Diving a tragedy in FL...

[SWAMPY459]

Ok,

Ships like the Oriskany or Duane or Eagle are cool, but there seems to be something about a shipwreck where people died that would be ... I hesitate to say "better" but ... more meaningful than diving a wreck that was sunk on purpose.

I live in Gainesville FL and plan to dive the blackthorn soon (23 coast guard men died) ... What are some other wrecks that were tragic wrecks and not sunk on purpose?

 

[Colliam7]

I live in Gainesville FL and plan to dive the blackthorn soon (23 coast guard men died) ... What are some other wrecks that were tragic wrecks and not sunk on purpose?

Although I realize it is a bit of a drive, come to NC and dive off our coast. We have more than a few 'tragic wrecks' to offer. In particular, since you mention the Blackthorn we have two Coast Guard vessels that went down in a hurricane in WWII, that are diveable - the Jackson and the Beldoe. What makes those dives even more interesting is reading the book that was written about their loss - Rum Runners, U-Boats, & Hurricanes. Read the book, then dive the vessels, and you feel that you are touching history.

 

[Doubler]

Dude you need help. Twenty three human beings died on that wreck and you think it is cool. I understand diving on real wrecks but having death as a criteria seems real twisted.

 

[agilis]

I was born during WW2, at a time when German submarine activity was at its highest point off the coast of NJ. Relatives of mine described the sight of burning transports and tankers so close to shore that fireballs illuminated night sky. In places civilians were not allowed to be on the beaches at night. Wreckage littered the sand, and the bodies of ship's crew drifted ashore with sad regularity, some still in their burned flotation vests.

It was a particularly emotional and haunting experience for me to dive a wreck that was sunk the same day I was born, to visit a place where many lives ended as mine began, only a few miles away. I never dived on that wreck again.

 

[pocky21]

Dude you need help. Twenty three human beings died on that wreck and you think it is cool. I understand diving on real wrecks but having death as a criteria seems real twisted.

I don't think "cool" is how he described it. Regardless, I disagree - I've yet to meet someone who thought diving with dead people is cool. I have, however, met many people who feel humbled, honored, and appreciative of life after diving such wrecks - myself included. I think artificial reefs are "cool", though!

 

[Dsix36]

I am going to give the OP the benefit of the doubt and assume that he would have preferred to say that he likes real wrecks rather than artifically sunk ones and that the whole "death" thing was just poor communication skills.

If I am wrong, then maybe he does need help. Hell, maybe I need help too???

 

[Lorenzoid]

What's abnormal about a fascination with places where people lost their lives? It's human nature to be fascinated with such things. Dived with the proper respect, it's paying tribute to those who lost their lives. In a similar thread, someone likened it to walking through a cemetery, though I think it is more analogous to walking a battlefield. I've visited WWI, WWII and Civil War battlefields, and thinking about who died there, why, how, etc., is part of the experience.

 

[TMHeimer]

I am going to give the OP the benefit of the doubt and assume that he would have preferred to say that he likes real wrecks rather than artifically sunk ones and that the whole "death" thing was just poor communication skills.

If I am wrong, then maybe he does need help. Hell, maybe I need help too???

I tend to agree. I'm not "big" on wrecks other than that they attract shells for me to collect. When I hear how great a job the govts. do with artificial wreck programs I have to figure it's just an easier way to dispose of a bunch of junk. I have been convinced that they do in fact cause increases in aquatic populations, but still....a "real" wreck would seem more interesting to me.

 

[drrich2]

I suspect a wreck deemed more 'authentic' (in other words, a 'wreck,' not a 'dumping ground') might be more subjectively meaningful for some. Premature deaths tend to occur in dramatic situations, and add to their drama, which can give people diving the aftermath of such a sense of touching something meaningful.

Let's say you're on a dive trip and the charter captain mentions you'll be hitting one of 2 wrecks today; same size, depth, environmental conditions & sea life. Ah, one difference...one was kept in a salvage yard a few years, then towed out & dumped. The other was used in a war and sank by torpedoes from an enemy sub. One's a junk yard, the other's a tomb.

Is it really going to be a coin toss which one you go to?

As for death, it carries a low grade fascination for many people. The thought of 'real' human skeletons in the wreck might add a subjective spiritual 'weight' to some people.

Richard.

 

[Crass3000]

I was told in my wreck class that any wreck (in the midwest area - like Lake Superior) that possibly contained remains of those that went down with the ship were off limits if not illegal to dive. I'm sure laws are different in different places but it seemed to be that these laws were meant to respect the dead and their grave.