Who, in his right mind, would drop a perfectly good 1967 Silver Shadow Rolls Royce into the ocean? Why would a freighter end up with the name Budweiser? And, how do some of the worst tragedies at sea happen? When you dive the shipwrecks and the famous car wreck of Palm Beach and Delray Beach, Florida, you will gain fresh perspective and answers to these questions, and more! For now, let’s take a look at three very popular dive sites off Palm and Delray Beaches, on Florida’s incredible East Coast.
The Rolls Royce
Palm Beach’s artificial reef program is the proud owner of a 1967 Silver Shadow Rolls Royce. Even though the car was worth $25,000 or so, Gregg Hauptner sent his cherished Rolls to the bottom of the briny blue, just to gain media coverage for the Reef Program. His donation to the cause can now be enjoyed by divers, who can view the car in her resting place in Artificial Reef #3, just southeast of Palm Beach. Unfortunately, some divers have taken more than photographs. The hood, doors, and trunk have all been taken off the car.
The Budweiser Bar Wreck
Delray Beach’s Budweiser Bar Wreck used to be called the Olive M. She was a 167 foot coastal freighter built in 1965, and had been used for shuttling dry goods to Haiti and the Bahamas. Before she was sunk in 1987, she was re-christened in honor of Budweiser – a wonderful gesture, considering that the company donated a third of the funds required to transform the humble Olive into an interesting reef for divers to enjoy. Budweiser Bar is plenty of fun to dive, thanks to the fact that she sits upright in just 95 feet of water, with her prop, davits, and funnels left intact. There is a large open section on the deck, which allows qualified divers to enter the wreck.
The Tragic Delray Wreck
The Alberta, a steel-hulled, 386 foot long steam ship with a 48 foot beam, was built in 1892, in Hartepool England. In 1898, she was renamed Inchulva after being sold to Hamilton, Fraser & Company. On September 11, 1903, she was caught in a terrible storm with gale force winds. To make matters worse, she developed a steering problem, and at about 5 pm that evening, her commander, Captain Davis, ordered the crew to drop both anchors.
Tethered to the ocean floor, the Inchulva was at the mercy of Poseidon. Fearsome waves hammered at the ship’s structure, until finally, she gave way. Before the men trapped inside compartments could make their way out, the defeated ship began to sink. Fortunately for all but nine of the men who now rest in the deep, the storm had run its course, and they lived on to tell the tale. Later, Captain Davis was exonerated from blame – he had tried to hold fast, and the sea had won.
Today, the Inchulva is home to a beautiful array of coral and a rainbow of fish. Her sections rest in an average twenty-five feet of water, and many of Delray Beach’s novice divers learn the ropes under her watchful gaze – a reminder, it seems, of the power of the sea to enchant and humble us.