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Overview
A Lake Maracaibo crude tanker torpedoed by a German submarine on the morning of 16 February 1942, in the same Operation Neuland strike that targeted the Aruba refinery. The bow and stern survived intact, were severed and welded together, towed to the United States, and put back to service as a smaller vessel; only the bombed midsection was abandoned where she ran aground off Palm Beach in 7 to 10 m of water. Twisted plate, exposed boiler housings, and pipe runs sit on a sand and rubble bottom. French grunts, sergeant majors, great barracuda, stoplight parrotfish, and the occasional green moray colonise the steel. Shallow depth and a short boat ride from Palm Beach hotels make it one of the most accessible WWII wreck dives in the Caribbean.
Briefing note
Originally a Lake Maracaibo lake tanker built in Monfalcone in 1938; the salvaged bow and stern were welded together and returned to service after the war. The midsection lies inside the buoyed Palm Beach swim and watersports zone, so listen for jet ski and boat traffic before ascending and surface near a marker buoy.
What you'll see
6 species curated- year-roundFrench grunt
- year-roundSergeant major
- year-roundGreat barracuda
- year-roundStoplight parrotfish
- year-roundGreen moray eel
- year-roundCaribbean spiny lobster
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26–27 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Feb | 26–27 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Mar | 26–27 °C | 18–27 m | mild |
| Apr | 27–28 °C | 18–27 m | mild |
| May | 27–28 °C | 18–27 m | mild |
| Jun | 28–29 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Jul | 28–29 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Aug | 28–29 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Sep | 28–29 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Oct | 28–29 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Nov | 27–28 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Dec | 26–27 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Next step
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