Three shipwrecks in one trip!
The Constellation, a 192 foot wooden four-masted schooner was on its way from New York to Venezuela carrying a cargo of bags of cement, several hundred cases of whisky and several different types of drugs. After leaving New York, the ship encountered stormy seas, causing the 24 year old vessel to leak at the seams. After several days of manual pumping, the crew could no longer keep up with the incominng water so Captain Howard Neaves decided to stop in Bermuda for repairs. On July 30, 1942, while waiting for a local pilot to come out to guide them through the unmarked channel, the ship was pushed onto the shallow barrier reef, sinking her. All hands were saved and the U.S. Navy, undoubtedly following Bermuda protocol, salvaged all 700 cases of whisky and a few other peices of cargo.
Because wood is biodegradable, most of the hull of the Constellation has long rotted away in our warm sub-tropical waters, leaving exposed thousands of bags of hardened cement, her main cargo, panels of glass, slate and iron fittings that were once part of the actual ship. The shipwreck of the Constellation now sits in 15-25 feet of water easily visible in every detail from the surface while snorkelling.
The Montana was a 236 foot long iron paddle steamer. She was en route from London, England to Wilmington, North Carolina carrying a cargo for the Confederate effort, which qualified her as a blockade runner. After a long voyage across the Atlantic, Captain Pittman decided to refuel in Bermuda before attempting to run blockades in the height of the American Civil War. On December 30, 1863 while trying to navigate the Western Blue Cut channel, the Montana hit the shallow reefs off of Bermuda and sank in 25 feet of water, where she now sits. After nearly 150 years on the shallow bottom on our barrier reef, much of the wreck of the Montana has collapsed on itself. The bow or front of the ship remains intact, as do her steam engines and paddle wheels which have become home to many different species of fish.
The Lartington was built in 1875 as a steam freighter. Made of iron, she was 245 feet long and 32 feet wide. On her way to Russia from Savannah with a cargo of cotton she encontered rough seas which damaged the ship, causing a large break in the hull. After ten hours of pumping it was decided to head for Bermuda for repairs. Captain George Dixon attempted to guide his ship through the reef line via Western Blue Cut and on December 14,1878 the Lartington became the second ship to sink in the immediate area, joining the Montana. She sits in similar depths to the Constellation and Montana.
This trip consists of two dives, one to explore the Constellation and Montana, and then a very short ride to the Lartington.
RATES
$450, up to ten people for three hours.
$0 fuel surcharge
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