Diving On The Uss Kittiwake

This is the top wreck dive in Grand Cayman and one of the top ten in the Caribbean. The USS Kittiwake was reefed a less than two years ago and the shipwreck site is maturing well. The shipwreck has five decks, is 251.6 ft (76.7 m) in length, 42ft (12.8 m) in beam and about 50 feet high. The vessel was built specifically for submarine rescue and was launched on July 10, 1945 and was sunk in Grand Cayman in January 2011.

The following is a description of the dive, some history about the ship and other information about the shipwreck and an overview of what you will find on the wreck. You can see the complete photo gallery on the web site and see the internet blogsite article for the USS Kittiwake for additional information on the shipwreck along with a history about the ship.

What you will find on the Dive:

The vessel was sunk January 5, 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. To meet caymanian requirements for wrecks, a portion of the upper mast was removed. The upper decks accommodate the 2 bridges (both an external and internal bridge to allow operations in heavy seas) along with the navigation and radio rooms. The sonar has been removed. The Captain and XO's quarters are located on the upper decks

On the main deck, from bow to stern, internally you will find the mess hall, toolshop, recompression chambers and rec room. You will see an a-frame structure on the stern that supported submarines and hard hat divers, as well as the diving bell that was used to bring back divers to the ship and to then move 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 large access holes in the sides of the ship, all of the space on the vessel was utilized while in service.

It is important to plan your dive well. One approach would be to begin at the stern before entry into the shipwreck to get photographs near the "USS Kittiwake" logo on the stern and also get photographs by the screw (propeller) and rudder. For Divers that plan on penetrating the shipwreck, you can then make your way to the top of the ship and go into the main funnel that is on on the Top Deck. If you do not plan on entering the wreck you may start your exploration on the main deck just above the Screw..

The entry through the funnel can be a great location for underwater photography . try silhouetting your dive partner in the shaft diving down into the wreck. You can then exit the shaft on the first platform or in the cargo hold. The hold does not have any exterior exits and should only be entered by advanced divers. When you exit to the first platform you will see the Engineering logo in the Motor Room section. This area is easily accessible and makes for a especially interesting underwater photo near the "Engineering Mural". The sediment can be heavy in this location so you should move slowly to prevent clouding up the water. For advanced wreck divers you should also check out shaft alley as well as the forward hold sections of the shipwreck. For others you may view a variety of areas on the first platform and then begin going up one deck at a time until finally coming to 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 photographs of other shipwrecks on http://www.stevenwsmeltzer.com or visit his blog for reviews of specific wrecks.