ROATAN
Bay Islands, Honduras
Roatan is the largest of the Bay Islands and the most developed.
Located
approximately 900 miles south-southwest of Florida, this island is
about 32
miles long by two miles wide.
Diving in Roatan is similar to that of Guanaja. There are also
caverns, caves,
cliffs, and crevices to be explored.
GWENDOLYN
The Gwendolyn was a 200 foot long, Honduran mine sweeper. She ran
into an offshore reef on the northwest side of Roatan in 1955 and
quickly
sank to the bottom. She is now lying upside down on the ocean floor
in
120 feet of water. Visibility on this wreck ranges from 20 to 50
feet.
PRINCE ALBERT
Off the south side of Roatan lies the wreck of the Prince Albert.
This 140
foot long, steel hulled island freighter had exhausted her useful
life and sat
unattended and rusting for quite some time. She was finally donated
by the
owner, a Roatan business man, to be sunk as an artificial reef.
In preparation for her sinking, The Prince Albert's hatches were
removed
and several four foot by six foot holes were cut through her
bulkheads.
These steps assured easy and safe diver exploration of the ship's
interior.
The Prince Albert was then taken in tow by the shrimp boat Sheena
Mc.
While under tow, the freighter became unmanageable and ran aground
on
a reef where she remained for over a week, refusing to budge and
actually
snapping the tow cable of the struggling shrimp boat. The trawler
Lady
Eleanor and her volunteer crew with the benefit of favorable weather
conditions were finally able to pull the Prince Albert off the reef
and towed
the ship to her present location. The crew opened her valves, and
within
an hour and a half she sunk to the bottom.
The wreck now sits upright and intact in 65 feet of water in a sand
channel.
She seemingly invites
divers to explore her pilot house, passageways, cargo
holds, and compartments. Visibility at the site changes with the
tides, ranging
from excellent to a little murky.
Within the next few years this wreck is going to develop into a
stunning
reef supporting an eco chain that ranges from plant life to large
predators.
Basic shipwreck
information and images for the Caribbean section of this site was
taken with permission from the book Tropical Shipwrecks by Daniel
and Denise 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 provide and a
same page link to your web site can be arranged.
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