Quick viewing(Text Mode)

Download the Full Article As Pdf ⬇︎

Download the Full Article As Pdf ⬇︎

wreck rap

Uppermost structure of the USS Oriskany located off the coast of Pensacola, , USA

Text by Melissa R. Price Photos by Melissa R. Price and the Florida Department of State Divers understand there is some- thing eerily attractive about a ship laying upright on the seafloor. Wreck divers often chase that feeling of curios- ity and wonder when exploring undersea environments. While Florida’s eastern coast certainly offers countless popular wreck dives, the Panhandle is an often- overlooked gem. The Florida The Florida Panhandle Panhandle Shipwreck Trail pro- vides an enjoyable mechanism for divers to experience the his- tory and heritage the has to offer within the Shipwreck Trail realm of . FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE

The Trail was launched in 2012 by where diving and tourism were con- candidates, which were accessible to munities and succeeded in attracting promotional video footage. The videos the Florida Bureau of Archaeological cerned. Local waterfront communities a variety of certification levels, con- tourists to the region. were produced in the summer of 2018 Research (BAR) in response to the expressed a need for a diving trail similar tained abundant marine life and had Continued management and promo- and contained cinematic interviews with 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which to the Florida Keys Wreck Trek located on plenty of superstructure to explore. The tion of the Trail involved the creation of archaeologists, who highlighted vari- caused a dramatic drop in tourism to the the eastern coast. wrecks, which were situated offshore of a website and Facebook page, installa- ous exciting aspects of the wrecks. As Panhandle. BAR brainstormed creative A lengthy data collection process Pensacola, Destin, Panama City and Port tion of billboards, distribution of printed a result of these widely distributed and ways to boost the economy, especially resulted in the selection of 12 wreck St. Joe, were popular within local com- material and production of high-quality, extremely popular videos and other

6 X-RAY MAG : 99 : 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Divers swim through upper decks of the wreck USS Oriskany (right); Barracuda and schools Florida rap of fish on YDT-14 (below). Both wrecks are located off Pensacola, Florida.

promotional materials, the Trail barges, effectively sinking them in received an uptick in interest in their present location. The barges 2019. In response, local stakehold- rest in 50ft (15.3m) of water and ers expressed a desire to have offer plenty of opportunities to more wrecks included in the Trail. practice novice dive skills and So, by the summer of 2020, BAR enjoy local marine life. plans to add eight more vessels to the Trail. Here, the 20 vessels are San Pablo. Nearby is San Pablo, spotlighted. a freighter that originally trans- ported fruit from South America Pensacola to Boston. The vessel saw action Three Coal Barges. These barges during World War II when it was broke free from their transport attacked by a U-boat and sank in 1974 while on their way to a off Costa Rica. It was refloated designated offshore artificial and transported to the Gulf of location. To prevent them from Mexico, where it was eventu- washing ashore or causing dam- ally blown up in a secret military age to other vessels, the US Navy operation off Pensacola in 1944. sent in its demolition experts to Found at a depth of 80ft (24.4m), plant explosives on the runaway this freighter invites divers to con- FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE

sider its intriguing story and history Atlantic during the 1940s. This rests at a depth of 212ft (64.6m). as they explore its boilers, rudder workhorse was sunk as an artifi- This immense vessel rises to 80ft and refrigeration coils. cial reef in 2000 in 100ft (30.5m) (24.4m), offering plenty of struc- of water. The upright structure ture for divers to explore. Pete II. Continuing farther is similar to Pete Tide II, with an offshore is Pete Tide II, an offshore intact pilothouse and intriguing Fort Walton Beach & Destin oil rig supply ship that carried swim-throughs. Tugboats. The Fort Walton laborers and provisions to various Beach and Destin areas of the rigs in the Panhandle. The 166ft USS Oriskany. The final and far- Panhandle are a hot spot for (50.6m) long vessel was sunk thest offshore wreck in this area purposefully sunk tugboats. Miss upright in 100ft (30.5m) of water is USS Oriskany, which is quite Louise was an original 2012 Trail in 1993. The pilot house and other possibly the most impressive and inclusion, but five more tugs were two decks offer entertaining swim- popular dive site off Pensacola. added in 2020. throughs, with plenty of schooling The largest in the At a depth of 60ft (18.3m), Miss fish and other marine life. world, it served as an aircraft car- Louise is perfect for novice divers. rier during World War II. The 911ft The 95ft (30m) tug maintains a YDT-14. YDT-14 is close enough (277.7m) vessel served in the resident sea turtle and schools of to Pete Tide II that these dives Pacific Theater, receiving battle bait fish, which swarm and dance are often paired. YDT-14 was a stars for its service in the process. around visitors. US Navy dive tender vessel in ser- It was ultimately repurposed Tugboat “Zuess,” Mohawk vice in the Caribbean and South as an artificial reef in 2006 and Chief, Chepanoc, Belize Queen/

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE

7 X-RAY MAG : 99 : 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap

Resident sea turtle on the wreck of the Miss Louise, located off the Fort Walton Beach and Destin areas in Florida (right); Divers in pilot house of the Pete Tide II wreck, located off Pensacola (below) FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Bob Reay Reef, and M/V Janet World War II Liberty Ship, which being used as navy training complete the tugboat highlight was active until 1949 and trans- vessels. Chippewa was sunk in in this area. Many of these tugs ported allied troops from the 1990 in 100ft (30.5m) of water. are associated with concrete to Europe. Accokeek was also sunk in 100ft and steel artificial reef structures, (30.5m) of water, in 2000. Both which add to ’s under- Panama City Beach vessels are intact enough for water experience. Panama City Beach contains a swim-throughs, and Accokeek number of wartime vessels that has a resident goliath grouper. Thomas Hayward. Another now serve as artificial reefs. 2020 addition in this area is the USS Strength. USS Strength was Destin Liberty Ship, also known as Service tugs. The USS Chippewa a World War II minesweeper that Thomas Hayward. History enthu- and USS Accokeek were initially fought in the Pacific Theater, siasts will appreciate a visit to this service tugs in the 1940s before where it found itself in the cross-

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE

8 X-RAY MAG : 99 : 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap

Diver on the of the wreck of USS Accokeek, located off the coast of Panama City Beach in MARINE PARK FEES Florida TRANSFERS WINE WITH DINNER FUEL SUPPLEMENTS TAXES

12 Fabulous Liveboards Red Sea, Maldives, Indonesia Guaranteed Sailings

LEADING THE WAY SINCE 1992 Quality | Excellence | Service | Flexibility | Value

Emperor2019__SCUBA.indd 2 11/10/2019 12:51

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE

hairs of a midget submarine and a kami- the power of Mother Nature. Originally, Port St. Joe kaze raid. Surviving both, the vessel was these two deliberately sunk tugs were History enthusiasts will appreciate the final eventually sunk off Panama City in 1987. situated bow to bow, but after a strong two wrecks, Vamar and Empire Mica, This vessel is not as intact as other wrecks storm, one boat was deposited slightly which were not deliberately sunk as artifi- included in the Trail, but it offers an excit- atop the other. cial reefs. ing dive for history buffs and marine life enthusiasts alike. El Dorado. The final vessel in this area, Vamar. Off Port St. Joe lies Vamar, an El Dorado, is a 2020 addition that pro- English-built patrol gunboat. The steamer Black Bart. Black Bart was another off- vides yet another reminder of Florida’s originally served as a support vessel dur- shore oilfield supply vessel that served the long history with the destructive ing Admiral Richard Byrd’s 1928 Antarctic Gulf of Mexico. Originally named Vulcano of hurricanes. The unique and quite expedition before it sank in 1942 under de Gulfo, the vessel was sunk as an arti- recently deployed ship was a modern mysterious conditions. Resting in only 25ft ficial reef in 1993 in memory of Navy luxury cruise liner that washed ashore (7.6m) of water, this shallow dive offers Supervisor of Salvage Captain Charles in October 2018 after the devastating visitors a chance to experience a real “Black Bart” Bartholomew. The vessel’s Hurricane Michael. Its owner donated it shipwreck scattered across the seafloor, wheelhouse was ripped off completely as an artificial reef, allowing the com- a fascinating juxtaposition to those intact after Hurricane Michael in October 2018, munity to reap the benefits for years to and upright vessels described previously. but the open cargo hold still offers swim- come, much to the enjoyment of divers through opportunities. and marine life alike, illustrating how an Empire Mica. Empire Mica, a 2020 addi- unfortunate situation can lead to oppor- tion, is accessible via Port St. Joe, Mexico FAMI Tugs. The FAMI Tugs also illustrate tunity and positive outcomes. Beach, or Panama City. This British tanker FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE Diver at the bow of the wreck of Black Bart, located off Panama City Beach, Florida

9 X-RAY MAG : 99 : 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck PLAN YOUR TRIP BEST TIME TO DIVE rap The best time to dive the Gulf is between May and September, when water is clearest (visibility between 18m and 25m) and average between 24°C and 26°C. During this time, divers will be most comfortable in a 3mm or 5mm .

DIVE OPERATORS Dive charters can be found on the Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail Partners webpage: floridapanhandledivetrail.com

These shops offer everything a diver needs to visit these unique wrecks. Most vessels can take at least six divers, with a few in the Pensacola region able to accommodate larger groups and technical divers for visits to USS Oriskany.

ACCOMMODATIONS Many dive shops are close to a suite of hotels on the coast, which offer beautiful beachside vistas and access to lively downtown areas.

GETTING THERE Visitors can arrive via Pensacola International Airport or Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport. 

Diver peers under the USS Chippewa structure. The wreck is located off Panama City Beach, Florida. FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE

carried fuel for the Air during present on Florida’s eastern coast. These tion to and management of artificial reefs World War II before it was torpedoed by a wrecks-turned-reefs also preserve aspects and historic wrecks. The Emerald Coast invites German U-boat 21mi (33.8km) south of Cape of Florida’s fascinating maritime history, you to make your own memories on the San Blas. While much of the upright struc- allowing them to continue telling their sto- Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail.  ture has since deteriorated due to time and ries with a renewed life and duty. Because Coast Guard test bombing, the wreck offers they are pivotal to the marine environment For more information, please visit: a fascinating story and draws many divers to and economy, the vessels illustrate why it floridapanhandledivetrail.com. Or this area. It also serves as a reminder of how is important to preserve and protect sub- follow on Facebook at: facebook.com/ close the war was to America’s shores. merged cultural resources and underwater FloridaPanhandleShipwreckTrail environments. Those who observe these Submerged cultural resources vessels in person realize their greater impor- Melissa R. Price is an American underwater These structures on the Florida Panhandle tance and become stewards of their long- archaeologist based in Florida. She spe- Shipwreck Trail represent the brilliance of the term preservation. cializes in Spanish Colonial shipwrecks and Panhandle community in creating unique Through the Trail, we are reminded to “take submerged archaeological sites of the to a challenge. Most of the vessels only pictures, [and] leave only bubbles.” The Archaic period. She is a PADI Open Water included in the Trail were sunk intentionally Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail is the syn- Scuba Instructor, Officer and as artificial reefs because the Gulf of Mexico thesis of recreational, ecological and herit- PhD candidate at Leiden University in the

MELISSA R. PRICE R. MELISSA does not contain the natural reef structure age tourism and promotes responsible visita- Netherlands. Map of the Florida Panhandle Shipwreck Trail dive sites

10 X-RAY MAG : 99 : 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap

Edited by G. Symes WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / PUBLIC DOMAIN / PUBLIC COMMONS WIKIMEDIA Historical photo of WWII Polish submarine Orzel Search for WWII Polish submarine Orzel

An international team of explorers It is hoped that with the finding of the Orzel’s and researchers from the Shipwreck final resting place, the nation may commemo- rate its sailors with dignity, providing their fami- Expeditions Association and the lies with closure. But the task will be a major Maritime University of in challenge as the area to be searched is large The newly discovered wreck off Portofino in the province of Genoa, , could turn out to be the Renaissance galleon Santo Spirito Poland are searching for the allied and conditions in the North Sea can be unpre- submarine Orzel (Eagle) that was dictable.  SOURCE: EIN PRESSWIRE 500-year-old galleon found in Italy mysteriously lost 80 years ago. Sponsored by the Chancellery of the Prime Two divers have discovered by the virulent Black Death, or to the little-known early modern Minister of the Republic of Poland and the a shipwreck that may turn out bubonic plague, which thwarted era of the Mediterranean as well as Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland rescue efforts. details of naval architecture Navigation, the project aims to find the to be the famed Renaissance of the time, according final resting place of the ORP Orzel, which, ship Santo Spirito, a merchant According to cultural heri- to his- torian Alessandra as one of the most modern Polish WWII ship that sank in the Camogli tage authorities, it is the Cabella.  SOURCE: MARITIME vessels, was the pride of the Polish fleet. Sea in the late 16th century. first ship of that era to be HERALD found in Italy, so there Built in the Netherlands, Orzel was mostly is “great interest” financed by donations from Polish society, During a dive in late February, the in salvaging it. which was unheard of at the time. Gaining two professional divers—Gabriele An international fame for its daring escape in September Succi and Edoardo Sbaraini, from team of research- 1939 from internment in Estonia without Rasta Divers submarine works com- ers has already the aid of navigational charts, the Orzel pany—noticed wood debris on the been assembled managed to flee to Great Britain, through seafloor at 50m. What they discov- to study the the Baltic and Danish Straits, with only the ered may actually be the remains remains and memory of Lieutenant Marian Mokrski to of a large Renaissance galleon artefacts of guide it. Under the command of Captain that shipwrecked in a storm in the wreck, Jan Grudzinski, the vessel also became Never before published in book form, see 1579 off the coast of Portofino in including renowned in 1940 for the sinking of the extraordinary images of the forgotten the province of Genoa, Italy, said an identified Wooden German freighter in early American WWII airplanes resting on the the Superintendence of Cultural helmet, which model of 16th April. But on 23 May 1940, the sub sailed bottom of the Kwajalein Atoll lagoon, from Heritage of Liguria in a release, are of great his- century Italian its last combat patrol, never to be heard award-winning underwater photographer reported by local media. At the torical value and galleon, Museo from again. Its loss is one of the greatest Brandi Mueller. Available on: Amazon.com time, the city was being ravaged may provide clues Storico Navale, Venice mysteries of WWII. MYRIAM THYES / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / CC BY-SA 3.0

11 X-RAY MAG : 99 : 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap

Edited DOMAIN / PUBLIC COMMONS WIKIMEDIA DOMAIN / PUBLIC COMMONS WIKIMEDIA by Peter Symes

Historical illustra- tion of SMS Grosser Kurfürst underway on her maiden Schematic of German -class ironclad voyage Wreck of ironclad SMS Grosser Kurfürst now protected

The wreck of the 19th century German Federal Navy. The design and work on the ship had begun. During its man warship, the armoured frigate SMS side of Grosser Kurfürst, which rapidly sank German battleship SMS Grosser construction took place during an ex- contruction The SMS Grosser Kurfürst was König Wilhelm, which was a sail-equipped, with the loss of 284 men. perimental period in naval warfare when modified to mount a pair of revolving broadside-firing type of ironclad. Kurfurst which sank off the coast ships moved away from a wooden con- twin-gun turrets amidships. Many of the sailors who lost their lives on of Folkestone, England, in 1878 struction. They also saw the brief return of The Konig Wilhelm was turning to avoid 31 May 1878 were recovered and buried after a collision with another the ancient ram, used to cause damage Sunk on maiden voyage colliding with a pair of sailing ships when in Cheriton Road Cemetery in Folkestone, German ship during naval exer- to enemy ships. She was laid down at Grosser Kurfürst was sunk on her maiden its strengthened ram bow, designed to where a large memorial stands in their the Imperial Dockyard in Wilhelmshaven voyage. The warship was preparing for sink enemy ships, ripped away armour honour.  SOURCES: HISTORIC ENGLAND, cises, has been granted prorec- in 1870 and only completed in 1878; her annual summer training sessions in the plating and gouged a huge hole in the WESSEX ARCHAEOLOGY tion by the UK government. long construction time was in part due English Channel in May 1878 when it was to a redesign that was completed after accidentally rammed by another Ger- The wreck of SMS Grosser Kurfürst has been given scheduled protection and added to the National Heritage List for England, and the memorial has been given a Grade II listing. Scheduling WESSEX ARCHAEOLOGY means that recreational divers would still be allowed to dive the wreck but the new measures would give its contents a level of protection, Historic England said. The SMS Grosser Kurfürst is the only WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / PUBLIC DOMAIN / PUBLIC COMMONS WIKIMEDIA non-Royal Naval warship recorded as wrecked in English waters for the period 1860-1913.

SMS Grosser Kurfürst was one of only three Preussen-class ironclad warships authorised under the naval programme of 1867, which had been approved by the Reichstag to strengthen the North

Multibeam image of the SMS Grosser Kurfurst, which sank and now rests upside down Sister ship SMS Preussen in 1887 off Folkestone at a depth of 30m

12 X-RAY MAG : 99 : 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO

Top View