aue-mike
Contributor
All-
I recently returned from our annual Memorial Day weekend trip to the deep wrecks off the Dry Tortugas and am at a loss for words. Both the RHEIN and ARABY MAID -- two spectacular Florida shipwrecks -- were the subject of a heinous act of vandalism and destruction. Fortunately, we do know who the perpetrators were -- those be-yotches Katrina and Wilma, and their ringleader Mother Nature.
I was shocked to see how these two hurricanes impacted these deep, offshore wrecks. The RHEIN, due to her extensive vertical relief, was seriously impacted. The influence of the hurricanes basically folded her portside hull on top of the vessel, which resulted in massive collapse amidships. The remaining portions of the upper decks were demolished. The engines are now completely exposed. The bow was ripped loose of the lower hull and moved to starboard. Large areas of abundant encrustation and invertebrate growth were eliminated, leaving bare steel behind.
The ARABY MAID was likewise impacted. Her upper deck framing has collapsed in many areas, crashing down on the formerly intact lower wooden deck. In some areas, deck planking collected against the side of the vessel and now appear like a haphazard lumber yard. The once brick-lined stove now rests in shambles on the lower deck. Portions of the lower decking were found out in the sand well away from the hull of the wreck.
If nothing else, our most recent visits to these wrecks reinforced the fact that all shipwrecks have a finite lifespan, especially in the harsh marine environment. Further, it is even more obvious that in situ preservation is not a viable option for many shipwrecks in the open ocean.
It is unfortunate that many never had the good fortune of seeing the RHEIN in all her glory, but as a friend recently told me: "Time and tide wait for no man."
Images from the weekend's dives have been added to the AUE website - click on trip reports to view them.
http://uwex.us/
Mike
I recently returned from our annual Memorial Day weekend trip to the deep wrecks off the Dry Tortugas and am at a loss for words. Both the RHEIN and ARABY MAID -- two spectacular Florida shipwrecks -- were the subject of a heinous act of vandalism and destruction. Fortunately, we do know who the perpetrators were -- those be-yotches Katrina and Wilma, and their ringleader Mother Nature.
I was shocked to see how these two hurricanes impacted these deep, offshore wrecks. The RHEIN, due to her extensive vertical relief, was seriously impacted. The influence of the hurricanes basically folded her portside hull on top of the vessel, which resulted in massive collapse amidships. The remaining portions of the upper decks were demolished. The engines are now completely exposed. The bow was ripped loose of the lower hull and moved to starboard. Large areas of abundant encrustation and invertebrate growth were eliminated, leaving bare steel behind.
The ARABY MAID was likewise impacted. Her upper deck framing has collapsed in many areas, crashing down on the formerly intact lower wooden deck. In some areas, deck planking collected against the side of the vessel and now appear like a haphazard lumber yard. The once brick-lined stove now rests in shambles on the lower deck. Portions of the lower decking were found out in the sand well away from the hull of the wreck.
If nothing else, our most recent visits to these wrecks reinforced the fact that all shipwrecks have a finite lifespan, especially in the harsh marine environment. Further, it is even more obvious that in situ preservation is not a viable option for many shipwrecks in the open ocean.
It is unfortunate that many never had the good fortune of seeing the RHEIN in all her glory, but as a friend recently told me: "Time and tide wait for no man."
Images from the weekend's dives have been added to the AUE website - click on trip reports to view them.
http://uwex.us/
Mike
