Today my buddy Matt and I took the day off from work and did two dives on the Port Hunter out of Falmouth MA. The wreck lies between the Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard and sits on the edge of Hedge Fence shoal at the western end of Nantucket Sound. It is a large (380 ft) WWI british freighter that was carrying supplies to the trenches when it collided with a tug and sank on the edge of the shoal. The shallowest point is about 20 ft at the top of the bow, and the deepest is about 80 under the stern by the rudder and propellor shaft (the prop was salvaged). Cape Ann Divers had moved their bigger boat down there for a couple of days to dive this wreck. The tidal currents in this area are downright fearsome because of the way the sound funnels the water between the Cape and the Islands. We did our first dive at the morning slack and the second at the afternoon slack. Here is a fairly detailed description of the site:
http://www.mass.gov/czm/buar/shipwrecks/ua-porth.htm
The last time I dove this wreck was 15 years ago and it has gone through some major collapse in that time. Back then, the deck was largely intact and there was an anti-aircraft gun on the stern. Since that time, the deck has almost entirely caved in, as has much of the the port side of the vessel. A huge sand dune is riding over the wreck amidships. The shear amount of sand involved is pretty incredible. The wreck rises about 40-50ft from the bottom at the bow and the stern, and yet this pile of sand is so large that it has risen from there all the way to the top of the wreck! That's a 40-50ft high sand dune! There was no longer any sign of the anti-aircraft gun that anyone on the boat could find. It appears to have been buried or lost in the collapse. The starboard side remains largerly intact and is an impressive shear wall, except for where it was buried amidships. The rudder and propellor shaft also remain.
It is really astonishing what 15 years can do to a wreck, particularly with the powerful currents in the sound. However, it is still a very cool dive. At 380 ft, this ship is a monster compared to most of our popular New England wrecks like the Poling, Pinthis, and U-853. Personally I think the massive towering rudder at the stern is the single most impressive feature. That is one portion of the wreck that still looks exactly the way I remember it. This wreck is also loaded with fish. I saw a spotfin butterfly, a filefish, stripers, tautog, black seabass, two big fluke, and tons of scup and cunner.
A great day of diving in all respects!
http://www.mass.gov/czm/buar/shipwrecks/ua-porth.htm
The last time I dove this wreck was 15 years ago and it has gone through some major collapse in that time. Back then, the deck was largely intact and there was an anti-aircraft gun on the stern. Since that time, the deck has almost entirely caved in, as has much of the the port side of the vessel. A huge sand dune is riding over the wreck amidships. The shear amount of sand involved is pretty incredible. The wreck rises about 40-50ft from the bottom at the bow and the stern, and yet this pile of sand is so large that it has risen from there all the way to the top of the wreck! That's a 40-50ft high sand dune! There was no longer any sign of the anti-aircraft gun that anyone on the boat could find. It appears to have been buried or lost in the collapse. The starboard side remains largerly intact and is an impressive shear wall, except for where it was buried amidships. The rudder and propellor shaft also remain.
It is really astonishing what 15 years can do to a wreck, particularly with the powerful currents in the sound. However, it is still a very cool dive. At 380 ft, this ship is a monster compared to most of our popular New England wrecks like the Poling, Pinthis, and U-853. Personally I think the massive towering rudder at the stern is the single most impressive feature. That is one portion of the wreck that still looks exactly the way I remember it. This wreck is also loaded with fish. I saw a spotfin butterfly, a filefish, stripers, tautog, black seabass, two big fluke, and tons of scup and cunner.
A great day of diving in all respects!
