USS Kittiwake dive

This is the top shipwreck dive in Grand Cayman and one of the best in the Caribbean. The USS Kittiwake was reefed a about 18 months ago and the dive site is maturing well. The ship has five decks, is a little over76 meters in length amd 12 meters in beam and approximately 50 feet high. The vessel was built specifically for performing submarine rescues and was launched on July 10, 1945 and was sunk in Grand Cayman on January 5, 2011.

This article provides an overview of what to expect on the dive a little history and other information concerning the vessel and an overview of what one can find on the shipwreck. You can see the entire photo gallery on the website and see the internet blogsite article for the USS Kittiwake for supplementary data on the wreck and a history of the ship.

What you will find on the Dive:

The vessel was sunk January 5, 2011 off the west side of the island at the end of Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman. There are 5 decks on the 47 foot tall USS Kittiwake. A portion of the upper part of the ship was removed to meet cayman requirements The upper decks accommodate the 2 bridges (both an external and internal bridge to allow operations in heavy seas) along with the radio and navigation room. The has also been removed from the ship. The Captain and XO's quarters are also on the upper decks. On the main deck, from bow to stern, internally you will find a number of different rooms or work areas including the recompresson chambers, the rec room and toolshop. You will note the large a-frame structure on the stern which supported submarines and hard hat divers, along with the diving bell where divers would enter to return to the ship from the ocean and then be placed in the chambers for decompression. The crews quarters, the engine room and medical facilities are located below the main deck along with ,air bank storage and compressors, as well as the steering gear, shaft, gyro, ammunition lockers, cold storage and barber shop to name a few areas. While there are now a number of largeaccess holes both vertically and horizontally, every space on the ship was utilized when the boat was in service. Make it a point to plan your dive adequately. I would recommend heading to the stern before entering into the ship to take pictures around the"USS Kittiwake" logo on the the backof the ship and also get photographs by the screw (propeller) and rudder. For Scuba Divers that intend on penetrating the shipwreck, you can then make your way to the top of the ship and enter via the funnel which is on on the Bridge Deck. Should you not intend on penetrating the wreck you can begin your investigation of the ship on the main deck just above the Propeller. The main funnel entry makes an excellent underwater photograph and I would suggest taking the photo looking up from the bottom of the funnel to the top of the funnel. I would suggest silhouetting one of your dive buddies diving down into the shipwreck. You can exit into the ship on several of the decks including the first platform or in the cargo hold. The hold does not have any exterior exits and should only be entered by advanced divers. When you exit to the first platform you can see the Engineering emblem in the Motor Room section. This section can be accessed easily and can be the subject of  a very interesting underwater photo close to the "Engineering Mural". The sediment can be substantial in this location so you must move gradually to prevent stirring up the sediment. For advanced divers you should also look at shaft alley as well as the front hold regions of the ship. For other divers you may view a variety of areas on the first platform and then begin making your way up one deck at a time and then finally coming to the Bridge (Pilot House) where you can do your safety stop.

Look at photographs of other shipwrecks on http://www.stevenwsmeltzer.com or visit  his blog for critiques of other shipwrecks.