Orange Dragger
We dove this wreck for the first time in
June of 2007. Finding this one was a collaborative effort between myself and Marcie
Bilinski, using her boat as the dive platform. Slav, Marcie and I
marked several potential targets in a single day, and I dove this one on the way
back in to see what was there. The wreck appears to be a dragger,
approximately 70 ft. in length, with a wooden hull which is fairly broken up
but remains sitting upright in 210FSW. On the first dive I was greeted
by the intact wheel still sitting in its mount on the bridge.
I hovered for a few moments to take in the beautiful outline of colorful
anemones covering every inch, afraid to touch what I took at first to be a
wooden wheel. Then I wondered - what if? - and scraped the growth away
in a small area and was pleasantly surprised to see the gleam of brass.
The wheel still turned on its mount, as the chain had long since rotted
away. The wheel mount remains bolted to a metal deck.
Immediately in front of the bridge is a large winch assembly which is
painted a florescent orange color, as is a good portion of the machinery in
the forward area of the remaining deck. A piece of the wooden railing
is still painted a stark white. Netting is hung up in many parts of
the wreck likely accounting for its dilapidated condition.
The forward part of the wreck from the bridge on is broken up to a large
extent but is still recognizable for what it was. The remains of the
mast and boom lie out to the sides of the wreck, and the raised frame of the
hold is still intact in the center of the deck. A large amount of
assorted machinery, pipes and cables mingle with the broken wood.
The visibility was poor on more than one dive to this wreck - no more
than 15ft. Due to the cloudy water, ambient light was very poor.
The bridge has a metal roof, and that has kept the
companionway and center of the wreck intact to some extent. It's a
rather small area, and nothing of any interest can be seen either from the
companionway or from in front of the winch where another opening to the
wreck allows some access. Given the size of the area and the seeming
unstable condition, going inside is an unlikely prospect.
The companionway looking down from the bridge
The aft section of the wreck is in complete ruins, with only a vague outline
of the wreck still visible. In general it's just a mass of jumbled
debris, and the prop is buried in the mud. All in all a nice dive, and another interesting wreck to put
an identification to if possible. Possible clues to the wreck include
the bright orange paint on the machinery and decking, and a plastic hard hat
I saw but didn't take from the forward part of the wreck. This would
seem to date the wreck from the 60's or 70's and not earlier.
The large winch drum is still painted a bright orange
The framing of the hold is still relatively intact
Looking below through the companionway
A portion of the wooden rail showing the remains of white paint. | 
