ST. CROIX
U.S. Virgin Islands
St. Croix is the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The island is
22 miles
long, six miles wide and is located 40 miles south of St. Thomas.
The diving
here is great and was recently improved by the sinking of three
ships on
the west side of the island.
For more information about the US Virgin Islands visit the US Virgin
Islands Board of Tourism’s official website –www.usvi.net
BARGE
This wreck lies just outside of Christiansted Harbor. Although the
history
behind the sinking of this barge is unknown, we believe she was sunk
as
a fish haven. Her remains which begin at 75 feet and slope down to
over
95 feet of water do make for an interesting dive. The wreckage also
includes
a crane that had been mounted atop the main deck. This has now
broken
off and sticks out from under the Barge's hull. The wreck which lies
upside
down is usually explored and sometimes photographed before divers
move
on to observe the coral reefs in the surrounding area.
MODEL A TRUCK
Not exactly your typical wreck, this old truck is an interesting
dive anyway.
The Model.4 sits in 130 feet of water just east of Christiansted
Harbor in an area called Scotch Banks. The truck is reported to have
fallen off a ship
in the 1950's. Today, she is an absolutely magnificent little wreck
to dive
on, covered with sponges and black coral, and usually a gray angle
fish or
two can be seen swimming in and around her.
NORTHWIND
The Northwind is a 75 foot long, steel hulled ocean tug named after
Mel
Fisher's salvage boat that was used on the Atocha treasure recovery.
According to Tom Long, the tug was used as a prop for the movie
"Dreams
of Gold", starring Loretta Swit and Cliff Robertson a story about
Fisher's
search for the Atocha. After filming was completed, the tug was left
behind.
The Northwind was sunk by Cruzan Divers Inc. and Ship Services in
May
of 1986.
Today, the vessel sits upright in 55 feet of water. Average
visibility in the
area ranges from 100 to 200 feet, and divers will marvel at the
abundance
of marine life which includes goat fish, rays, yellow tails, and an
occasional
turtle.
PLANE
This is definitely the smallest wreck off the island of St. Croix.
Jimmy
Antoine, a local dive operator, explained that in 1978 this little
two seated
Cessna ran out of gas and crashed into the sea. Unfortunately, her
pilot
did not survive the crash. The Plane is very broken up in 22 ferct
of water,
and divers have to use their imagination to recognize any of her
parts. On
the day we dove this site, an octopus and several skates were found
in the
sand around the wreck.
ROSAOMAIRA
The Rosaomaira is a 177 foot long, steel hulled Venezuelan
freighter. She
capsized while her cargo was being prepared for off loading.
Apparently the
weight of her cargo was not balanced correctly, causing the ship to
tip.
After attempting to right the vessel and failing, it was discovered
that the
ship's owner was trying to smuggle diesel fuel onboard. The
Rosaomaira
was then towed to Butler Bay and sunk in April of 1986 with the aid
of
explosives.
This wreck, known also as the Rosa, is now sitting in 110 feet of
water,
completely intact and upright. Left untouched since her sinking, her
crews clothing and personal
effects can still be found in their cabins. Average
80 to 200 feet, and there is usually little or no current.
SUFFOLK MAID
Only a few hundred yards south of the Rosaomaira and a hundred yards
north of the Northwind lies the wreck of the Suffolk Maid. She was a
144
foot long, steel hulled North sea trawler. The Suffolk Maid was
washed up
onto Frederiksted Pier during a hurricane in 1984.
In December of 1985, the Suffolk Maid was towed to its present
location
and scuttled. She is know sitting upright on the ocean floor in 60
feet of
water. Her superstructure was removed prior to her sinking. Again,
this
site has little or no current, and visibility is almost always good,
ranging
from 100 to 200 feet. Divers can still recognize the ship's name on
her bow.
TRUCK LAGOON
Truck Lagoon is a site located just west of the Northwind tug.
Divers will
find the remains of five old Hess oil trucks that were transported
here to
develop an artificial reef. The trucks, which have been on the
bottom for
about ten years, are on a sloping sand bottom, ranging from 60 to 70
feet
of water.
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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