Morehead City, North Carolina, United States
The Caribsea was a 78-metre US-flagged steam-powered bauxite freighter torpedoed by the German submarine U-158 on 11 March 1942 off Cape Lookout Shoals, North Carolina. The ship broke up rapidly after the torpedo strike and 21 of the 28 crew were lost. The most famous story attached to the wreck is that of crewman James Baum Gaskill: his wallet floated ashore at Ocracoke Island, where his family lived, and was returned to them by a beachcomber. The wreck is now scattered across a debris field on a sand bottom at about 26 metres. The ship is largely flattened but the boilers, engine block and ribs remain prominent. Visibility is reliably good in the Gulf Stream summer months. Resident species include sand tiger sharks in summer, large schools of amberjack and Atlantic spadefish, queen and grey angelfish along the wreckage, and the occasional sea turtle. Closer to shore than the Papoose and U-352, the Caribsea is a popular two-tank trip with the Aeolus or Spar.
Information on this page, including technical data such as depth, current, visibility, access, and recommended level, is informational and may vary. Confirm actual conditions with a local operator before the dive.
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