Grand Cayman · Cayman Islands · Wreck · Artificial reef
USS Kittiwake
The ship that recovered Challenger's black box, sunk as a reef
Area photo: c&rdunn · CC BY-SA 2.0
A 76 m Chanticleer-class submarine rescue ship sunk deliberately off Seven Mile Beach in January 2011 as a purpose-built artificial reef. She went down in 18 m of water with her highest point 4.5 m below the surface; Tropical Storm Nate pushed her onto her port side in October 2017, and her shallowest point is now reported about 20 ft (6 m) deeper. Five decks, and open-water divers are held to the first three.
Also known as Kittiwake, Kittiwake Wreck, ASR-13.
Where it is and how deep
19.3619° N, 81.4012° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The Kittiwake sits in 18 m of water and was sunk with her highest point only 4.5 m down, so the whole dive stays shallow and there is plenty of bottom time to work the ship properly. Tropical Storm Nate snapped her anchor chains in October 2017 and pushed her onto her port side; the hull came through mostly undamaged but now sits at a different angle, with her shallowest point about 20 ft (6 m) deeper than before, which changes how the decks read on the way in.
She has five decks. Open-water divers are limited to the first three, while divers holding an advanced, rescue or wreck-diver certification can work all five. The set pieces are the mess hall, the two recompression chambers, the head with its mirror still intact, the towering smoke stack and the massive propellers at the stern.
Around the hull the sand is worth as much as the steel. Garden eels stand in it, and the same sand draws southern stingrays and eagle rays in. Barracuda, schools of horse-eye jacks, turtles and grouper all hang around the site. Close in, she is a macro dive: peppermint shrimp, arrowhead crabs, banded coral shrimp and fire worms are all over the wreck.
The wreck
- Vessel
- USS Kittiwake (ASR-13)
- Type
- Chanticleer-class submarine rescue ship
- Length
- 76.5 m (251 ft)
- Built
- 1945
- Sunk
- 2011
- Cause
- Scuttled as a purpose-built artificial reef after MARAD donated her to the Cayman Islands Tourism Association
- Lies
- Sunk upright 732 metres off Seven Mile Beach (800 yards); pushed onto her port side by Tropical Storm Nate in October 2017
Launched on 10 July 1945, the 2,200-ton Kittiwake served as an auxiliary submarine rescue vessel with the 6th Submarine Squadron and was decommissioned on 30 September 1994. Her best-known job came in 1986, when she and her crew recovered the Challenger's black box from the floor of the Atlantic. The Cayman Islands Tourism Association spent a decade pursuing a new wreck for the island; MARAD's approval made her the agency's first ship donation to a foreign government, and she went down off Seven Mile Beach on 5 January 2011.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Sea turtles
- Groupers
- Stingrays
- Eagle rays
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Grand Cayman: December to April is drier and calm enough for the exposed south side; August to October is hurricane season, and the rain peaks in October.
Dive videos
Dive Site of the week: The Ex USS Kittiwake · Compass Media Cayman on YouTube
USS Kittiwake - Best Wreck Dive in Grand Cayman - 4K · WaterTrek 360 on YouTube
Return to the Kittiwake Wreck (It's sideways now!) · BlueWorldTV on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the USS Kittiwake?+
She sits in 18 m of water and her highest point is only 4.5 m below the surface, so the ship is well within recreational limits and the shallow profile leaves plenty of bottom time.
Do you need to be an advanced diver for the Kittiwake?+
No. Open-water divers can dive her, but they are limited to the first three of her five decks. Divers holding an advanced, rescue or wreck-diver certification can fully explore all five.
Is there a fee to dive the Kittiwake?+
Yes. The wreck is considered a private park and must be visited with a licensed operator. Diving costs $10 a visit and snorkelling $5, with an annual pass at $31.15 and a lifetime pass at $250.
Sources
- History Of Grand Cayman's Kittiwake Shipwreck — Scuba Diving Magazine
- Kittiwake Dive Site - Scuba Diving Grand Cayman — The Scuba Directory
- Kittiwake toppled onto natural reef — Cayman News Service
In The Logbook
- Ships sunk on purpose, and where to dive themWrecks · 14 min read
- Your first wreck dive: what to expect and whereFirst dives · 6 min read
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