Gone are the days when only professional divers could take the time and make the preparations necessary to dive a famous shipwreck. While the number of famous wrecks around the world is increasing, the Cayman Islands is home to some of the best. One of these is the wreck of the USS Kittiwake, a US Navy Chanticleer Class Submarine Rescue vessel, which was held in commission from 1946 to 1994. Let’s take a quick look at what makes this wreck such an incredible one!
USS Kittiwake: Her History and Specifications
The Kittiwake was launched on July 10, 1945, and assisted various submarine convoys with constant support as they underwent sea trials and various maneuvers. She served all over the world, eventually being tasked with recovery of the black box from the Space Shuttle Challenger accident in 1986.
USS Kittiwake is 251 feet long, and sits almost perfectly upright in just 62 feet of water. Rather than being sunken unceremoniously, this grand old girl was carefully filled with water for a controlled descent designed to increase the chances that she would settle gently to the bottom. The engineers’ planning worked, and Kittiwake nestled herself right into the sand, keel first.
Even the least experienced diver can enjoy a trip to Kittiwake, as her uppermost features are accessible at just 10 feet.
Diving the Kittiwake
Deployed to her new retirement home as an artificial reef on January 5th, 2011, the Kittiwake will take several years to gain the softer lines older wrecks possess. For now, she is exquisitely detailed, with chains and stacks, deck railings and bridge, ladders and winches, and many mechanical fittings perfectly intact. While inexperienced divers and even snorkelers can enjoy observing the ship from the outside, experienced wreck divers can penetrate the Kittiwake with ease.
A descent straight down the stack leads you below decks, where groupers and moray eels are beginning to take up residence. You can still read the plaques above various compartments as you explore, making your way through berthing areas and storage compartments where new life will soon take hold.
Though some natural light does enter the wreck, you will need a good light to see many of the most interesting details, including gauges and all kinds of equipment.
Outside, the ship’s propeller creates a snug space where a goliath grouper has taken up residence. The boat davits and railings are explored by schooling horse-eyed jacks, and brilliant blue tangs and angelfish, sergeant majors, and squirrelfish explore the new addition to their home under the sea along with you. Already, barracuda have discovered that the Kittiwake is a good place to hunt, and Caribbean reef squid inspect the ship’s shallower areas.
An incredible dive, not to be missed, the Kittiwake is understandably popular. If you plan to dive this wreck any time in the near future, be sure to plan well in advance. Diving a brand new wreck of this magnitude is a rare treat, and for some, it is a once in a lifetime experience. If you can’t go now, don’t worry – Kittiwake will be here for years to come.