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Capt.
Dan Berg's Wreck Valley Collection |
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U.S.S. STRENGTH Panama
City
 The U.S. Navy Admirable class minesweeper Strength, hull number
AM-309, was built in 1943 by Associated Shipbuilders in Seattle,
Washington. She was commissioned on September 30, 1944, was 184 feet
long, had a 33 foot beam and displaced 650 tons. On December 10,
1944, the Strength arrived in Pearl Harbor and was assigned to Mine
Division 36. In February of 1945, the Strength participated in mine
sweeping operations off Iwo Jima. She also cleared mines in
preparation for the Kerama Retto assault. On March 26, a Japanese
midget submarine fired four torpedoes at the Strength. She narrowly
escaped as two passed astern and two underneath. The Strength opened
fire, but the little sub got away. The Strength then assisted in
mine sweeping the approaches to Okinawa for the impending invasion.
On April 6, a Japanese Kamikaze suicide plane chose the Strength as
its target. Fortunately, the Strength's gunners hit the plane and
set it afire. The enemy plane landed in the water several hundred
yards astern of the Strength. She was decommissioned on July 19,
1946, was reclassified MSF-309 on February 7, 1955, and was struck
from the Navy list on April 1, 1967. The Strength received three
battle stars for her service in World War II.
After being de-commissioned, the Strength was given to the Navy's
Salvage Diver School. Here she was sunk as a salvage project, being
re-floated and re-sunk many times. In 1987 she was sunk for the last
time in an explosive test by the Navy Diving and Salvage Training
Center at Panama City and began her new life as an artificial reef.
Today the Strength sits on her starboard side in 72 feet of water.
The Strength's wreckage rises to within 41 feet of the surface and
is considered one of the areas most popular dive sites.
Photo: The U.S. Navy
Admirable class minesweeper Strength was sunk during an explosive
test in 1987. Photos courtesy Chief Gary Ashton, Navy Experimental
Dive Unit.
Basic shipwreck
information and images for this section of this site was taken with
permission from the book Florida Shipwrecks by Daniel Berg. You are
invited to submit your shipwreck related articles, images and
information. As long as the text, photographs, sketches etc are of
professional quality we will showcase them. Full credit will be
provided and a same page link to your web site can be arranged. |
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 Florida Shipwrecks ebook
The Divers Guide to Shipwrecks around the State of
Florida and the Florida Keys,
Buy Now
only $9.95
10.2 MB instant download, printable PDF file
By Dan and Denise Berg, 180 pages. Shipwrecks are an
important complement to the natural coral reefs as a sport diving attraction
in Florida.  From the barley discernable ballast piles of the 1733 fleet to
the almost perfectly intact modern ships sunk specifically as artificial
reefs throughout the state, shipwrecks inspire an aura of mystery and
fascination. Florida Shipwrecks is the most comprehensive, accurate,
illustrated collection of information, photographs, sketches and stories
ever written about the shipwrecks around the state of Florida. This
downloadable ebook
contains a wealth of enlightening information that gives the readers a
nostalgic glimpse into the history and present condition of over 235
shipwrecks. Florida Shipwrecks includes over 240 illustrations comprised of
151 color photos, 83 black and white historical images, 8 dynamic u/w
sketches. Divers , snorkelers, marine historians, armchair sailors or anyone
with a general interest in history diving or the sea will surely find this
ebook fascinating, as well as indispensable. |
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Check out Capt. Dan's
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All
photographs, sketches, images and text |
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Copyright
Capt. Dan Berg / Aqua Explorers Inc |
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2745
Cheshire Dr
Baldwin NY 11510
E-Mail Wreckvalle@aol.com |
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