Trip Report USS Moray (SS-300) Submarine (San Clemente Island -- 190 fsw)

[beldridg]

Oh yeah, this is a big one and a LONG time coming.

We aren't the first team to dive it (that was five divers in 2012 from the UB88 team), but we are (AFAIK) the ONLY other team to dive the Moray since then. It is in tightly controlled and secured waters off Wilson Cove at San Clemente Island. You need to obtain special permission from the Navy to be in that area and to dive the wreck. You can't even transit the area without getting chased off.

Tyler Stalter and I were able to get the NHHC to sponsor us and obtain permission. The original trip was planned in Jan 2023 but permission got rescinded 48 hours before departure. We rescheduled with the Navy to July 11-13 and conducted five dives on the wreck on the Sundiver.

Below is a link to the full trip report which includes logistics, gear, dive team, and of course plenty of photos. As a bonus, we saw a couple of massive mola mola on the wreck and got photos & videos of them as well.

I will be publishing a separate post of the photogrammetry model which was the primary goal of the trip. The model contains 4,000 images and is absolutely epic. If you subscribe to the blog, you will get an update when it is published.

Trip Report : USS Moray Submarine (San Clemente Island — 190 fsw)

Intro / Background Hot on the heels of my Bikini Atoll trip, Tyler and I had a big adventure planned closer to home and this one was a long time in the making as well. A long time ago, I had read t…

wreckedinmyrevo.com

Here is a photo of the stern section:

Regards,

- brett

 

[Kendall Raine]

Congratulations, Brett. Long time indeed. It took us 18 months to get permission. Glad to see Ray finally made it.

 

[beldridg]

Congratulations, Brett. Long time indeed. It took us 18 months to get permission. Glad to see Ray finally made it.

Thanks, Kendall. Wait until you see the photogrammetry model.

- brett

 

[Kendall Raine]

Thanks, Kendall. Wait until you see the photogrammetry model.

- brett

If it's anything like your other work I'm sure it will be mind blowing. Good job and great dive.

 

[broncobowsher]

Awesome! I remember hearing about planning for this a long time ago and completely forgot about it. It's nice to see the government/military/navy work with the general public. I remember doing a permit with the BLM once. Nothing moves fast nor is there anything approved until moments before. I think in my case I didn't actually get the final approval paperwork until after it was over, but my contact said it was good a couple days prior. The fun one was a year or two later they were doing an audit and pulled my file and were asking me questions. All was good. But not the best fun being Hermes Conrad.

Just last night I was working on the rEvo starting to recommission it into service. I have been off it way too long.