Uss Kittiwake Dive

This is the top wreck dive in Grand Cayman and one of the top ten in the Caribbean. The USS Kittiwake which was sunk a less than two years ago and the dive site is maturing very well. The ship has five decks, is a little over76 meters in length amd 12 meters in beam and around 50 feet high. The ship was built for submarine rescue and was launched on July 10, 1945 and she was reefed in Grand Cayman in January 2011.

The following is a description of the dive, some history and other information about the shipwreck and an synopsis of what you will find on the shipwreck. Review the complete photo gallery on the website and/or see the internet blogsite entry for the USS Kittiwake for more information on the shipwreck plus a history about the ship.

The Dive site:

The vessel was reefed In january 2011 off the west side of the island at the end of Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman.

There are 5 decks on the 47 foot tall USS Kittiwake. Externally, the crow's nest, mast and large stern a-frame have been cut down and remounted to make her height suitable for Cayman waters. The are two bridges on the upper decks along with the radio and navigation room. The sonar was also removed. The Captain and XO's quarters are also on the upper decks.

The main deck contains the mess hall, toolshop, recompression chambers and rec room. You will see an a-frame structure on the stern which supported submarines and hard hat divers, as well as the diving bell that was used to bring back divers to the ship and then to the recompression chambers

The crews quarters, the engine room and medical facilities are located below the main deck along with , air bank storage and compressors, as well as the steering gear, shaft, gyro, ammunition lockers, cold storage and barber shop to name a few areas. While the USS Kittiwake has been opened up with big access holes in the sides of the ship, all of the space on the ship was used while in service.

Make sure to plan your dive well. I would recommend heading to the stern before entering into the shipwreck to take photos near the "USS Kittiwake" logo on the the backof the ship and also get photographs by the propeller. For Divers that plan on entering the wreck, after you leave the stern make your way to the top of the ship then go into the main funnel which is on on the Top Deck. Should you not intend on penetrating the wreck you can begin your investigation of the ship on the main deck just above the Propeller.

The entry through the funnel makes an excellent underwater photograph and I would suggest taking the photo looking up from the bottom of the funnel to the top of the funnel. I would suggest silhouetting one of your dive buddies diving down into the wreck. You can then exit the shaft on the first platform or in the cargo hold. The cargo hold should only be entered by experienced advanced divers. When you exit to the first platform you will be able to see the Engineering logo in the Motor Room section. This section can be accessed easily and makes for a extremely good underwater photograph near the "Engineering Mural". The silt may be substantial here so you need to move gradually to prevent stirring up the sediment. For experienced divers you can also explore shaft alley and the front hold areas of the ship. For other divers you can view the various areas on the first platform and then start making your way up one deck at a time until finally arriving at the Bridge (Pilot House) where you can do you safety stop as it is at about 5 to 6 meters or 15 to 18 feet.

Check out images of additional shipwrecks on http://www.stevenwsmeltzer.com or visit his blog for critiques of specific shipwrecks.