USCGC McCulloch Shipwreck

[NPerry]

This is not a wreck holding any treasure, but may be interesting to some of you anyway. These are a couple videos I put together after a couple dives on the recently discovered US Coast Guard Cutter “McCulloch” wreck site. This 220’ ship sank after a collision in 1917 and was lost until its recent discovery in 2016. There is a lot of interesting history behind the “McCulloch”. She served at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War, and sank while in route to San Francisco be outfitted with larger guns to serve as a patrol boat during WW1.

One video was filmed with a small drop camera and the other with a large towed camera sled. This wreck is at about 300’ deep, and in an area that usually has high seas and strong surface currents (near Pt. Conception and Pt. Arguello CA). This is the first wreck I have filmed where I am sure that it has never been disturbed before, so everything is exactly where it came to rest over 100 years ago. I usually film geology and biology with my equipment, but these dives are a good test of the dynamic positioning system on my boat as well as a new camera sled I designed and some new heave compensation techniques I am trying out.

Hope you enjoy.

 

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[creskol]

I enjoyed the heck out of watching those .. That is a bit off history I knew nothing about. Thanks for the history lesson!

 

[capt dom]

As they say, time heals most all wounds.... The sea is reclaiming this abet interesting shipwreck. The marine life sure looks happy... The shipwreck itself is the treasure. The mistake of thinking that "treasure" is only related to readily convertible assets is what has given undersea exploration a bad name

 

[Bum Luck]

As they say, time heals most all wounds.... The sea is reclaiming this abet interesting shipwreck. The marine life sure looks happy... The shipwreck itself is the treasure. The mistake of thinking that "treasure" is only related to readily convertible assets is what has given undersea exploration a bad name

Spoken like a true archaeologist!

Our Great Lakes are full of gold-less treasures like these. We don't think of gold even, but do enjoy the wrecks.

The majesty and awe of these wounded ladies in the deep is wonderful to behold. No other feelings are like that.

 

[lukdiver]

Really enjoyed watching videos. My twin brother says he's seen the video shot by NOAA (we have a friend who works for them). Yes very fishy and supposedly they ate well. I was in CG many years ago and find anything in reference to them interesting. An interesting tidbit on the McCulloch is she was envolved in the wreck of the Hanalie (wooden steamer) north of San Francisco and the CG planned to run the McColloch ashore to rescue the crew/passengers but the vessel broke apart before daylight and they cancelled the plan. CG members on the shore managed to float a Lyle gun off the beach to finally get a lifeline to the wreck but there were still 23 lives lost. We've searched for this wreck numerous times but never managed to find her remains.

 

[NPerry]

I am glad you enjoyed the footage of this historical wreck. I have been studying this one, and perfecting my underwater equipment for a few years in order to document this wreck before it is completely lost to the sea. NOAA originally discover it, but I think I am the only one to have located it and filmed it since the discovery. The site is federally protected so I doubt any artifacts will ever be recovered, but there is a lot there to look at. It is a very difficult wreck to dive since it is around 300' deep and in a fairly remote area with high seas and a lot of current most of the time, which is why i use ROVs or camera sleds to film it.

Here are a few more images that show some details. Some were taken with the downward pointing still camera, and others are frame grabs from footage.

These are some metal boxes with what look like round cast lids, I have not yet been able to ID what these were used for, but they are located in the area of the ship that the plans have labeled as the Captains Office. Any ideas what they may be?


These white ceramic containers were found near the boilers, and they are actually battery cells.


The one piece cast bronze bow of the ship. The rivets are where the wood hull planks were attached (notice the 15" torpedo tube that is cast into the bow).


One of the 6-Pounder guns, this one located on the port quarter of the ship.


Another 6-Pounder gun, this one is still in the turret at the starboard bow.


And some pictures of the 57mm (6-Pounder) shells that I discovered near the gun turret in the starboard quarter of the ship.


The Rudder Stock and Tiller Arm viewed from the main deck level.


The stern Boiler (there are 2).


The "Skylight" which was a doghouse located main deck level over the engine, but now is laying off to the port side of the engine.

 

[lukdiver]

Not sure about those items by captain's cabin? I'll get twin brother to look at them. The round ceramic cannisters are as you said Edison wet-cell batteries. We picked up some of them on the 'SS State of California' wrecked near Juneau AK. We've used a drop-camera on the 'Jacob H Luckenbach' and i'm totally impressed with your results, never mind your 'positioning system'. Mostly the deep tech diving is in our past (now 65 and 2x in the chamber) and we're concentrating on shallow wrecks. Do you have a web-site? Thanks Bob

 

[lukdiver]

Twin disagrees with me because he says close to ammo and my guess of chronometer boxes(likely 3 aboard cutter as that was what was on CGC Midgett when I was aboard in '70's) and he thinks usually in wooden boxes?

 

[NPerry]

Twin disagrees with me because he says close to ammo and my guess of chronometer boxes(likely 3 aboard cutter as that was what was on CGC Midgett when I was aboard in '70's) and he thinks usually in wooden boxes?

The chronometer is a pretty good guess, and the size and shape are about right. But your right they are usually in a wood box, and all of the exposed wood on this wreck is long gone.

This got me looking though, and I found some signaling lamps/lanterns that are similar to these with the cast hatch on the top. It would also explain the loops for the straps you can see. Also, one of the boxes in my pictures appears to have an opening where the window may be...

This part of the wreck has a lot of items visible, so i will be back to get a better look soon.

Thanks for the interest!

Nathan

 

[njcommercialdiver]

very nice pics

 

[Mudflap]

Nice videos and pictures. Thanks for sharing.

 

[NPerry]

Twin disagrees with me because he says close to ammo and my guess of chronometer boxes(likely 3 aboard cutter as that was what was on CGC Midgett when I was aboard in '70's) and he thinks usually in wooden boxes?

So I am updating my guess now, and I am fairly confident these 3 items are Acetylene Generators, also called Carbide Generators, and are used to power lamps. I have found some pictures of close matches to these, but none that I would say are the same model or manufacturer. They come in a lot of shapes and sizes, but the time period is correct and many were very similar to this.

 

[NPerry]

For those of you who were interested in this wreck, I have visited this site a few more times in the last few years, and had one pretty good dive on it with the camera sled a few weeks ago. NOAA has now registered the site as a historic landmark and will hopefully start to seriously document the area. I would like to see the wreck salvaged as well so that we can all enjoy the artifacts, but I wont hold my breath for that. Until then I will continue to document it myself, since it is exciting to discover new items on the wreck with each dive.



NOAA has some info on the wreck here: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/shipwrecks/mcculloch/