Bayronto Wreck - Venice - Dive Site Map of Florida & Bahamas from www.ScubaLessonsInc.com (sitios de interés)
Descripción del sitio
GPS Coordinates: 26 45.800, -82 50.839
Depths range 80' - 110' at the stern
The British freighter BayRonto was built in 1905 by Armstrong Whitworth & Co. in Newcastle. She was originally named Tronto but was renamed when sold in 1916 to Bay S.S. Co. The Bay S.S. Co. was a company formed by the French Government to operate British ships which it had purchased and due to wartime restrictions had to remain under British Flag. The BayRonto was 400 feet long, had a 52 foot beam, displaced 6,405 gross tons and was powered by a 495 nhp triple expansion engine.
The BayRonto had been damaged when she was torpedoed by a German submarine in July of 1918, but after repairs she set out for Marseille. She foundered in heavy seas on September 13, 1919. The ship was carrying a cargo of wheat from Galveston to Marseille at the time. The NEW YORK TIMES reported that eleven of her crew were picked up by the fishing smack Ida and brought to Tampa. The steamship Calno rescued 19 survivors and brought them to Charleston, South Carolina, on September 21. Another 18 survivors were reported to have landed at Havana on September 16. After the final count, the BayRonto's full complement had been accounted for. The survivors told of how the vessel had foundered during a hurricane, and all but two of her life boats had been smashed by the monstrous waves. Chief Officer Moody and ten crew took to one of the life boats in which they had only five gallons of water and a hundred biscuits as supplies. Two days later they were out of water but were able to use their coats to catch rain water. When they ran out of biscuits, they caught a few fish and ate them raw.
The BayRonto is now located 30 miles offshore in 110 feet of water. This wreck sits upside down and broken in half on a sand bottom and is excellent for spear fishing. Big fish usually surround the wreck. Captain Laney Rinehart reports a large debris field off her stern.