Jay_SMART_Diver
Contributor
June 19th-21st dove some of the wrecks off the North Carolina coast from Morehead City with Olympus Diving. Flew Delta from Austin into New Bern on the 18th; and its only about a 45 minute drive to Morehead City from the Airport. I stayed at the Olympus Dive Center Bunk House (cheap lodging at $25/night) comfortable but nothing fancy. The Boat was the Olympus 65 Aluminum Hull, nice sun deck, spacious dive deck, A/C in salon, nice boat. They say its about a two hour ride to the wrecks, but we were in the water by 8 am every morning after a 6:30 departure. Dove AL 100s with 30% EaNx. Water temp was mid-upper 70s, I dove a 1mm wetsuit and was comfortable.
The Wrecks:
U-352 - The U-352 was a Type VII-C German submarine that was used during the notorious U-boat attacks during WWII along the NC Coast. On May 9, 1942 it was depth charged by the Coast Guard Cutter 'Icarus' and then scuttled by the crew. This site was discovered in 1974 by Olympus owner and Captain, George Purifoy, and several friends. The history behind this site has been televised and featured on the History® Channel, and is one of North Carolina's best known dive sites. The 218 foot wreck lies at a depth of 110 feet, with a list to the starboard side.
USCG Spar: The Coast Guard Cutter Spar was sunk as a diver friendly wreck, the180ft long and 37ft wide Spar sits upright in 100ft of water and is completely intact. The Spar got its name from the US Coat Guard Motto "Semper Paratus, Always Ready" which was an appropriate name for the Coast Guard buoy tender commissioned June 1944. Making port at various locations up and down the Northeast US, the Spar was one of the most awarded vessels in the Coast Guard fleet and served in a variety missions during its 50 year service including submarine hunting and oceanography assignments. After being decommissioned in Feb of 1997, the ship was sunk as an artificial reef off the coast of Morehead City. Now home to Sand Tiger Sharks, the Spar is a very popular site since it sits upright and has lots of opportunities for penetration.
USS Schurz: The Schurz was originally a 255-foot German gunship named the SMS Geier that was built in 1894. In 1914, the United States seized the ship and took control over the ship, renaming it what we recognize it as today, USS Schurz. When WWI broke out, this ship was one of Germany's target ships for destruction because they didn't want their own ship to be a factor in their own defeat; however, all destruction attempts failed. It wasn't until June 21, 1918 that the Schurz found its position in 110 fsw when it collided with the SS Florida.
The Aeolus: This vessel was sunk in August 1988 as part of North Carolina's artificial reef program. It is a 409-foot tanker that lies at a depth of 110 feet. As a result of hurricanes in 1996, this ship has been split into three portions, and the stern third now sits in an upright position--making it an excellent multi-level dive.
June 19th: Dive 1: U-352 Max Depth 109 for 32 minutes, water temp 73F.
Dive 2: USCG Spar Max Depth 101' for 41 minutes, water temp 73F.
June 20th: Dive 1: U-352 Max Depth 111 for 37 minutes, water temp 73F.
Dive 2: USCG Spar Max Depth 103 for 41 minutes, water temp 73F.
June 21st: Dive 1: USS Schurz Max Depth 110 for 36 minutes, water temp 71F.
Dive 2: Aeolus Max Depth 105 for 42 minutes, water temp 73F.
I have posted pictures of the U-352 and Spar on my Flickr page. Enjoy!
The Wrecks:
U-352 - The U-352 was a Type VII-C German submarine that was used during the notorious U-boat attacks during WWII along the NC Coast. On May 9, 1942 it was depth charged by the Coast Guard Cutter 'Icarus' and then scuttled by the crew. This site was discovered in 1974 by Olympus owner and Captain, George Purifoy, and several friends. The history behind this site has been televised and featured on the History® Channel, and is one of North Carolina's best known dive sites. The 218 foot wreck lies at a depth of 110 feet, with a list to the starboard side.
USCG Spar: The Coast Guard Cutter Spar was sunk as a diver friendly wreck, the180ft long and 37ft wide Spar sits upright in 100ft of water and is completely intact. The Spar got its name from the US Coat Guard Motto "Semper Paratus, Always Ready" which was an appropriate name for the Coast Guard buoy tender commissioned June 1944. Making port at various locations up and down the Northeast US, the Spar was one of the most awarded vessels in the Coast Guard fleet and served in a variety missions during its 50 year service including submarine hunting and oceanography assignments. After being decommissioned in Feb of 1997, the ship was sunk as an artificial reef off the coast of Morehead City. Now home to Sand Tiger Sharks, the Spar is a very popular site since it sits upright and has lots of opportunities for penetration.
USS Schurz: The Schurz was originally a 255-foot German gunship named the SMS Geier that was built in 1894. In 1914, the United States seized the ship and took control over the ship, renaming it what we recognize it as today, USS Schurz. When WWI broke out, this ship was one of Germany's target ships for destruction because they didn't want their own ship to be a factor in their own defeat; however, all destruction attempts failed. It wasn't until June 21, 1918 that the Schurz found its position in 110 fsw when it collided with the SS Florida.
The Aeolus: This vessel was sunk in August 1988 as part of North Carolina's artificial reef program. It is a 409-foot tanker that lies at a depth of 110 feet. As a result of hurricanes in 1996, this ship has been split into three portions, and the stern third now sits in an upright position--making it an excellent multi-level dive.
June 19th: Dive 1: U-352 Max Depth 109 for 32 minutes, water temp 73F.
Dive 2: USCG Spar Max Depth 101' for 41 minutes, water temp 73F.
June 20th: Dive 1: U-352 Max Depth 111 for 37 minutes, water temp 73F.
Dive 2: USCG Spar Max Depth 103 for 41 minutes, water temp 73F.
June 21st: Dive 1: USS Schurz Max Depth 110 for 36 minutes, water temp 71F.
Dive 2: Aeolus Max Depth 105 for 42 minutes, water temp 73F.
I have posted pictures of the U-352 and Spar on my Flickr page. Enjoy!
