Hi, I dove the wreck about five years ago and would love to go back. She was an excursion steamer running her route between Baltimore, MD and West Point, VA when she was struck by her sistership the City of Richmond. Luckily only one life was lost. The City of Richmond went on to ram and sink two other vessels before herself sinking while under tow off the coast of South Carolina.
My dive was very quick. My buddy and I went down to the wreck and I thought visibility would be great because we still had about 10 feet at a depth of 50 feet, but at about 55 feet it was like diving into a pint of guiness and by the time we hit the wreck at 65 feet you could have painted my mask and I would have never known. My buddy lost a fin so we aborted the dive. We had very different impressions, he thought the current was ripping and I thought it was really dark, but I didn't notice the current and he didn't notice the dark. Another thing we noticed was the large container ships. They looked like they were going to pass us by a wide margin, but then they passed Smith Point and it looked like they were going to run us over.
Anyway, if you are going to the wreck please let me know. I would really like the opportunity to go back. I may know a fisherman who will take us to the wreck (for a charter fee). He has gps numbers which are very helpful. The wrecks of the Dorothy and Brazil are also very close but they are further out in the shipping channel at depths of 100 and 130 feet.
Andrew
