North Carolina Wrecks · United States · Wreck
Caribsea
Sand tigers in numbers over a broken 1942 freighter at 26 m
Photo: National Marine Sanctuaries · Public domain
The shallowest of the wrecks on the standard North Carolina charter run, and shallow enough to make an easier second dive. A cargo freighter carrying manganese ore, torpedoed by U-158 off Cape Lookout in March 1942, she now lies broken on sand at 23 to 26 m with the windlass and anchors still recognisable in the debris.
Also known as SS Caribsea, Lake Flattery.
Where it is and how deep
34.6667° N, 76.1667° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
At 23 to 26 m this is the shallow end of the offshore wreck line, and the extra bottom time changes what the dive can be. Boats tie in and divers descend the line as they would anywhere out here, but there is room to swim the length of the debris field and come back to the same point rather than committing to one direction and turning early on gas.
What is on the bottom is a broken ship rather than a hull. Parts of the freighter remain partially intact, and the windlass and anchors are the pieces that read most clearly against the sand. Visibility generally runs 9 to 18 m, the lowest of the wrecks on this stretch, so the site can either sit inside your visibility as a single low structure or reveal itself a few metres at a time.
Sand tiger sharks are typically present in large numbers, often swimming higher in the water column rather than down in the wreckage, which means you frequently see them on the way down the line before the bottom appears. The shallower profile leaves more bottom time to spend with them once you are on the wreck, and the sharks read clearly against the sand even when visibility is at the lower end.
The wreck
- Vessel
- SS Caribsea
- Type
- Cargo freighter
- Length
- 80 m (262 ft)
- Sunk
- 1942
- Cause
- Torpedoed by the German submarine U-158 off Cape Lookout
- Lies
- Broken on sand at 23 to 26 m, with the windlass and anchors visible
The freighter was completed in 1919 or 1920 as one of the Design 1099 ships, originally named Lake Flattery. On 11 March 1942, carrying manganese ore from Santiago to Norfolk, she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-158 off Cape Lookout; 21 crewmembers were killed.
Marine life and season
- Sand tiger sharks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Off-season |
Season follows North Carolina Wrecks: Charter season runs roughly April-November; sand tiger shark aggregations peak in September-October, while December-February seas are too rough for most boats.
Know before you go
- Visibility can drop to around 9 m over a low, scattered debris field, so keep the tie-in line or a marked feature in reference at all times.
- Sand tigers often swim above the wreck rather than in it, so ascents put you among them; go up slowly and keep an eye on the water column.
Photos from Caribsea
National Marine Sanctuaries · Public domain
Claes, Louis (fotograaf) · Public domain
Dive videos
Caribsea Shipwreck - 30+ sharks today · David Gill (flying nittany lion) on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Caribsea?+
The wreck lies at 23 to 26 m, which makes it the shallowest of the regular offshore wrecks here and a common choice for the second dive of the day.
Can you see sand tiger sharks on the Caribsea?+
Yes. Sand tigers are typically present in large numbers and often swim higher in the water column, so divers frequently meet them on the descent line before reaching the wreck.
Sources
- List of shipwrecks of North Carolina — Wikipedia
- Design 1099 ship — Wikipedia
- Dive Sites — Discovery Diving
Photo credits
- A sand tiger shark cruises past broken, coral-encrusted wreckage with more sharks in the background haze. by National Marine Sanctuaries, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- A sand tiger shark swims beside a large encrusted boiler rising from the wreck, schooling fish nearby. by National Marine Sanctuaries, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Archival black-and-white photo of the steel-hulled freighter Lake Flattery at anchor, smoke rising from her funnel. by Claes, Louis (fotograaf), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- WWII wrecks you can dive, by theatreWrecks · 7 min read
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