Has the Oriskany settled deeper since sinking?

[mike_s]

The tilting thing is not true and you can prove it to yourself. The ship is nearly as deep as it is wide, take a bow or stern view of the Oriskany and then draw a circle around it --leaving the tower out of the view--and you will see that on it's side or upside down or on it's side, they could have set it more shallow than 220 plus feet.

The Oriskany was built with a beam of 129 feet. They later widened the flight deck to 157 feet when they put the diaganol flight landind deck on. Other things such as bigger elevators, etc have changed it's beam (width) as upgrades were done... but 157feet appears to have been it's max beam.


So even if it was on it's side with the flight deck vertical (but unlikely), the side of the flight deck would have been 55 feet deep. (based on 212' to the sand minus 157') Too shallow for the permit (which required 65 feet). However, if the ship was blown on it's Starboard side where the flight deck doesn't extend outwards as far, it is likely that the ships deck would be close to vertical. I'd have to get some more specs on the ship to compute that....

If the flight deck (157ft wide) was lying 45 degrees off vertical on it's port side, it still would be 101 ft deep (to top of wreck), which is plenty for the permit. (if the ship was blown over in a storm.)


(calculations below. Forgive me if I made an error as I did this formulat based on memory (and it's been a LONG time since I utilized it)).

|\
|..\
|....\
|......\h
|O......\ 157' (deck width)
|..........\
|............\
|______45*\
---A

SIN Theta = O/h
SIN 45 = O/157
O= 157 (SIN 45)
O= 157 * .7071
O = 111 (height of top of flight deck (from sand) at 45 degree angle).

Water depth to sand = 212 (+/-)
Height of flight deck. = 111
---------------------------
Total depth to wreck = 101 feet (at 45 degree list to port)

It is still a good thing but it could have been better, realizing that in fact, it was done for fishing and not diving.

N

This I agree with. There are 300+ commericial fishing boats in this area (Destin, P'Cola, and Orange Beach) compared to maybe 10 commerical dive boats. Pure Economics of fishermen charters, hotels, and other spending money of fishermen greatly outnumber the economics of divers in this area.

Thing is that most dive shops there hardly will leave site of shore. I have tried to get trips to various such places as you describe and all they weant to do is go to the bridge rubble or some close in rock or wreck. I think nothing of going 22 miles but the shops there apparently do.

Boy that's the truth also. The dive charters in Panama city and Destin all seem to want to run to the exact same sites every trip and never get more than 3 miles from the inlet to the pass. It gets real frustrating.

 

[captain]

Boy that's the truth also. The dive charters in Panama city and Destin all seem to want to run to the exact same sites every trip and never get more than 3 miles from the inlet to the pass. It gets real frustrating.

Shorter trips= more trips per day=more $$$. Why would they want to run one all day trip to farther sites when they can run three a day close in and tripple their income. What is needed is part time independent 6 pack operators who don't depend solely on charters to make a living, have low overhead and price according to the distance and duration of the trip. I did this when I was in the charter business. I went where my customers wanted to go. I had a fixed rate for the boat plus fuel used on the trip.

 

[mike_s]

Shorter trips= more trips per day=more $$$. Why would they want to run one all day trip to farther sites when they can run three a day close in and tripple their income. What is needed is part time independent 6 pack operators who don't depend solely on charters to make a living, have low overhead and price according to the distance and duration of the trip. I did this when I was in the charter business. I went where my customers wanted to go. I had a fixed rate for the boat plus fuel used on the trip.

Exactly. In Panama City, PCDC tries to run 3 trips on Saturdays. A 7am to 11am, a 11am to 3pm, and a 3pm to 7pm trip (or 3pm to 9pm trip). It's hard to get them to go anywhere besides the first wrecks out of the inlet. Typically the Black Bart and Hathway span #14. We had a group of divers go down last year and do 4 trips with them over the weekend. All four trips, PCDC went to the same exact spots. (I would have been rather ticked).

In Destin, Scubatech does the same thing. They dive the "main bridge rubble pile" and Miss Louise a lot. They also cancel a lot if the seas get over 2 feet, even though they have an oil crew boat that is capable of 25 foot seas. (Yeah... I know. I wouldn't want to be on a boat in 25' seas.)


Most every shop charges $150 for the Oriskany trip. The shops actually got together and "set" the price. Which should be illegal to price set, but in my opinion that's that that bad of a price since they have to run out 22 miles and marine diesel fuel ain't cheap at the dock.

Compare it to the few shops that will run an Empire Mica trip and it usually runs $125 to $150 a trip. (problem is finding a boat that will run out that far when they can make a bunch of shorter trips for more money, like you said....)

 

[Oriskany Divemaster]

Drewski, I am semi native to "your" area. I know it well.

Thing is that most dive shops there hardly will leave site of shore. I have tried to get trips to various such places as you describe and all they weant to do is go to the bridge rubble or some close in rock or wreck. I think nothing of going 22 miles but the shops there apparently do.

N

Dude, you've been calling the wrong people. We regularly run trips beyond visual range of the shore. One of our favorites is only 2 miles from the Oriskany, and it's only in 138 feet of water. Shoot me a PM next time you're thinking about coming to town, and I'll get you to the right spots.

Usually whoever gets on the manifest first gets to call the sites.

 

[Gilldiver]

What is the chance of getting a good dive on the O (like a 25-30 min Bottom time) and a shallow dive on the Massachusets on the way back in. An Aircraft carrier and early Battleship would be a nice combo.

 

[Sasquatch]

The Oriskany isn't sinking in the sand.

The ocean is just getting deeper because of the melting ice caps.

 

[mike_s]

What is the chance of getting a good dive on the O (like a 25-30 min Bottom time) and a shallow dive on the Massachusets on the way back in. An Aircraft carrier and early Battleship would be a nice combo.

Actually that would be a really cool 3rd tank dive to do on the way back in after the Oriskany....

You'll want to dive the Mass on high slack tide though for the best vis. It's close enough to the entrance to the channel that sometimes you'll get a strong current at the site and poor vis if the tide is going out.

 

[willardj]

Exactly.


Most every shop charges $150 for the Oriskany trip. The shops actually got together and "set" the price. Which should be illegal to price set, but in my opinion that's that that bad of a price since they have to run out 22 miles and marine diesel fuel ain't cheap at the dock.

Compare it to the few shops that will run an Empire Mica trip and it usually runs $125 to $150 a trip. (problem is finding a boat that will run out that far when they can make a bunch of shorter trips for more money, like you said....)

See how you said this. I have a kick to that. The chevron rig is not 2 or 3 miles from the Big O and it run's $100 for a 2 tanker and $125 for a 3 tanker. Now what's wrong with that? They know that people are going to "PAY" to get out to the Oriskany because it's new.

 

[mike_s]

See how you said this. I have a kick to that. The chevron rig is not 2 or 3 miles from the Big O and it run's $100 for a 2 tanker and $125 for a 3 tanker. Now what's wrong with that? They know that people are going to "PAY" to get out to the Oriskany because it's new.

Yup. Supply and demand. Everone wants to dive the new cool wreck.


You'll notice that a lot of shops that might have run to the Chevron rig are now running to the Big O' because they can get a few more bucks.

Give a couple years and thought interest will still be there, the newness will have worn off some and shops will be competitive on price then.

 

[Scuba-Jay]

|\
|..\
|....\
|......\h
|O......\ 157' (deck width)
|..........\
|............\
|______45*\
---A

SIN Theta = O/h
SIN 45 = O/157
O= 157 (SIN 45)
O= 157 * .7071
O = 111 (height of top of flight deck (from sand) at 45 degree angle).

Water depth to sand = 212 (+/-)
Height of flight deck. = 111
---------------------------
Total depth to wreck = 101 feet (at 45 degree list to port)

Jesus...now my head hurts!! SIN Theta huh??? :11: :11: :11: