YOU SHOULD NOT BE ON THIS PAGE. IT EXISTS ONLY TO APPEASE THE SEARCH ENGINES. CLICK HERE (on this text) TO ESCAPE BACK TO THE INDEX PAGE.
| MileMarker: | 0 |
| Location: | Smith Shoal: 12 miles NW of Key West Lat 24 45.30 Lon 81 01.18 7 miles on a 293° bearing from the Smith Shoal Tower |
| Markers: | Smith Shoal marked by 47-foot tower |
| Depth Range: | 70 to 200 feet deep |
| Skill Level req.: | intermediate |
| Risks/Warnings: | n/a |
| History | |
| Several ships are sunken here. The USS Sturtevent, a 314-foot 4-stack US destroyer hit our own mines in 1942 while escorting a convoy, and rests in 70 feet of water. In the same general area is the Luchenbach, a 3018-ton American freighter that sank with 1/6th of the world's supply of tungsten in her holds. She was enroute from Jamaica to New Orleans when she hit mines as well. The Norwegian freighter Bosikka, sister ship to the Benwood, is here somewhere, dying in a mine blast as she brought her pharmeceutical cargo from New Orleans to Key West. The 277-foot Danish freighter, Gumbar, was travelling from Mobile, Alabama to Trinidad. They all sank between June and August, 1942 after hitting American mines in the area. | |
| Dive Description | |
| We've never been out there, so we don't have much opinion on the sites. It is said that fish life is prolific, with large grouper, jewfish, cobia and snapper reported. |
|
| Divesite info by: Jonathan Brinkman | |
Divelog for Sturtivent wreck, other wrecks, Smith Shoal
Add your dive to the divelog below!! CLICK HERE.
| LOWER KEYS info (Key West - 7 Mi. bridge) |
MIDDLE KEYS info (Marathon - Layton) |
UPPER KEYS info (Islamorada - Key Largo) |
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2004
BGW, Inc.