USCGC McCulloch (Point Conception, CA -- 300 fsw)

[beldridg]

I'm pretty confident we are the first dive team ever to dive the historic USCGC McCulloch. She sank in 1917.

NOOA / USCG found the wreck in 2016 and announced it in 2017 and it was made into a National Historic Place in 2021. The location is not published but they have released footage from ROVs on the wreck.

I filed a FOIA in 2021 to get the location and it was rejected (I've included a copy in my write-up).

We successfully located the wreck and were able to dive it on Nov 7th, 2024. It was a 3-4 year project to dive it. The area of the wreck is called the "Cape Horn of the Pacific" and the stars have to align to dive it and that finally happened with wind & swell being dividable, a boat available, and a dive team available. She is almost 300 feet deep so it takes a lot to make that dive in the Pacific Ocean at that specific location.

The complete story of the ship, how she sank, and a ton of photos and description of our dive is available at:

USCGC McCulloch (Point Conception, CA — ~300 fsw)

Introduction I can finally report: On November 7th, 2024 we successfully dove the US Coast Guard Cutter McCulloch. I am confident that we are the first team to dive the wreck. NOAA / USCG found the…

wreckedinmyrevo.com

Here is a picture of the epic singular 15" torpedo tube in the bow of the ship (I could only upload a low resolution version but higher res versions are on the website above)"

Regards,

- brett

 

[Manatee Diver]

Didn't the whole USS Monitor lawsuit basically resolved that sport divers have the right to dive these wrecks? So the location really shouldn't be secret.

 

[Still Kicking]

Amazing report! The logistics are mind boggling. Kudos for pulling it off.

On a much, much lower level, many years ago I wanted to run up to dive the shallower Gosford and Humble wrecks inside of Conception on my own boat. It involved getting the boat rigged and inspected for the public boat hoist on the Gaviota pier and then trained and certified to use the hoist. Then I booked a camp site at Refugio and prayed for it to coincide with a good weather window and hoping that the hoist hadn't been sabotaged by Hollister locals, who hated outsiders boating in to surf their breaks. Incredibly, everything lined up.

We ran out to the wrecks, anchored and took a look at the water ..... it was ripping like a river. Oh well, not today.

After that, the Gaviota hoist was destroyed in a storm and I have never been back to those wrecks.

 

[macado]

This is awesome. Congratulations. I've filed similar FOIAs and was also rejected (on similar grounds with NOAA and Department of the Navy). I am not surprised there. :-(

Great report and blog post.

 

[Kendall Raine]

I'm pretty confident we are the first dive team ever to dive the historic USCGC McCulloch. She sank in 1917.

NOOA / USCG found the wreck in 2016 and announced it in 2017 and it was made into a National Historic Place in 2021. The location is not published but they have released footage from ROVs on the wreck.

I filed a FOIA in 2021 to get the location and it was rejected (I've included a copy in my write-up).

We successfully located the wreck and were able to dive it on Nov 7th, 2024. It was a 3-4 year project to dive it. The area of the wreck is called the "Cape Horn of the Pacific" and the stars have to align to dive it and that finally happened with wind & swell being dividable, a boat available, and a dive team available. She is almost 300 feet deep so it takes a lot to make that dive in the Pacific Ocean at that specific location.

The complete story of the ship, how she sank, and a ton of photos and description of our dive is available at:

USCGC McCulloch (Point Conception, CA — ~300 fsw)

Introduction I can finally report: On November 7th, 2024 we successfully dove the US Coast Guard Cutter McCulloch. I am confident that we are the first team to dive the wreck. NOAA / USCG found the…

wreckedinmyrevo.com

Here is a picture of the epic singular 15" torpedo tube in the bow of the ship (I could only upload a low resolution version but higher res versions are on the website above)"

View attachment 869935

Regards,

- brett

Great job, Brett.

Gary actually ID'd this target as likely the McCulloch around 2011, if memory serves, and Steve sometime later also found the site which he tentatively ID'd as the McCulloch. I tried to get an expedition organized in 2013 but could not get the pieces together and eventually lost interest given the major logistical challenges and life issues in general. NOAA then did their thing in ~2017 (Steve was involved with that). Anyway, they have some great ROV video of the whole wreck ().

Just goes to show that persistence pays. Congratulations. Glad you were the first to actually touch it. It is definitely a historically significant wreck. Again, great job.

Kendall

 

[beldridg]

Great job, Brett.

Gary actually ID'd this target as likely the McCulloch around 2011, if memory serves, and Steve sometime later also found the site which he tentatively ID'd as the McCulloch. I tried to get an expedition organized in 2013 but could not get the pieces together and eventually lost interest given the major logistical challenges and life issues in general. NOAA then did their thing in ~2017 (Steve was involved with that). Anyway, they have some great ROV video of the whole wreck ().

Just goes to show that persistence pays. Congratulations. Glad you were the first to actually touch it. It is definitely a historically significant wreck. Again, great job.

Kendall

Thanks, Kendall. Yeah - it is definitely a major logistical lift but persistence does pay off in the end.

I was out diving with Steve on Sunday and he helped me with the blueprints of the ship and ID'ing a few of the pieces in the photos.

Regards,

- brett

 

[beldridg]

Amazing report! The logistics are mind boggling. Kudos for pulling it off.

On a much, much lower level, many years ago I wanted to run up to dive the much shallower Gosford and Humble wrecks south of Conception on my own boat. It involved getting the boat rigged and inspected for the public boat hoist on the Gaviota pier and then trained and certified to use the hoist. Then I booked a camp site at Refugio and prayed for it to coincide with a good weather window and hoping that the hoist hadn't been sabotaged by Hollister locals, who hated outsiders boating in to surf their breaks. Incredibly, everything lined up.

We ran out to the wrecks, anchored and took a look at the water ..... it was ripping like a river. Oh well, not today.

After that, the Gaviota hoist was wrecked in a storm and I never got to go back to those wrecks.

Thanks! Yes, that area in general is tough to dive regardless of the depth. The stars really do have to align to do any serious dive operations. We had a very brief window.

- brett

 

[Jared0425]

I'm pretty confident we are the first dive team ever to dive the historic USCGC McCulloch. She sank in 1917.

NOOA / USCG found the wreck in 2016 and announced it in 2017 and it was made into a National Historic Place in 2021. The location is not published but they have released footage from ROVs on the wreck.

I filed a FOIA in 2021 to get the location and it was rejected (I've included a copy in my write-up).

We successfully located the wreck and were able to dive it on Nov 7th, 2024. It was a 3-4 year project to dive it. The area of the wreck is called the "Cape Horn of the Pacific" and the stars have to align to dive it and that finally happened with wind & swell being dividable, a boat available, and a dive team available. She is almost 300 feet deep so it takes a lot to make that dive in the Pacific Ocean at that specific location.

The complete story of the ship, how she sank, and a ton of photos and description of our dive is available at:

USCGC McCulloch (Point Conception, CA — ~300 fsw)

Introduction I can finally report: On November 7th, 2024 we successfully dove the US Coast Guard Cutter McCulloch. I am confident that we are the first team to dive the wreck. NOAA / USCG found the…

wreckedinmyrevo.com

Here is a picture of the epic singular 15" torpedo tube in the bow of the ship (I could only upload a low resolution version but higher res versions are on the website above)"

View attachment 869935

Regards,

- brett

Been in a battle with NOAA over wreck #s. In the Great Lakes forum on this board we had a NOAA member post about new wrecks that wouldn't be released to the public. We found them and I said luckily the public doesn't know that these wrecks are located at (GPS #s) and he stopped posting on the board soon after.

 

[covediver]

NOAA did visit the site, but it has been hiding in plain sight since the 1980s. The wreckage was imaged by sidescan sonar during the oil pipeline survey for the Point Arguello platforms and identified as the McCollough in the marine archaeology report submitted as part of the Environmental Impact Statement. While these reports are confidential, at least one of them was in the Santa Barbara County Planning Department library in the 1990s, since removed. The attached image is from that report. The wreck was not physically evaluated. Pipeline companies would have avoided the area entirely rather than done a costly site assessment

You have achieved an amazing feat. I wondered how long it would be before someone visited the site. If I am not mistaken, the site is now within the boundaries of the recently-established Chumash National Marine Sanctuary.

The ship played an important role in the maritime trade in Alaska for many years. Years ago I saw a few images of the vessel that had responded to the Novarupta volcano eruption of 1912 in a museum in Kodiak. I also saw a photo album in Seldovia that had images of the destroyers that went aground at Honda. Lots of connections between Caliornia and Alaska maritime trade in that era.

 

[rjack321]

Didn't the whole USS Monitor lawsuit basically resolved that sport divers have the right to dive these wrecks? So the location really shouldn't be secret.

"Right to dive it" and told where it is are different things.