Jordan Selleck
Cayman Islands
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Nº10
Date: 2013-05-10 - 14:00
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Max Depth: 19.8m Duration: 60mins
Dive Location
- Temp: Surf 29°C
- Dive type : Recreational, Wreck
- Visibility: Excellent Water: Salt
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Dive with Indepth Watersports
Indepth Watersports confirmed the dive with parameters: 19.8m / 60mins
Dive buddies:
Robert Gryn,
Jeremy Stovall,
David Rucker
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FIRST WRECK DIVE. Scared the crap out of me.
Ex-USS Kittiwake:
The ex-USS Kittiwake was a submarine rescue vessel (ASR-13). She was part of the 6th Submarine squadron (SUBRON 6) home ported at the Destroyer-Submarine piers in Norfolk, VA.
History:
She was built by Savannah Machine & Foundry Co. (Savanna, Georgia), awarded May 11, 1944, near the end of WWII, launched July 10, 1945, and commissioned July 18, 1946.
The Kittiwake had an illustrious service for over 54 years, being decommissioned September 30, 1994. After being laid up by the US Navy for six years, the Kittiwake was transferred to the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) in March of 2000. From 2000 - 2009, she resided at the James River Reserve Fleet in Fort Eustis, Virginia (Norfolk area).
MARAD issued an invitation to both US and international applicants to apply for the donation of a ship for the purposes of artificial reefing in 2004, and the Cayman Islands applied for a ship. The Cayman Islands was approved as the pilot project for the “donation of a ship from MARAD to a foreign Government for the purposes of artificial reefing”.
The Kittiwake was transferred from MARAD to the Cayman Islands Government in August 2009, and was cleaned and remediated in Norfolk, Virginia, to become an artificial reef. This included substantial work including the removal of all hazardous materials (like pcb's, asbestos, mercury, cabling, wires, oils, lubricants and a very long list). Additionally, all thin or loose materials that could break off during or soon after sinking were removed. The Kittiwake is possibly the 'cleanest' wreck even to be sunk as an artificial reef.
Tow:
December 17, 2010, the Kittiwake started her tow to Grand Cayman in a snow and ice storm; a tow that weathered rough winter seas for the better part of her nine day journey, arriving in Grand Cayman midday on December 25, 2010. The 'America' tug boat brought her safely to Grand Cayman.
Specs:
The Kittiwake is 251 ft long, 44 ft on her beam, and drafted 19 ft fully loaded. Her light displacement was 1704 tons and full displacement was 2193 tons. After removal of much of the equipment and steel on board, her displacement is around 1800 tons of steel for sinking.
She is a very solid steel hull/steel superstructure that had 18 bulkheads, a single screw propeller made of solid brass that is still on board, and had a complement while in active duty of 10 officers and 98 enlisted service personnel. Her armament was removed before export from the USA.
Location:
As you can see, the location for sinking the Kittiwake is at the northern end of Seven Mile Beach, on the west or lee side of Grand Cayman at latitude 19 21.714’N and longitude 081 24.073'W for her bow, just off of the Sand Chute dive site. The bottom is flat and sandy. The Kittiwake will rest 64 ft deep at the bottom and be only 15 ft from the surface, ideal for both divers and snorkellers.
Decks:
There are five decks on the 47 ft tall Kittiwake. Externally, the crow's nest, mast and large stern a-frame have been cut down and remounted to make her height suitable for Cayman waters. The upper decks accommodate the two bridges (both an external and internal bridge to allow operations in heavy seas) along with the radio and navigation room. The sonar has been removed. The Captain and XO's quarters are also located on the upper decks.
On the main deck, from bow to stern, internally you will find the rec room, mess hall, ironing room, small tool workshop and recompression chambers. You will note the large a-frame structure on the stern that supported submarines and hard hat divers, as well as the diving bell where divers would enter to return to the ship from the ocean and then be placed in the chambers for decompression.
Below the main deck, two decks exist that include the crew's quarter, medic/hospital station, engine and propulsion rooms, air bank storage and compressors, as well as the steering gear, shaft, gyro, ammunition lockers, cold storage and barber shop, to name a few areas. While the Kittiwake has been opened up with large access holes both vertically and horizontally, every space on the ship was used while in service.