Most famous wreck dives in the world?

[Rhone Man]

Interesting debate on another site as to which are the most popular wreck diving sites in the world. Clearly popular (no. of divers) and famous (no. of divers who have heard of it) are not the same thing, but I was interested what the views of the SB community as to which they thought were the most famous wreck dives in the world.

I guess everyone tends to hear about famous wrecks near them, but for what it is worth, my list would be:

1. Hilma Hooker in Bonaire
2. RMS Rhone in the BVI
3. Bianca C in Grenada
4. SS President Coolidge in Vanuatu
5. USS Oriskany in Florida
6. USS Speigel Grove in Florida
7. Zenobia in Cyprus
8. Andrea Doria halfway between New York and Davey Jones locker

and, not really individual wrecks, so much as piles of wrecks (I am sure within them they have famous wrecks), I'd probably also include:

A. Scapa Flow
B. Chuuk Lagoon

I am sure there must be famous sites in Australia, South America, Africa, Great Lakes, West Coast and more in Europe that I have never heard of.

Be interested to hear what others think.

 

[RJP]

Thistlegorm in the Red Sea

San Francisco Maru in Truk

U-869 here off NJ

The Silver Comet in Dutch Springs PA

 

[Mayor]

The Silver Comet has to be at the top of the list. The current could rip your arms off if your not carefull.

 

[ivobj]

Well, if you consider the best dives (in the opinion of wreck divers), not necessarily the most popular, in fact, few can reach some of them, my guess would be:

1 - Andrea Doria (North Atlantic)
2 - Britanic (Greek Ocean)
3 - Carnatic (Red Sea)

Here in Brazil (let me do some markenting...hehe)

1 - Corveta V51 (Fernando de Noronha)
2 - CT Paraiba (Rio de Janeiro)
3 - Vapor dos 48 (Recife)

We have already registered more than 2000 shipwrecks in the Brazilian coast, the site is in portuguese, but you can have a idea in the site Naufrágio, click in the state in the map and main shipwrecks of the state will apear, not all 2000 there, but some very nice, if you click the wreck name you go to the details page.

In terms of place, Chuuk Lagoon for sure. Here in Brazil Recife and Salvador are fantastic for wreck diving.

 

[StreetDoctor]

empress of ireland has to be on there

 

[RJP]

The Silver Comet has to be at the top of the list. The current could rip your arms off if your not carefull.

Recently the vis was so good you could see from the bow all the way to the wheel house!

 

[Diver0001]

If a wreck has a name it's lost it's appeal.

The most interesting wrecks are the ones we know about that have no name.

R..

 

[b1gcountry]

Not sure what you're asking? The wrecks visited by the most people each year, the wrecks known by the greatest number of divers, or the wrecks that are most widely known by the general public?

The most frequented wreck in Lake Michigan is definitely the Prins Willem V, although, compared to the Hilma Hooker, it probably gets 1/100th of the divers each year. The Key Largo wrecks probably get the most divers each year of the places I know of, and I've heard the Thistlegorm gets a crazy number of divers as well. The U352 probably tops out North Carolina.

As far as name recognition, the #1 is definitely Titanic. #2 probably Brittanic. Depending on where in the world you are, the Andrea Doria, Edmund Fitzgerald, and Bismark probably also rank up there among the general public.

Among divers the most recognized wreck right now is probably the Vandenburg, followed by the Oriskany just because of all the publicity they're getting.

Tom

 

[AndyNZ]

Mikhail Lermontov in the Marlborough Sounds in New Zealand. A Russian cruise liner that sank in odd circumstances that the conspiracy theorists love. It's only in 34m of water, making it one of the most accessible large shipwrecks in the world.

 

[Jimmer]

How about the most famous, yet to be discovered wrecks. I vote for the Marquette and Bessemer 2 in Lake Erie.