Sunken Aircraft Carrier off the bay area coast

[Rev. Blade]

I'm going to guess that it's deep, but I didn't find out how deep.... Did anyone know there is an aircraft carrier off the CA coast?
http://shipwrecks.slc.ca.gov/Shipwr...y=x&frmOrderBy=Latitude&frmOrderDirection=ASC

The Independence survived the air blast at Bikini, and then they sank it south of the Farallons.
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.ad...&latsec=24&longdeg=-123&longmin=07&longsec=36

If this was within 300' of the surface, I'm guessing the Tech divers would mention this from time to time. I'm guessing it would be cool to see video of this from a sub, if we can't dive it. http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/22.htm


So which of you can find a reference to just how deep this is?

 

[Rev. Blade]

If the coordinates here http://shipwrecks.slc.ca.gov/Shipwr...y=x&frmOrderBy=Latitude&frmOrderDirection=ASC are correct, and Mapquest has their act together http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.ad...&latsec=20&longdeg=-122&longmin=30&longsec=18 Then there are a pair of tankers (the Frank H. Buck & the Lyman A. Stuart) less than 200' from shore... between Point Lobos and China Beach. Right around here. http://www.californiacoastline.org/cgi-bin/image.cgi?image=5759&mode=sequential&flags=0

 

[Scubaroo]

The Independence was sunk because it was too radioactively hot to decontaminte! It was recently located as part of a survey that was examining the condition of an estimated 70,000 barrels of low-level radioactive waste dumped in the area before 1970, but looks to be waaaaaay down. Couldn't find any published depths, but it's not much more than an anomaly in the side scan images.

Supposedly, there are three shipwrecks visible above the waterlink at low tide near the Cliff House - haven't driven down there yet to see for myself though. The currents and tides in and out of the bay would make these "interesting" dives, or even impossible.

 

[Rev. Blade]

I stopped by my LDS tonight to get a high pressure 120. I wanted to try out my new DIN converter for my Mares regulator. The LDS had *NO* high pressure tanks. Doh!

I figured I'd try to get some advice if I couldn't get air. I asked if there were any interesting wrecks near the bay area. The 'new' guy said, "No. Not really." So I mentioned the aircraft carrier, and the wrecks near China Beach. His advice was that the carrier was way too deep, and that it was illegal to dive any military vessels! (It sounds wrong (that you can't dive a military vessel) since people do dive the wrecks in Bikini.) When I mentioned the tankers off China Beach, he advised me the current can run to 7 knots on a bad day, so getting back to shore might be a bit of a challenge. I guess that's what research is for. (Not just online.) Talk to people.

If no one dives it, but everyone knows about it, there may be a reason.

Still, a pair of 400'+ tankers in shallow water, less than an hour from my house.... Seems a shame that there wouldn't be some time during the tide shift to dive them.

Anyhow... They've been there for 50 years, they'll still be there long after I get plenty more experience diving the CA coast. So far, nearly all my dive have been in tropical water, or a pool.

I want to get over my cold, so I can go diving!

Blade

 

[JeffAustin]

We never dove the stretch from Half Moon Bay north to Jenner.
We knew it as the Great White breeding grounds(or waters!) Especially around the Farallon Islands. We would wade and stir up sharks at Limintour spit, depending on the time of year. Bad visibility, also.

Scubaroo, I'm curious, do you dive in that stretch of water??

I do miss the kelp forests!!

 

[Scubaroo]

JeffAustin once bubbled...
Scubaroo, I'm curious, do you dive in that stretch of water??

Nope! Nothing north of Del Monte in Monterey for me to date.

It does suck though knowing there are just-offshore wrecks in the vicinity! No one runs dive charters from San Francisco though to get to them. Who knows if some of them have even been dived - currents around the golden gate as you know are wicked.

 

[JeffAustin]

truly rugged! especially around the Golden Gate.

Have you dove up north at all. Up past Ft.Ross there are some interesting coves, it used to be far from the crowd. Probably not, any more.

I wasn't kidding about the sharks, either.

hey, when did you become a reg?? cool!

 

[Dryglove]

I just noticed that you are a regulator also.Big congratulations Ben!!! About darn time they got some decent regulators around here Just kidding.....really....im only joking......geez...hehe All the regs do a fine job

 

[Scubaroo]

The USS Independence is believed to lie at around 3200' (about 970m) down, according to a website I found, which is below the recreational limits of 130'/40m.

 

[Rev. Blade]

Scubaroo once bubbled...
The USS Independence is believed to lie at around 3200'.

If it was about 3100' shallower, not radioactive, and not unlawful to dive... I'd be all over that sucker! (...but it's not, so perhaps I won't.)

Thanks for the update.