Scuba Diving The Graveyard Of The Atlantic
Wrecks off the Beach
Coastal North Carolina offers world renowned Wreck Diving. For hundreds of
years, ships have found their final resting place here. So many, in fact, that
the area is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Bad weather, shoals, war,
and intentional sinkings are the major sources of the wrecks that lie in the
waters off our barrier islands. The shipwrecks range widely in type and age
from ancient sailing ships and Civil War era vessels to WWII German U-Boats,
their victims, and modern day trawlers, freighters and tankers. These
innumerable shipwrecks scattered throughout our waters offer Wreck Diving at
its finest. Those who SCUBA dive the Graveyard of the Atlantic 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 near and live on the wrecks.
The marine environment off of Nags Head area is unique in the world. What makes it so different and wonderful is the local mixing of Atlantic Ocean currents (cold and tropical water masses). To the North of Nags Head is the predominantly colder Labrador Current, while to the South is the predominantly warmer Gulf Stream. These two currents mix here, creating an always changing marine environment. As a result, we have one of the most biologically diverse marine environments in the world. Local marine life ranges from cold to warm tropical species such as; hard and soft coral, sea urchins, sponges, anemones, sea turtles, porpoises, starfish, lobster, manta rays, sharks, angelfish, groupers, arrow crabs and about every thing else one could imagine.
The marine life has close relationships to shipwrecks. Off our coast there is very little subsurface relief; only a vast expanse of sand covered bottom. With no hard rock and no large ancient coral reefs, it is like a submerged desert stretching endlessly ... except for the oasis, the wrecks where all the wonderful marine life congregate and thrive. The mixture of the two water masses off the northern North Carolina coast provides a nutrient rich bath that serves as a food source while the wrecks provide attachment structure, shelter, and protection for life, growth, and feeding. That is why these dead wrecks are so full of life and beauty, allowing the sport diver to see and experience a very special environment.
Some wrecks lie just off the beach or are buried in the beach itself. Some of the most noteworthy of these wrecks are: the Metropolis (also known as the Horsehead Wreck), which foundered in gale on January 31, 1878 just three miles south of Currituck Light; the Irma, a schooner that ran aground April 29,1925 (recently re-exposed in the surf zone off Kill Devil Hills); the "Triangle Wrecks", which are made up of the Carl Gerhard (a freighter that sank on September 24, 1929) and the Kyzickes (a tanker that sank December 4, 1927); the USS Huron (a Federal gunship which sank on November 24, 1877); and the Oriental, a steamer transport that sank on May 8, 1862 off of Bodie Island. Each wreck has its own unique history.
The most popular wrecks for divers to reach from the beach are the USS Huron and the "Triangle Wrecks". The Huron, built with funding authorized by the 42nd Congress, was a Federal gunship. Built after the Civil War in 1874 and commissioned in November 1875, the Huron was powered by both sail and steam, was 175 feet long, displaced 541 tons and carried four 9 inch guns. On November 23, 1877 she departed from Hampton Roads for the coast of Cuba on a scientific expedition. Her complement of 116 men and 15 Marines were all hand picked. She headed south out of the Chesapeake Bay and down the East Coast. As she passed by the Cape Henry Light around midnight, all aboard knew the predictions of bad weather had been correct. The sea grew rougher and the wind gained strength, forcing the ship leeward 10 degrees. Nevertheless, the Captain, Commander George P. Ryan, chose to continue onward while hugging the coast. That soon proved to be the wrong choice. By 1:00 A.M., with the winds now at gale force, the ship was hitting bottom on the sand bars off Nags Head. The striking of the hull on the sand, the wind, and the waves all conspired to doom the ship. Only 34 of her crew survived. The large loss of life was due in part to the fact that no one who saw the repeated flares and rockets that signaled for rescue, could help. In terms of lives lost, the Huron was one of the worst wrecks off the North Carolina coast. Although the Life Saving Service had been started three years prior to the Huron running aground, due to massive under funding the Service only manned stations in North Carolina for three winter months beginning December 1; one week to late to be of help to the crew of the Huron. The outrage over the Huron tragedy prompted Congress to fund the Service year-round. The Life Saving Service eventually evolved into the modern U.S. Coast Guard.
Today the Huron is a Federally protected wreck that sport divers, both new and experienced, enjoy diving. She is located about 200 yards off the beach in about 25 feet of water. Please note that it is strongly advised that divers use a professional guide to take them to this and other wrecks for proper orientation and safety.
Offshore wrecks of historical significance include the German submarine U-85 (sunk by the American destroyer USS Roper on April 14, 1942); the freighter York (torpedoed by the German sub U-66 on January 22, 1942); the tanker Benson (torpedoed on April 5, 1942 by a German sub U-522; the passenger-freighter City Of Atlanta (torpedoed by the German sub U-123 on January 19, 1942); the freighter Ciltvaira (another victim of the U-123, sunk two days after the City of Atlanta on January 21, 1942); the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Jackson (which sank on September 14, 1944 during The Great Hurricane of 1944 while escorting the torpedoed Liberty ship George Ade to protect her from further U-Boat attacks); the bulk ore carrier Marore (torpedoed amidship by German sub U-432 on February 27, 1942); and the tanker San Delfino (torpedoed by the U-203 on April 9,1942).
In addition to those wrecks are some vessels that have been intentionally
sunk, as part of the artificial reef program, intended to provide habitats for
marine creatures of varied species, both vertebrate and invertebrate. These
wrecks include a decommissioned WWII class PCE-845 (later used as the research
vessel Advance and sunk in July of 1994) and the Liberty ships Zane Gray and
Dionysus (sunk on December 12, 1974 and November 30, 1978). The Zane Gray and
Dionysus are both 441 feet long and lie about 300 yards from each other. All
three of these wrecks are in 80 feet of water with their upper structures at a
depth of about 40 feet.
The above are only a few of the over 600 recorded shipwrecks off the Northern
North Carolina Coast. Each year currents and storms cover and uncover
shipwrecks lost off the Outer Banks. Wreck divers are thrilled by the
seductiveness of diving newly uncovered wrecks. Underwater photographers,
spearfishing divers, artifact hunters, and those who simply wish to appreciate
the sites and abundant sea life surrounding the sunken vessels enjoy wreck
diving. Although wreck diving is an exciting and wonderful sport, it is a
specialized diving skill which requires quality training and experience to be
safely performed.
The Outer Banks Dive Center is a local dive shop that specializes in wreck diving. It is located directly across from Jockey's Ridge, at mile marker 12.5 in Nags Head. The services offered are centered on the needs of the beginning to advanced and technical diver. The Outer Banks Dive Center has developed to meet the needs of divers from all over the world who come to experience the Graveyard of the Atlantic. It is important to provide the quality training, state of the art equipment, and repairs that are fundamental needs for a wreck diver.
Dive safety through education and experience is paramount for the Outer Banks Dive Center which is proud of its staff, faculty, and associates. The staff includes: 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; LCDR Pat Murphy, USCG (Ret.), Capt. Mike Fantone, SSI Instructor and U.S.C.G. Licensed Captain; Harrell Thach, NAUI Divemaster and EMT; Earl Parker, NAUI Divemaster; and Jay Neal, PADI Divemaster. Each one has years of experience diving the Outer Banks.
The Outer Banks Dive Center offers guided beach dives and charters, instruction in snorkeling, skin diving, SCUBA diving (beginning through advanced Technical) as well as Instructor training. Courses and seminars covering specialties such as wreck, NITROX, underwater photography, rescue diver, ecology diver, underwater archaeology, videography, underwater mapping, search and recovery, deep diver, night diver, equipment configuration, Cavern, Cave and side mount diving are offered on a regular basis. Equipment sales, repairs, Hyperpure air, NITROX and mixed gas fills, and rental equipment are all available. For more information call (252) 449- 8349 or visit their web site at: www.OBXdive.com.