Florida’s Key West is a veritable graveyard of shipwrecks. Some went down without a loss of life, while others took crewmembers or passengers to a watery grave along with them. Here is just a brief sampling of some of the very best shipwrecks off Key West.
Aquanaut
The Aquanaut is a simple dive in 75 feet of water. The remnants of what was once a wooden-hulled, 55 foot tugboat now host mahogany snappers, arrow crabs, and plenty of colorful soft and hard coral. She was added as an artificial reef in 1967, and is now quite scattered – but still offers plenty of great photo opportunities!
Luckenbach
This 436 foot wreck, which was owned by New York’s Luckenbach Steamship Company, was carrying 10,000 tons of tin and zinc ores, plus consumer goods and mail, when she hit an American minefield and sank in sixty feet of water off Key West. Amazingly, everyone but a single engineer survived the explosions and subsequent sinking. Just two months earlier, the USS Sturtevant had sunk in the same minefield, and the Luckenbach’s captain furiously blamed his route instructions for his ship’s demise. This easily accessible wreck is scattered in just fifty-five feet of water. Visibility is good at an average of twenty feet.
Baja California
The wreck of the banana boat, Baja California is accessible at 92 feet of water, and rests in a total of 114 feet. Once a Honduran steamship, she was just over 265 feet long with a 38 foot beam. This boat went down on July 19th of 1942, after being torpedoed by a German submarine, the U-84. Three crew members lost their lives that day. Today, she sits upright, lists to port, and is split in two. She is a popular artifact site, as well as being the home to good-sized pelagics.
Alexander’s Wreck
Once a 300 foot long destroyer escort ship, this ship was purchased for a mere $2,000 and added as an artificial reef in 1972. Now, she sits upright, broken in two pieces, in just 35-40 feet of water. A fascinating wreck wreathed in coral and full of all kinds of marine life, the Alexander still has her main gun as well as 40mm anti-aircraft guns. She’s an easy dive anyone can enjoy.
Valbanera
The Spanish passenger ship Valbanera sunk during a September, 1919 hurricane, while in transit to Havana. This tragic wreck, which was discovered with all her doors and portholes closed, had 88 crew and 400 passengers on board when she was lost. No bodies were ever recovered, and today, the wreck is scattered across the sandy bottom of Half Moon Shoals, in just thirty feet of water.
Wilkes Barre
Once a proud Cleveland Class Light Cruiser, the USS Wilkes Barre was built for the Navy in 1942 and saw plenty of action. She was 610 feet long and more than 66 feet across. During WWII, the Wilkes Barre supported America’s largest amphibious assault ever. She shot down enemy planes, and she rescued pilots after their fighters went down in the Pacific theatre. Overall, she received four battle stars and shot down seven enemy aircraft.
In 1972, the Wilkes Barre performed her final act of service above water, as the subject for explosive testing. Today, she is an amazing deep dive site. She rests in two pieces, in 220 feet of water. Her superstructure can be accessed at 145 feet, and she is an amazing sight – a real piece of American history.
All these ships, and others, are a wonderful, and unending, source of amazement for divers. History, mysteries, and fascination awaits you in Key West.