Historically what depth do very old ships wreck in? What depth would you search?

[SADS 669]

I am searching for shipwrecks with very little local info, legend or pointers about where to look.

If you had to search "cold" what target depth or depths would you select to have the best chance to discover a debris field that might lead to a wreck?

 

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[ropesfish]

Wave heights (sea state), draft of the ship, bottom conditions make all the difference.
For example:
Loaded draft of a galleon is said to have been 18-22 feet. With a wave height of 30 feet, the bottom of the trough will be about -15 feet from the normal water level, so if the galleon is drawing 20 feet and drives down into a trough of -15 feet, she will start to feel the bottom in (very roughly) 35-45 feet of water. A reef will do immense damage quickly while a soft sandy or muddy bottom will not hole the bottom quite as quickly.
Sooo...type of boat, sea state and bottom composition?

 

[Jason in Enid]

They wrecked in every depth imaginable. It all depended on where in the ocean the ship was when the waves finally broke it apart, and then how far it drifted as flotsam before coming to rest on the bottom. If you were JUST looking for ships wrecked near land, I would first look at all the barrier reefs. A ship slamming in to one of those in a storm was not long for this world.

 

[huntsman53]

Kevin,

I think you are more interested in what depths do the majority of Historic and Treasure laden ships lay along the U.S. coastlines and which are within the limits of your diving capabilities while keeping safety in mind! With that said, many will probably agree that a very large number of Historic and Treasure laden ships lie in waters ranging from 15 feet to 50 feet but the 30 feet depths are more likely to be the most targeted depths. While I am no expert on such things, I do search and read a lot of info concerning these types of wrecks.


Frank

 

[SADS 669]

Ropes, Jason and Frank,

Great info to start me off, I go from shore mostly and it's about 200 yrds to the barrier reef then I will start looking in the 25 to 35 range from there. I would imagine if something struck a bit deeper Ropes there would still be evidence of some description in the 20 to 30 range or even shallower?( up wind that is of course)

Thanks for such good guidance

 

[huntsman53]

Kevin,

If you haven't done so, you might want to do some research on the web, at the Libraries and at the docks for info on possible shipwrecks nearby of historic ships or ships carrying valuable cargo. What can't be found on the web, is sometimes located in Libraries and there are always some good shipwreck stories from locals at the docks!

I hope you have a diving partner but if not, please be careful and err on the safety side!


Frank

 

[BVI Hunter]

Any depth, except where they go down on the WRONG side of a barrier reef where the depth could be huge!

I visited the Turks islands to see whales - they have a reef where 1000's of ships have wrecked, on one side its about 40-60ft sloping up to the beach, directly on the other it drops to 7000 ft -
so, if a ship struck there, chances are it broke up and went DEEP!

in conclusion, check OUTSIDE of any reef if its not too deep - ships are unlikely to be inside the reef?
also check for any natural cuts in the reef, heading to marinas etc as ships may have been heading for these for safety or may have had a bad navigation day!

good luck!

 

[SADS 669]

Kevin,

If you haven't done so, you might want to do some research on the web, at the Libraries and at the docks for info on possible shipwrecks nearby of historic ships or ships carrying valuable cargo. What can't be found on the web, is sometimes located in Libraries and there are always some good shipwreck stories from locals at the docks!

I hope you have a diving partner but if not, please be careful and err on the safety side!

Frank

Hey Frank,

Thanks or this is I am actually lying on the floor only chuckling now after LMAO. Seriously, I live in the middle of absolutely nowhere here in the Bahamas ( bliss) , I have to drive 25 miles to my bank, 15 to the food store and there is not a single outlet of info here.

Thanks so much for that info I am planning to spend a day in the archives in Nassau next time I am there so good advice. I was looking through my log books the other day and have about 1500 logged solo dives, so I should be ok(I hope) on the experience side diving solo. I do try to think ahead all the time during a dive and have a mental,sliding scale of risk reward based on weather, current, boat or no boat while underwater.

I know there are many people who go nuts when you tell them you dive alone but as a consenting adult I make a choice and I am prepared for the possible consequences and being so remote here, there are no buddy's anyhow 😊

Thanks again.

 

[BVI Hunter]

I had a chat with my buddy about solo diving -

he said " you know what ANY pilot has to do to qualify?"

yes, fly SOLO!!

it seems that blacking out at 20,000ft and crashing your plane onto houses is deemed less of a "risk" than slipping gently away on your own in 40 ft of water to become fish food?

 

[ropesfish]

Not that I care to get into a long discussion about solo diving but...as low as the standards (physical, mental and emotional) are these days for getting an Open Water certification, the buddy system at least provides an observer to tell the SAR people where to look. Other than days when the viz is good and the task loading is low I always figure that I better be able to save my own azz. Relying on a buddy is, IMHO, not a good plan.
On a lighter note, you can sell a certification course on anything to some folks. While getting some tanks filled yesterday in preparation for a day of boat-borne reef removal, I humorously pitched a "Boat Hull Cleaning and Marina Diving" certification class to the two teenage bikini clad surfer chicks that were doing the air fills. I was surprised when they acted interested in actually getting another cert and I had to explain to both of them that I was merely an old guy trying to be clever and that there was NOT a class on boat scraping available...yet.
I hate when that happens. B)

 

[huntsman53]

Hey Frank,

Thanks or this is I am actually lying on the floor only chuckling now after LMAO. Seriously, I live in the middle of absolutely nowhere here in the Bahamas ( bliss) , I have to drive 25 miles to my bank, 15 to the food store and there is not a single outlet of info here.

Thanks so much for that info I am planning to spend a day in the archives in Nassau next time I am there so good advice. I was looking through my log books the other day and have about 1500 logged solo dives, so I should be ok(I hope) on the experience side diving solo. I do try to think ahead all the time during a dive and have a mental,sliding scale of risk reward based on weather, current, boat or no boat while underwater.

I know there are many people who go nuts when you tell them you dive alone but as a consenting adult I make a choice and I am prepared for the possible consequences and being so remote here, there are no buddy's anyhow ��

Thanks again.

Kevin,

I am glad I gave you a chuckle! I had no idea that you live in the Bahamas as your' profile says "Long Island", so I assumed New York! Also, if you eluded to your location in a posting, I somehow missed it.

I understand your skill level and confidence when it comes to diving solo but you only need to read some of the recent Threads and Post on TNnet to see that some very highly skilled divers that had logged probably many thousands of hours of diving, have recently perished due to underwater accidents. Even if you poke a lot of jest our way, we wouldn't want to hear that something bad had happened to you!

While there may not be many places near you in the Bahamas to do research, I am sure that some of the old locals have some good stories tell and information that they will freely give out once they know you. This is the very reason that my old friend Roy Ridgeway that I had when I lived in Key West was so successful in finding Spanish shipwreck coins, many other valuable treasures and valuable 1700's and 1800's bottles, because he knew or got to know all of the old sailors and locals up and down the Florida Keys, he had a good ear and always had a good sense of what and what wasn't a good lead.

Good luck and be safe!


Frank

 

[Jason in Enid]

I know there are many people who go nuts when you tell them you dive alone but as a consenting adult I make a choice and I am prepared for the possible consequences and being so remote here, there are no buddy's anyhow

Thanks again.

Yep, I've been diving solo most of the time for the past 10 years. I find it funny to watch some people explode about how "dangerous" it is. These are the same people who will also tell you that you can never dive below 40 feet unless you have an AOW card. Some people are just too damned funny!

 

[Mekong Mike]

I used to dive alone quite a bit. it was safer than diving with some of my friends who were drunk most of the time on the bottom.

miami, ft. lauderdale, key biscayne, fowey rock, soldier key, key largo were my dive spots.

 

[Mekong Mike]

The spanish were very good at getting the silver bullion off their wrecked ships. They employed free divers to work the vessels in shallower waters. The deep waters were not accesible to free divers and no effort was made to salvage them.
You might focus on the deeper waters in your area of the bahamas.

You drink Kalik ? Cheers !

 

[Jeanne]

The only diving I do is into bed, but I sure envy you! The Bahamas, wow! Best of luck to ya, I hope you find your treasure and stay safe!

 

[Jason in Enid]

The spanish were very good at getting the silver bullion off their wrecked ships. They employed free divers to work the vessels in shallower waters. The deep waters were not accesible to free divers and no effort was made to salvage them.
You might focus on the deeper waters in your area of the bahamas.

You drink Kalik ? Cheers !

This is true, if there were survivors to later bring back a salvage effort. Even the free-divers didn't get everything. They got most of it, but if it was scattered, or buried, it would still be there. They wouldn't have salvaged things like *sewer pipes* though, so you could still find some valuable items.

*edited for clarity*

 

[BVI Hunter]

yes, look for any old sewer pipes!!

 

[SADS 669]

Not that I care to get into a long discussion about solo diving but...as low as the standards (physical, mental and emotional) are these days for getting an Open Water certification, the buddy system at least provides an observer to tell the SAR people where to look. Other than days when the viz is good and the task loading is low I always figure that I better be able to save my own azz. Relying on a buddy is, IMHO, not a good plan.
On a lighter note, you can sell a certification course on anything to some folks. While getting some tanks filled yesterday in preparation for a day of boat-borne reef removal, I humorously pitched a "Boat Hull Cleaning and Marina Diving" certification class to the two teenage bikini clad surfer chicks that were doing the air fills. I was surprised when they acted interested in actually getting another cert and I had to explain to both of them that I was merely an old guy trying to be clever and that there was NOT a class on boat scraping available...yet.
I hate when that happens. B)

You should have got them to clean the bottom of your boat, THEN admit to no course....... I would love to see two bikini clad ladies covered in barnacles, and bottom growth. I also love seeing people explode about solo diving, then I wind them up even more and tell them how deep I go on air for fun.....( Oops did I say that out loud)

 

[SADS 669]

yes, look for any old sewer pipes!!

My eyesight is so bad that's about all I might spot amongst the coral

 

[huntsman53]

My eyesight is so bad that's about all I might spot amongst the coral

Steer away from the ones with crud flowing out one end! There are still a lot of places that don't have Sewer Treatment Facilities, so they pump the shi... directly into the ocean and you could end up with crap up to your' facemask. Definitely not the treasure you are looking for!


Frank