531 ton four masted steam schooner sunk in 115 fsw after colliding
with the British steamer Benison on May 6, 1888. The Eureka was
enroute from New York to New Orleans with a cargo of general merchandise.
Some of the artifacts recovered include
porcelain dolls, porcelain "jars",
miniture sets of china, numerous types
of bottles, steam gauges, deadeyes, portholes, a small bell,
a pewter lantern, a gold pocket watch, and an ornate capstan cover.
This is a fascinating wreck! |
| Francis
E. Powell: 7,140 ton tanker torpedoed by the U-130 on January
27, 1942. The wreck is broken into at least two sections. The stern
section is off of Parramore Island in 90 fsw. The section frequently
dived off of Virginia Beach in 90 fsw is almost unrecognizable as
either the bow or midship section. If, in fact, the wreck is in
more than two sections, one section remains to be found. |
Frankfurt:
5,210 ton German light crusier that was one of eleven ex-German
warships sunk as targets off of the Virginia coast after WWI. Although
the Frankfurt is in 420 fsw, divers have explored it's upright,
intact, visually spectacular remains on several occasions. |
| Gulf
Hustler: Intact, upright commercial fishing vessel in 80 fsw.
|
Hanks:
Intact commercial fishing vessel in 70 fsw. |
John
Morgan: 7,176 ton Liberty ship sunk in 110 fsw on it's maiden
voyage on June 1, 1943 after
colliding with the SS Montana. The John Morgan was loaded with lend-lease
cargo which included trucks, motorcycles, P-39 airplanes, 10 Valentine
tanks and tons of assorted weapons. This is one of the most interesting
wrecks off of the Virginia coast to explore. |
Kingston
Ceylonite: 448 ton British Armed Trawler sunk in 60 fsw on June
15, 1942 after striking a mine layed by the U-701. Although largely
broken up, this is an interesting dive. |
Lillian
Luckenbach: 6,369 ton freighter sunk in 105 fsw on March 27,
1943 after colliding with SS Cape Henlopen. The wreck lies on it's
port side. The bow and stern are recognizably intact, the amidships
section is more broken down. The superstructure is scattered in
the sand. This a very interesting wreck but often overlooked in
favor of the nearby John Morgan.
Marine Electric |
Merida:
6,207 ton passenger freighter sunk in 210 fsw on May 12, 1911
after colliding the SS Admiral Farragut. The Merida is rumored to
have gone down with a significant amount of silver and copper. Over
the years there have been numerous attempts to recover treasure,
one reportedly dating back to 1917. If any of the attempts were
successful, it was kept quiet. In recent years, with sport divers
venturing ever deeper, the Merida is easily accessible but seldom
dived. |
| Ocean
Venture: 7,174 ton freighter sunk in 160' after being torpedoed
by the U-108 on February 8, 1942. The hull is basically upright,
the stern is listing to port. The engine and boilers are most impressive.
The bridge is upside down just off of the port side. The helm, telegraph,
numerous portholes, and many other artifacts have been recovered.
The Ocean Venture is one of the best dives off of the Virginia coast.
|
Ricks:
Intact commercial fishing vessel in 80 fsw. |
| Santore:
7,117 ton bulk cargo carrier sunk in 60 fsw after striking a mine
layed by the U-701 on June 17, 1942. The starboard gunwale was awash
after sinking and subsequently the wreck was reduced to an enormous
pile of debris. Although there is little resemblance to a ship,
the Santore is frequently dived. Interestingly, the helm was recovered
only a couple of years ago by Mike Boyle and Lynn Castaganola. |
Tiger:
5,992 ton tanker sunk in 60 fsw after being torpedoed by the U-754
on April 1, 1942. Except for the point of the bow, there is very
little that remains recognizable as a ship. However, the Tiger typically
has good conditions and is a popular inshore site, particularly
for new divers and students. |
| USS
Washington: 32,600 ton US Battleship sunk as a target on November
25, 1924. The Washington is upside down in 290 fsw and has
only been dived a few times. |
William
D. Sanner: 260 ton Maryland Pilot Boat sunk in 60 fsw after
colliding with the British freighter Levernbank on December 1, 1938
just inside the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. Prior to being a
Pilot Boat, the William D. Sanner was the luxury yacht Carmina.
Many interesting artifacts have been recovered including the helm,
two telegraphs and numerous portholes. Although the conditions are
generally not great, this is a great dive. |
