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Dive The Graveyard Of The Atlantic |
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Shipwrecks off Nags Head, North Carolina Popular Off-Shore Wrecks AR-140- N.C. Fisheries artificial reef; approximately 60 ft of water covers this sight which has two barges and assorted railroad boxcars, an excellent training and certification sight. Advance- Formerly USS Worland, PCE-845, WWII patrol craft, 860 tons, 184 ft long, decommissioned in June 1, 1964, subsequently used as a research vessel by Cape Fear Technical Institute. Upper bridge is at 35 to 40 ft with sand at an approximate depth of 80 ft. The Advance is an excellent training and certification sight. For more information about the Advance follow the link: USS PCE-845 Bedloe- U.S. Coast Guard Cutter, 241 tons, 125ft long, sunk in a hurricane Sept. 14th, 1944, Loss of all men onboard except for the Commanding Executive and Engineering officers with 9 enlisted men. The Bedloe was separated from her sister ship the Jackson during the storm of 44 and sank approximately 21 miles south of Oregon Inlet. She lies in 140ft of water and is on lying her port side. The vessel is intact except for the transom which appears to have been dragged off by a fishing net. Benson- Tanker, 7,593 tons, 465 ft long, torpedoed by the U-522 on April 5, 1942. She lies in 90 ft of water approximately 25.5 miles NE of Oregon Inlet. Jackson- U.S. Coast Guard Cutter, 241 tons, 125 ft long, sunk in the great hurricane of 1944, on the 14th, with a loss of 21 men. She is located approximately 8 miles NE from Oregon Inlet and lies in 80ft of water. The stern is broken from the bow with a separation of 80ft. The stern sits upright with all sections exposed to the sea. The sand which had previously covered most of the wreck has been moved off exposing many features that had been previously covered. The bow is sitting with a list to the starboard at 40 degrees the port side sea anchor is visible which still in it's hawser. For more information follow the link: WSC-142 Jackson. Mirlo- Tanker 6,978 tons, sunk by mine from the U-117 on August 16,1918. The Mirlo was previously mistaken for the Ciltvaira when she was originally found and identified. The Mirlo sits about 20 miles South of Oregon Inlet in an area that has slightly warmer and clearer water. This area is also prone to having higher currents and therefore it can be a challenging dive. The Mirlo sits at 120 ft, the vessel is broken in two. The forward section of the wreck is flipped with her decks in the sand. The stern area which is still attached by a debris field settled upright to starboard at a 45 degree angle. Because of the warmer clearer, water this site is ideal for photography, turtles, tropical and game fish are often seen on this site. U-85- Type VII-B, U Boat, 753 tons on surface, 218 ft long. Sunk by the destroyer USS Roper on April 14th 1942, with the loss of all hands. The conning tower is at an approximate depth of 85 ft, with a maximum depth of 110 ft. For more historical information about the U-85 follow the link: U-85 History U-701- A VIIC U boat sunk off the Coast of Cape Hatteras by aerial depth charge on 7/7/42. 218 ft in length she displaced 1070 tons fully loaded. The crew was approximately 60 men with a full compliment. She was sunk by a A-29 while on the surface. The U-701 was under constant attach for many days from the aerial bombers and this was to be the fatal blow. The 701 had returned to the surface to air out the interior of the boat when one of the look outs missed the attacking plane. Of the 17 crew which made it off the sinking vessel only 7 were to survive the action of the day. The 701 site is on diamond shoals and this area provides some of the most challenging dives to be found on the Banks. The cooler Labrador current and the warmer Gulf water off Hatteras Island mix here and there are often currents in excess of 2 knots. York- Freighter, 2,677 tons, 253 ft long, torpedoed by the U-66 on Jan. 22, 1942. She lies in 100 ft of water approximately 18 miles NNE of Oregon Inlet. Zane Gray / Dionysus- WWII Liberty ships, 7,191 tons, 441 ft long, first ships to be sunk off the coast of North Carolina in 1974/1978 as artificial reefs. N.C. Fisheries sight AR-160. This type of vessel was the first to use prefab construction making the best delivery time for this type of vessel approximately 4.75 days. Depth ranges from 40 to 70 feet and they lie approximately 4 miles S.E. of Oregon Inlet. For more information about the liberty ships follow the link: Liberty Ships Specifications Dive Schedule Reservation Form Dive Pictures Accommodations Directions Contact Info.
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