HomeThe Ancient Mariner was an ex-Coast
Guard vessel. 50 meters long, 7.50 meters at the beam, displaced 370 tons
and she was powered to a top speed of 12.9 knots by two 1,340 hp diesel
engines and two three blade propellers. Her crew consisted of four officers,
one warrant and 50 men.
Previously the Ancient
Mariner was called Nemises, named after the Greek goddess
of vengeance. The Nemises was built as a Prohibition Runner by
Marritte Mfg. Company in West Virginia. She was launched on July
7, 1934 and was commissioned on October 10. She never had the chance to
chase rum runners as prohibition ended in 1933, a year before she was
launched. During the World War II, she was used as a sub-chaser and escort
for convoys. Some sources state that she dropped depth charges on a submarine
in August of 1942. She also rescued survivors from the torpedoed tankers
Faja De Oro and SS Suwied. She was then decommissioned
on November 20, 1964, and sold to Auto Marine Engineers on February
9, 1966. In 1979 investors purchased the vessel and re-modelled her to
look like a three deck African steamer. She was renamed Linvingstone
Landing and became Ft. Lauderdale's first floating restaurant. The
Linvingstone Landing closed in 1981. On April 28, 1981, the vessel
now named Ancient Mariner sunk at its dock. She was re-floated
and re-opened as a restaurant. In 1986 more than 100 patrons contracted
hepatitis after dining aboard the old cutter. The vessel re-opened under
several names including Chapmans River Raw Bar, Anchorage
Seafood, Dockside 501 and Cutters, but none
lasted too long. She was purchased by the South Florida Divers Club
of Hollywood for $ 6'000.- , and donated to Broward County's artificial
reef program.
In June of 1991, the Nemises, now called Ancient Mariner, was sunk as an artificial reef.
In June of 1991, the Nemises, now called Ancient Mariner, was sunk as an artificial reef.
Co-ordinates :
Depth : the top deck lies at 16m while the deepest point reaches 22m at the stern.
The Ancient Mariner lies in
clear water, slightly tilted on portside. The wreck is well conserved
and highly concretioned despite of it's youth. Full penetration of the
wreck reveals no particular difficulty, providing caution.
There are no particular difficulties.
Usually week currents sweep the site. The average visibility is excellent.
Nitrox 50 would be the gas of choice for this dive, giving over 200 minutes
bottom without leaving the safe NDL.
Ocean
Zone Divers
Best viewed 1024x768
Last Updated
Best viewed 1024x768
Last Updated
FACTS
General Description