Planning a Tech / Wreck to either the Skye Cliffe or Wilkes-Barre

[TommyB]

Planning a trip to dive the Skye Cliffe and or the Wilkes-Barre (May Do Both)

You need to have Deco Experience and Trimix experience for the SkyCliff (200fsw)
Deco Training and Advanced Trimix for the Wilkes-Barre (260fsw)

Possible dates are the 1st Oct - 7th October (Dates not confirmed yet but I'm going on
the above dates)

For the Skye Cliff we'd use
Captain Larry of Six Pack Divers
http://www.divetraining.net/pictures/2008_dec_5/DSC01527.jpg

See below posts for more info

[TommyB]

The USS Wilkes Barre CL-103

http://www.scubadiver.cc/forums/WilkesBarreBchico.jpg



The following youtube video gives you a visual of the sheer size of the wreck and shows divers exploring some of the inside compartments


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrOqIU0ppog


For divers who like deep wrecks, the USS Wilkes-Barre is certainly worth considering. The former Navy Cruiser is split in half and sits 13.5 miles southwest of Summerland Key, Florida.

Named after the city of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the ship served during the last year of the Second World War in the Pacific Ocean. After receiving four battle stars, the boat made goodwill cruises to England and Norway. The Wilkes-Barre was decommissioned on October 9, 1947 and assigned to the US Reserve Fleet.

On January 15, 1971, the USS Wilkes-Barre was removed from the Naval Vessel Register and used for underwater explosive tests. On May 12, 1972, her hulk broke in two. While the after section did sink almost immediately, the forward section was scuttled on the next day.

Today, the bow sits in 253 feet (77 meters) of water on her starboard side. The deck of the stern section awaits divers in 200 feet (61 meters), and other features of the superstructure rise to a depth of 140 feet (43 meters).
Machinery and brass gear litters the bottom. Before breaking apart, the shipwreck was 610 feet (186 meters) long and 63 feet (19 meters) wide.

When descending towards the stern section, the stack and later the forward guns are the first structures divers will see. Mono-filament lines, nets and weights are almost everywhere. The wreck is usually teaming with marine life, including large groupers, amberjacks, and the occasional shark

Her railing and cables are covered with large oysters and other invertebrates. Radars, monitors, phones and many other instruments remain on the ship, and the hangar deck (or elevator) still holds furniture including stacks of encrusted bed frames, desks, and drawers.

At the mid-ship break, divers can study the unique cross section of the vessel, though many of her bulkheads are twisted and contorted at awkward angles.

Swim-troughs, hatches and portholes invite divers to penetrate the wreck. However, considering the depth, the size of the wreck, and the potential of silt-outs make this an extremely advanced adventure. Lose cables, twisted wires, fishing lines and nets pose the risk of entanglement on and in many parts of the ship.

Currents can be strong on the wreck, sometimes close to 5 knots, prohibiting any descend. Visibility is usually around 40 – 60 feet, but occasionally it can be over 100 feet.

Most dive boats ask that divers hang on to the anchor line during decompression and drift with the current. This can be an exhilarating experience, especially over longer periods of time, since no bottom is visible, divers lose their baring in the blue maze, and their minds start playing games.

Trimix should be used on this dives. It is a must if any penetration is planned. Divers using open circuit will usually end up with 60+ minutes of deco after 25 minutes bottom time.

[TommyB]

The Skye Cliffe is a 320 foot long freighter

http://www.splashdowndivers.com/wrecks/images/sd_skye_cliff_p.jpg

The Skye Cliffe is 320 foot long wreck lies upright in 200 feet of water, just outside the Boynton inlet. Soft coral is starting to blanket this wreck and schools of Jacks circle it providing a great visual treat.

Note: This ship wreck is deep, Trimix is the gas of choice for this dive.

The Skye Cliffe is a 320 foot long freighter, and she sits upright in 200 feet of water less than a mile from the shore! The wreck is covered in soft corals and sea fans, and is home to countless amount of fish. Despite more than ten years under the water, the wreck is still intact and in very good condition.

[mindy]

What does it mean when a boat is "scuttled"?

"While the after section did sink almost immediately, the forward section was scuttled on the next day."

These wrecks look AWESOME! That vid was incredible.

[TommyB]

Scuttled = sunk on purpose

scut·tle (sktl)
n.
1. A small opening or hatch with a movable lid in the deck or hull of a ship or in the roof, wall, or floor of a building.
2. The lid or hatch of such an opening.
tr.v. scut·tled, scut·tling, scut·tles
1. Nautical
a. To cut or open a hole or holes in (a ship's hull).
b. To sink (a ship) by this means.
2. Informal To scrap; discard: "a program [the] President . . . sought to scuttle" (Christian Science Monitor).


scuttle
vb
1. (Transport / Nautical Terms) (tr) Nautical to cause (a vessel) to sink by opening the seacocks or making holes in the bottom
2. (tr) to give up (hopes, plans, etc.)
n
(Transport / Nautical Terms) Nautical a small hatch or its cover
[C15 (n): via Old French from Spanish escotilla a small opening, from escote opening in a piece of cloth, from escotar to cut out

Scuttle \Scut"tle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Scuttled; p. pr. & vb.
n. Scuttling.]
1. To cut a hole or holes through the bottom, deck, or sides
of (as of a ship), for any purpose.

2. To sink by making holes through the bottom of; as, to
scuttle a ship.

[TommyB]

BILLY DEANS STERN SECTION LAYOUT (http://uwex.us/wbdeans.htm)


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http://clan-solutions.com/images/wrecks/wilkestest1.jpg (http://clan-solutions.com/images/wrecks/wilkestest1.jpg) http://clan-solutions.com/images/wrecks/wilkestest2.jpg (http://clan-solutions.com/images/wrecks/wilkestest2.jpg)

http://clan-solutions.com/images/wrecks/wilkesmodel.jpg (http://clan-solutions.com/images/wrecks/wilkesmodel.jpg) http://clan-solutions.com/images/wrecks/wilkesmodel2.jpg



http://clan-solutions.com/images/wrecks/deanswilkes.jpg