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The YSD 40 which was
similar to the YSD 56. |
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On Saturday October, 1st, Jan, Harry, and I set out from Westport MA with our sights set on diving an obscure little wreck located just off the shores of Nomans Land, an island situated three and one-half miles south-west of Martha's Vineyard. It would be more than a 25 mile run to the wreck site in Cetacea, our 21 foot dive boat on this day, so the conditions had to be perfect. When we reached the open water at the mouth of the Westport river we were not disappointed. We were greeted with flat calm seas and unlimited visibility. On our way out to the site we were side-tracked and had to stop to observe a large pod of Lagenorhynchus acutus, more commonly know as Atlantic White-Sided Dolphins. When we stopped, the curious and playful creatures quickly raced over to and around our boat, purposely swimming on their sides to cast an eye on the awestruck homo sapiens watching them in return. In short order the Dolphins grew tired of putting on their show and gawking at us and off they went. Leaving us to wonder if the day could get any better! |
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As we approached the numbers we kept our fingers crossed hoping that they were "good". I had every reason to believe that they would be. I knew the source to be a very experienced diver who dove this wreck, as well as an upstanding straight shooter of a guy. He would not give out numbers that were inaccurate, especially to send someone on a fool's errand 25 miles from shore. Sure enough, on cue, as we hit the designated spot the sure image of a wreck appeared on my depth finder. Thank you John! Per our normal drill, Harry and Jan readied their gear and dropped in. It seemed almost silly to be diving doubles in 35 fsw but hey, that's all we had with us! When they returned they reported good visibility with ample light penetration and a moderate surge. However, there was one slight problem. Harry offered to go back down with me for my dive and help me retrieve the hook. It seems that his aim was so good at dropping the hook on the wreck, that it fell into a hole and was stuck! Upon reaching the wreck with Harry the two of us managed to take the tension off the rode and, with a bit of jiggling and twisting, we freed the hook from the grasp of the former YSD. I tied in onto a large cleat affixed to the starboard side of the hull. I was then free to do my dive. I reached the deck at about 30 fsw. The deck was covered with long tendrils of kelp, rhythmically sloshing back and forth with the surge. Beneath the kelp the deck is pockmarked with holes corroded through to the open spaces below. These holes range from basketball size to the diameter of the average kitchen table. A diver must be careful if he or she settles on the deck. The holes are difficult to see beneath the kelp fronds, and the edges are razor sharp and would easily cut a suit as well as skin. The crane is nowhere to be seen, and neither is any other deck adornment. Today the YSD is a barren hull, sunken into the sand to its once waterline. Sand has filled in the hull making it impossible, as far as I could see, to get below decks. The decking aft, near the stern, has been broken down to the level of the sand. While a diver cannot penetrate the wreck, many large Tataug have made a home in the bowels of the former YSD. An occasional Striped Bass could be seen cruising by. The perimeter of the hull is still intact and one can circumnavigate it in about 20 minutes. While the YSD 56 is quite a distance from the mainland shore, it is an easy and interesting dive. Under the right conditions it certainly is worth making the trip to dive her at least once.
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Better yet! Go to
Gary's website
and order one. While you are there, check out his other books. |
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© 2005 to Present Secret Squirrel Divers Inc. All Rights Reserved |
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