California Shipwreck Database Project

[Klems]

Hey guys, I thought I'd let you in on my shipwreck database project for Google Earth. (See attachment) I have been looking for a good resource that showed where all the "known" shipwrecks in Southern California are for diving or other purposes.

Right now it is very basic right now and all the yellow pin marks are just a set of unconfimed coordinates I have from the California State Lands Commission database:CSLC Database . Once I update them either with my own dive information or from others, I will change them to green and add in more specific info (depth, how to find it from shore, what the heck is there to see). I have updated the Foss #125 location and noted that the Noyo was pulled off the rocks and returned to SD harbor.

In the end, I would like to add shots of the nautical charts I use in the Navy to get you a pretty good idea where these wrecks are other than just coordinates.

So far its all the shipwercks in the following counties:
Orange County
San Diego County
South Channel Islands

If the interest is there, I will be adding the rest of the California counties, even though I have no intention in diving that far north.

So if anyone has updated coordinates/information on any of the known wrecks, please add to the post or PM me and I'll make sure it gets added to the database and I'll post updates every so often.

 

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[Klems]

So as I was looking through NOAA's AWOIS data on California last night looking for anything interesting below Los Angeles, I ran across this story:



Hmm, that's interesting, positive "hit" on an unidentified wreck. That doesn't happen too often. So I quickly charted it in my google earth database.



Next, I went and looked at the seafloor chart, NOAA had of the island/harbor area. And it is definitely a charted wreck.



Next, I looked and saw what possible wrecks it might have been:

Mary D-1953-No record found on google
Miya-1933- No record
Palmyra-1908-Schooner

Too bad the wreck is in 37 fathoms (222 ft) of water and outside the realm of recreational dive limits, but does anyone know what vessel this is outside Avalon harbor?

 

[allen_idaho]

You should be able to reach 222-feet no problem if you use trimix. If you get certified in technical diving, the limit is 330-feet.

 

[stevemc]

Yep, no problem with trimix with an anoxic O2 mix, or a rebreather. I am sure you could find someone out there that could dive it for you. Barney here (Michael Barnett) does a lot of deep diving on wrecks, he has written several great books on shipwrecks in Florida, many deep, and all visited by him. He has been on the History channel checking airplanes that were found with side scan in deep water, in a Bermuda Triangle research. I am sure if you PMed him, he could hook you up with someone out there, or dive it himself.

 

[Tjs]

It’s a rectangle barge, also the harbor master was pissed we were diving there.

 

[InflictionOfConviction]

Pretty sure they like to keep that info on the downlow, A lot of those "marked" shipwreck locations don't make sense. There Probably are at least 2-3 manila galleons in or around Greater SF bay or in the golden gate straits, but 1-2 were probably destroyed by dredging. Probably another 2-3, 16th or 17th century ships in the greater san francisco bay if not dredged away. That's not including the Devils Teeth and Greater Santa Cruz coast.
The South Bay Interests me the most, though
The first "European Explorer" to turn south and venture deep into the South Bay

my best guess, just a hunch
Sebastian Vizcaino

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastián_Vizcaíno

https://www.google.com/maps/place/S...1b898afe9abe9!8m2!3d37.4289331!4d-121.9915438

Interesting to me, well not really, just something to pass the time.


Obviously with all those modern sonar devices it's pretty much "known" "insider knowledge" where most shipwreck locations are.
Kind of a shame, a very rich history of shipwrecks and all people ever want to talk about is Texas and Florida.


https://www.sfgate.com/science/arti...-shipwrecks-outside-5760083.php#photo-6873885




Interesting, 24 miles out

 

[InflictionOfConviction]

https://www.google.com/maps/place/S...a104b2ad7f985!8m2!3d36.9741171!4d-122.0307963