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Dive Sites
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The U-352
The U-352 is a German Type VIIc U-Boat, 218 ft. long. It was sunk May 9, 1942, by depth charges from the US Coast Guard Cutter Icarus. Some of the U-352s crew were rescued by the Icarus and interned as POWs until the end of WWII.
The U-352 now lies on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, about 25 miles from Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina. It is 115 ft. deep and sits on the bottom with a heavy list to starboard.
At first glance the U-352 seemed relatively intact, closer inpection reveals that every object that could possibly be removed has been. Deck guns, hatch covers, etc... have long ago been stripped away from it.
The long boat ride to this wreck is somewhat offset by the warm clarity of the Gulf Stream waters so far from the coast.
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The Papoose
The Papoose was a 412 ft. long oil and gasoline tanker. It was sunk March 18, 1942 by torpedos from the German U-boat U-124.
It now lies upside down on the bottom, 130 ft. deep.
This wreck is more than 30 miles (10 hour round trip boat ride!) from the North Carolina coast, and well into the Gulf Stream. It's inverted hull is heavily encrusted with reef life, but the most interesting parts of the wreck are either crushed under the hull or require deep penetration dives to explore.
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AEOLUS
Sank August of 1988 as an artificial reef. She lies in 110 feet of water and rises to 90 feet. She is 409 feet long and is a good multilevel dive. In 1996 hurricanes broke this wreck into three pieces. The stern sets upright, amidships she lies on her starboard side and the bow section is collapsing. Many divers feel the storm's damage has made this an even better dive
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ASHKABAD
Russian freighter sank between April 3 and May 3, 1942. Reportedly torpedoed and sank by gunfire. She lies in 60 feet of water on the tip of Cape Lookout Shoals. A broken and scattered wreck.
ATLAS Laying 23 miles east/southeast of the Beaufort inlet, she comes within 90 feet of the surface. She was torpedoed by the U-552 April 9, 1942. Maximum depth is 130fsw.
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HMS BEDFORDSHIRE
This 170' British armed trawler was torpedoed by the German submarine, U-588. A broken and scattered wreck she lies in 100 feet of water.
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CARIBSEA
The bottom of this wreck lies at 90fsw with her remains rising to 45 feet below the surface. She was torpedoed March 11, 1942 by the U-158.
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CASSIMAR
A 390 foot long tanker, she lies in 120 feet of seawater. In his book "SHIPWRECKS; Diving the Graveyard of the Atlantic," Rod Farb rates her as one of North Carolina's "Top Five Wreck Dives." Her stern is intact and she is full of tropical aquatic life. Due to the long boat and the occasional presence of strong currents this is a dive for experienced wreck divers.
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CITY OF HOUSTON
Built in 1871, this iron steamship was designed to carry passengers and freight between Galveston, Texas and New York. She sank in a storm October 24, 1878 off the tip of Frying Pan shoals. Her broken and scattered remains rest in 90 feet of water. Due to the distance of this site from Morehead City, she is best visited on an "offshore camping trip."
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HARDEE'S REEF
This artificial reef was sank in 90 feet of water. A harbor tanker, she sits upright and is 170 feet in length.
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W.E.HUTTON
She was torpedoed by the U-124 March 9, 1942. She lies in 72 feet of water. Depth charged and wire dragged as a hazard to navigation about a year after her demise, the wreckage is scattered over a large area.
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INDRA
Formally a US Navy Landing Craft Repair ship, she was sank August 4, 1992 as part of North Carolina's artificial reef program. This wreck lies in 65 feet of water and rises to within 35 feet of the surface. This penetrable wreck is excellent for training, photography and night dives.
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NAECO
This tanker was sank by the submarine U-124 on March 23, 1942. Split into two sections by the attack, the stern section is the most popular dive. Setting upright and intact with a maximum depth of 140fsw, the wreckage is covered with beautiful corals, sponges, anemones and is home to a variety other invertabrae and fish. This wreck is considered one of North Carolina's top five dives by many. Because of the long boat trip and excessive depth this dive is best for experienced offshore wreck divers.
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NORMAINIA
She is a 312 foot freighter resting in 110 feet of water. This ship foundered and sank during a storm January, 1924. She is known as a good lobster wreck and presents many excellent photographic opportunities.
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PROTEUS
This 406 foot, passenger/cargo, steel screws steamer was sank in a collision with the tankerSS Cushing in August of 1918. The Proteus featured 46 first class staterooms, 30 second class staterooms and 108 berths in steerage. Today her remains lie in 130 feet of water. This wreck is some distance from Morehead so special arrangements need to be made to dive this site.
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THEODORE PARKER
This concrete Liberty ship was sank as part of North Carolina's artificial reef program. She lies one and a half miles off of Bogue banks and three miles west of Fort Macon. The maximum depth at this site is 60 feet with the top of her deck setting at 30 feet below the surface. This site is frequently used for Open Water training dives.
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SCHURZ
This 254 foot former German gunboat Geir was captured and recommissioned as a US Navy ship in WW I. Built in Germany in 1894, she sank as a result of a collision with SS Florida June 21, 1918. Today she rests in 110 feet of water and is still giving up interesting artifacts. In fact an extremely nice porthole was recovered in early Spring, 1997!
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SULOIDE
This 1,879 ton cargo vessel lies in 70 feet of water southwest of Beaufort Inlet. She collided with the partially submerged hull of the W.E. Hutton March 26, 1943. Both vessels were depth charged and wire dragged to prevent further collisions.
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