Radio Island Jetty
LOCATION
Radio Island is between the high rise bridge and the draw bridge that connect Morehead City to Beaufort. The rock jetty runs parallel to the beach at the end of Radio Island near the U.S. Navy's Landing Ramp where a chain link fence separates it from the rest of the island. There is a parking lot for your vehicle, but you'll have to walk a quarter mile down the beach to reach the dive site.
DIVE PROFILE
Experience Level: Novice-Intermediate
Depth: 0-43 ft.
Visibility: 5-15 ft.
Summer Temperature: 75-80 degrees
Dive Notes: The jetty has a 45 degree slope that ends at the white sand of the channel. Going down to the bottom at the fence, the depth is 33 feet. Going back toward Beaufort, toward the green day marker, the depth gets to 43 feet. Radio Island Rock Jetty should be dove on the slack tides, preferably high slack tide. Visibility averages 6 - 10 feet, but can be in the 15 - 20 foot range on the rare occasion, but can also be in the 3 - 5 foot range. The water temperature during the summer months is in the low 80's.
Even though it is a beach dive, tropical fish are present. Butterflyfish, sergeant majors, and juvenile angelfish can be seen in the summer months. Colorful sponges can be seen growing on the rocks and game fish, such as sea bass, flounder, sheepshead, and spadefish can be found there most of the year. Since it is a shore dive, its location makes it ideal for Open Water, Advanced Open Water, and Rescue, and Specialty classes. (Text adopted from Sportdiver.com)
We often run trips to Radio Island using our pontoon boat to carry gear. Check our calendar page for dates!
Normannia
VESSEL INFORMATION
Type: Freighter
Size: 312' x 45' x 20'
History: The Normannia sank in a storm on 17 January 1924.
DIVE PROFILE
Experience Level: Intermediate
Depth: 90-110 ft.
Visibility: Generally 50-100 feet
Summer Temperature: 75-80 degrees
Dive Notes: The Normannia is among the most picturesque wrecks in North Carolina. The bow and stern sections remain mostly intact and the wreck is very easy to navigate. A healthy reef, it is home to colorful tropical fish, as well as schools of jacks and baitfish. Turtles and rays are common, as are lobster.
WATCH
HMS Bedfordshire
VESSEL INFORMATION
Type: British Armed Trawler
Size: 162'
History: The British government, after being "leased" 50 World War I-era destroyers and 10 Lake Class Coast Guard cutters, sent 24 armed trawlers and their crews to help protect merchant ships from the German U-Boats. The HMS Bedfordshire was under the command of Lieutenant R. B. Davis and had a crew of 36 men. Her patrol area was from Norfolk, Virginia to Cape Lookout. In addition to escorting tankers and freighters, the HMS Bedfordshire also performed lone patrols searching for U-Boats.
Sinking: On the night of May 12, 1942, the U-558 was patrolling offshore of Cape Lookout. Kapitanleutnant Gunter Krech, thus far unable to sink any freighters or tankers during this patrol, took aim on the Bedfordshire and fired a single torpedo, sinking her instantly. The attack had been so swift that no message had been transmitted from the HMS Bedfordshire. For two days, everyone thought she was still on patrol and was observing radio silence. On May 14, 1942, two bodies washed up on the beach of Ocracoke. The bodies were identified as Stanley Craig, telegraphist, and Sub-Lieutenant Thomas Cunningham, both from the HMS Bedfordshire. They are buried with two other crewmembers in a small cemetary on Ocracoke.
DIVE PROFILE
Experience Level: Intermediate
Depth: 105 ft.
Visibility: Generally 40-70 feet
Summer Temperature: 75-80 degrees
Dive Notes: The wreck is in three separate pieces with two of the pieces within 75 feet of each other and the third, 200 feet away. The damage from the torpedo was extensive and the highest part of the wreck is only four feet. There are a lot of I-beams, deck plates, pipes, and pieces of machinery scattered about the sand, as well as six depth charges. Large schools of amberjack and spadefish can be seen swimming around the wreck. Sea bass and grouper are typically present.
Additional Info
WATCH
READ
NOAA's report on the HMS Bedfordshire from their 2009 Battle of the Atlantic Expedition
Lobster Wreck
Photo courtesy of Paul Huddy
VESSEL INFORMATION
Type: Dredge
Size: 175'
History: Not much information is available on the Lobster Wreck. In fact, the identity of the Lobster Wreck wasn't known for certain until August of 2000, when Brian Tate of Wilmington, NC found a manufacturer's plate on a winch he salvaged from the wreck. The plate was from the Ellicott Machine Company of Baltimore, Maryland. The company is still in business and after some research, matched the contract number on the plate to the winch that was installed on the Porta Allegra, built in 1908 with a 20-inch cutter. There are no records after the sale indicating that the Porta Allegra sank or if the winch had been moved to another dredge. (Courtesy of Paul Huddy, www.nc-wreckdiving.com)
DIVE PROFILE
Experience Level: Intermediate
Depth: 125 ft.
Visibility: Generally 70-100 feet
Summer Temperature: 78-82 degrees
Dive Notes: The Lobster Wreck is home to an abundance of tropical fish, as well has hog snapper, lionfish, and- you guessed it- lobster. It's a smaller wreck, and can covered in a single dive. The engine, boilers, anchor, and cutting head are prominently featured.
Additional Info
WATCH
Ashkhabad
VESSEL INFORMATION
Type: Tanker
Size: 412' x 52' x 25'
History: The Ashkhabad was a Russian tanker built originally as a freighter in Scotland in 1917. On April 29, 1942, she was being escorted by the ASW Trawler Lady Elsa while traveling in ballast from NY to Cuba.
Sinking: The tanker was torpedoed by the U-402 on its starboard side, sinking its stern. The crew abandoned ship, was rescued by the Lady Elsa, and taken to Morehead City. While salvage attempts were scheduled, the destroyer USS Semmes DD-189 and the HMS St. Zeono, with standing orders to "sink wrecks that might be a menace to navigation", shelled the vessel, sinking it completely.
DIVE PROFILE
Experience Level: Novice-Intermediate
Depth: 55 ft.
Visibility: Generally 30-40 feet
Summer Temperature: 76-82 degrees
Dive Notes: Lying on a sandy bottom, the high parts of this wreck are the boilers and the condenser. Some of the ribs of the ship can also be seen in the section forward of the boilers and deck plates and twisted beams are scattered about the wreck. Sheepshead, triggerfish, sea bass, and spadefish frequent this wreck. Because it is close the shoals, visibility is lower and moderate currents are common.
