Scuba Diving The Graveyard Of The Atlantic
The Jackson and Bedloe

"There we were, about 9 nautical miles out of Oregon Inlet, aboard the dive boat. It was a beautiful day with calm seas, a giant sea turtle off our starboard side, and dolphins that had escorted us out still jumping like circus acrobats in and out of the water about 100 yards off the port side. I had almost finished suiting up and checking my gear when the divemaster returned to the surface with his report of "just wait till you see it!"

I jumped in, started swimming down the anchor line and realized what he meant. At only 10 feet down the line, you could see the entire wreck of the World War II casualty the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Jackson WSC-142, lying in the sand 60 to 70 feet below. The forward section separated from the aft by a 30 feet wide gap with large schools of shimmering colorful fish swimming between and through them. The view alone was breathtaking. On the bottom with the wreck lying close around me, I looked up towards the surface and saw the schools of fish, large and small, circling above like moving clouds. The silhouetted outline of the dive boat against the true sky was an awesome sight, so much so that I just stayed there looking and watching the other divers.

Back onboard the boat, I realized how blessed I really am as I watched the dolphins escort us back to the Inlet. A good time was had by all". Report by Bill McDermott about a dive last summer.

Known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic", coastal North Carolina offers a wonderful and unique diving experience. Wreck diving at its finest on some of the hundreds of shipwrecks scattered throughout our waters. People who dive these wrecks are offered a rare glimpse into our rich maritime heritage as well as a view of the diverse variety of marine flora and fauna that collect and live on the wrecks.

For hundreds of years, ships have found their final resting-place here. Bad weather, shoals, war, and vessels, which were intentionally sunk, are the source of the wrecks that inhabit the waters off our barrier islands. The shipwrecks range in type and age from ancient sailing ships, Civil War era vessels, WWII German U-Boats and their victims, to modern day trawlers, freighters and tankers.

Some of the known wreck sites that divers visit include the Federal transport, Oriental, which sank on May 16, 1862; the Liberty ships Zane Gray and Dionysus which were intentionally sunk to form artificial reefs in 1974 and 1978; a German submarine U-85 sunk by the American destroyer USS Roper on April 14, 1942; the freighter York torpedoed by the German U-66 on January 22, 1942; the tanker Benson which was torpedoed on April 5, 1942 by a German sub U-522; the tanker Kyzickes and the freighter Carl Gerhard sunk in 1927 and 1929, respectively, and since broken apart on top of each other and known as the "Triangle Wrecks"; a decommissioned WWII class PCE-845, which was later used as the research vessel "Advance" and sunk in July 1994 to begin an artificial reef; the Federal gunship Huron which ran aground on November 24, 1877; the passenger-freighter City Of Atlanta, torpedoed by the German sub U-123 on January 19, 1942; the freighter Ciltvaira also torpedoed by the U-123 on January 21, 1942; and, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Jackson which sunk on September 14, 1944 by The Great Hurricane of September 1944.

These are only a few of the over 600 recorded shipwrecks off the Northern North Carolina Coast. Each one has its own history and unique story. On September 12, 1944, the Liberty ship George Ade was heading northward in the Gulf Stream south of Cape Hatteras when the German sub U-518 torpedoed it, striking the aft section and causing serious damage. The Liberty ship did not sink but was dead in the water, as its ability to steer was exhausted. That afternoon, the rescue tug ATR-6 escorted by the U.S. Coast Guard Service vessels Jackson and Bedloe, towed the Liberty ship, with wounded merchantmen, towards Cape Henry. It was slow going under tow and the escorts were needed because of U-Boat presence in the area. On the morning of September 14, the convoy was north of Cape Hatteras off Wimble Shoals when the Great Atlantic Hurricane struck, sinking both the Jackson and Bedloe. We are still looking for the Bedloe.

Each year currents and storms cover and uncover shipwrecks lost at sea. Wreck divers are thrilled by the seductiveness of diving newly uncovered wrecks. While wreck diving is an exciting and wonderful sport, it is a specialized diving skill, requiring quality training and experience to be safely performed. Underwater photographers, spearfishing diver, artifact hunters, and those who just wish to appreciate the sites and abundant sea life surrounding the wrecks enjoy wreck diving.

The Outer Banks Dive Center is a local dive shop that specializes in wreck diving. It is located directly across from Jockey's Ridge in Nags Head. Services offered are centered on the needs of the beginning to advanced and technical diver. "State of the art equipment, repairs and quality training are the necessary fundamental needs for a wreck diver," says Bill McDermott, Technical Director for the Outer Banks Dive Center. Bill has been an enthusiastic diver for more than 35 years. For the last 17 years, he has been involved with wreck and cave exploration, equipment design and testing, technical consulting, and teaching in the dive industry. This background has tempered his vision for the development of the Outer Banks Dive Center to meet the needs of the divers who come from all over the world to the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

With dive safety through education and experience in mind, the Outer Banks Dive Center is proud of its staff, faculty, and associates. Some of the staff include: Bill McDermott, NAUI Course Director, NSS-CDS, and IANTD Instructor Trainer; LCDR Pat Murphy, USCG (Ret.), NAUI Instructor and U.S.C.G. Licensed Captain; Chip Holcomb, PADI Master Instructor and EMT who has been appointed to the PADI Master Instructor Review Committee; Harrell Thach, NAUI Divemaster and EMT; Capt. Mike Fantone, SSI Instructor and U.S.C.G. Licensed Captain; Earl Parker, NAUI Divemaster; and Jay Neal, PADI Divemaster. Each has years of experience diving the Outer Banks.

Off shore dive trips can be booked through Outer Banks Dive Center. Dive Charters not only use a U.S.C.G. Licensed Captain, but also a very experienced Dive Instructor. The dive boat cruises at around 20 knots for the divers comfort and pleasure. Some of the special features of this custom dive boat are: large enclosed cabin; shower and fresh water rinse area; large deck; onboard Oxygen, and offers daily Scuba trips, weekend trips and night dives, private charters and group rates.
The Outer Banks Dive Center offers instruction in snorkeling, skin diving, SCUBA diving (beginning through advanced Technical) and Instructor training. Courses and seminars covering specialties such as wreck, cavern and cave diving, underwater photography, NITROX, rescue diver, ecology diver, underwater archaeology, videography, underwater mapping, search and recovery, deep diver, night diver, equipment configuration and side mount diving are offered on a regular basis. Equipment sales, repairs, Hyperpure air NITROX and mixed gas fills, rental equipment and guided beach dives are all available. For more information call (252) 449- 8349 or visit their web site at: www.OBXdive.com.

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