USS Massachusetts - Dive Site Map of Florida & Bahamas from www.ScubaLessonsInc.com (sitios de interés)
Descripción del sitio
The battleship U.S.S. Massachusetts, BB-2, was built by William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and launched in 1893. She was 586 feet long, had a 69 foot beam and was commissioned on June 10, 1896.
The USS Massachusetts BB-2 was one of America's first true oceangoing battleships. More than 350 feet in length, and 70 feet wide, the 10,000 ton steel ship was equipped with 13 inch Main Guns, 8 inch batteries, torpedo tubes, gattling guns, and a host of smaller arms.
Massachusetts first saw combat during the Spanish-American war while she was part of the US naval blockade of Cuban ports. In the years following the Spanish-American War, and into World War I, the technology of the USS Massachusetts was quickly surpassed, and she was relegated to near coastal support, primarily as a training vessel.
In 1919 She was decommissioned, and in 1921, the USS Massachusetts was towed to Pensacola Florida where she was scuttled in shallow water to be used as a target for artillery batteries at Fort Pickens. She remains in the same location today, where she was dedicated as Florida's first underwater archaeological preserve on June 10th, 1993 - the 100th anniversary of her launching.
She now rests in 21 feet of water with some of the She now rests in 21 feet of water with some of the wreckage poking through the ocean's surface, one mile off Fort Pickens jetties. The Massachusetts is still partially intact, and on calm days when a surge is not present, she makes a good shallow water dive. According to Gene Ferguson, the visibility at this site is often limited, and the current can be quite strong. The current normally flows from west to east.Photo: The U.S.S. Massachusetts was 586 feet long and had a 63 foot beam