A Second World War Admirable-class minesweeper, built for the US Navy as USS Jubilant and later the Mexican Navy's ARM Riva Palacio (C-50), scuttled as an artificial reef off Isla Verde and the Anegada reef in August 2001. The 56-metre hull sits upright in about 27 metres of water and is run as an advanced dive.
Also known as ARM Riva Palacio, USS Jubilant (AM-255).
Where it is and how deep
19.2148° N, 96.0641° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck lies offshore of Isla Verde, near the Anegada reef, and is reached by boat from Veracruz. The depth sets the shape of the dive: the hull sits upright on the bottom in about 27 metres, on a seabed given as 28 metres, and local operators run it for advanced divers only. Treat it as a planned deep dive with a fixed bottom time rather than a long wander around the hull.
Descend straight to the ship — a little over 56 metres of minesweeper, standing upright — and work along the deck in one direction rather than trying to cover the whole hull and the surrounding bottom on a single tank. No-decompression time at 27 metres is the limiting factor, so agree a turn point before you go down, watch your gas against it, and begin the ascent with enough reserve for a slow, deliberate return to the surface.
The wreck
- Vessel
- ARM Riva Palacio (C-50), ex-USS Jubilant (AM-255)
- Type
- Admirable-class minesweeper
- Length
- 56 m (184 ft)
- Built
- 1943
- Sunk
- 2001
- Cause
- Deliberately scuttled as an artificial reef
- Lies
- Upright on the bottom in about 27 m off Isla Verde
The ship was launched in February 1943 and commissioned into the US Navy on 27 August 1943 as USS Jubilant (AM-255), an Admirable-class minesweeper that escorted convoys in the Atlantic and was recommissioned for the Korean War. She was sold to the Mexican Navy on 1 October 1962 and renamed ARM DM-01, then in 1994 renamed ARM Riva Palacio (C50) after General Vicente Riva Palacio. Stricken in 2000, she was sunk as an artificial reef off the Anegada reef and Isla Verde in August 2001, in 28 metres of water, and has been dived as a recreational site since.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Veracruz Reef System: May–Aug is calmest and clearest; the nortes that blow from October to March regularly shut the port to small boats.
Know before you go
- At 27 m the wreck eats no-decompression time quickly; agree a turn pressure and a bottom time before you descend.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the C-50 Rivapalacios?+
The wreck sits upright in about 27 metres of water, on a bottom given as 28 metres, so it is dived as a deep dive.
What certification do I need for the C-50 Rivapalacios?+
Operators run it for advanced divers only. You need an advanced certification and to be comfortable planning a no-decompression dive at 27 metres.
What kind of ship is the wreck?+
An Admirable-class minesweeper of about 56 metres, commissioned into the US Navy as USS Jubilant in 1943 and later serving Mexico as ARM Riva Palacio (C-50).
Sources
- C-50 Rivapalacios (Wreck) — Scubago — Scubago
- USS Jubilant — Wikipedia
More dive sites in Veracruz Reef System
Sand slopes, low coral walls and a warship at 28 metres
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A scuttled navy hull in about 18 m of island water