OOnce-mighty vessels, the Hyde,
Cassimir, Markham, Normannia,
City of Houston and the John D. Gill
now lie on the ocean floor along the
Cape Fear coast. One met its demise
after colliding with another ship.
Others faced fierce winds and high
waves, breaking apart along Frying
Pan Shoals. A torpedo ripped through
the Gill during World War II. The US
Army Corps of Engineers intentionally
sank decommissioned dredges including
the Hyde.
Offering a unique insight into the
past, these shipwrecks along North
Carolina’s sandy bottom coastline are
teaming with marine life. Over time,
eroding hulls become an artificial reef
for an array of species, providing refuge,
foraging opportunities and habitat for a
maze of coral, swaying sea fans and large
sponges. Fish dart through the waters,
hidden in plain sight. From small to
large, there’s a colony of fish that call
shipwrecks home.
Divers to these wrecks can expect
lots of gamefish, curious sand tiger
sharks and colorful tropicals. Groupers,
amberjacks and mackerels as well as
rays, eels and barracudas are known to
frequent the Hyde. “I’ve dove around
the world” and the Hyde is one of my
favorites,” says Julianna Schroeger with
Aquatic Safaris. “Its lively ecosystem is
swarming with life. Since it was sunk
as an artificial reef, it sits almost fully
intact. There are rooms you can swim
through, which attract bait fish and
predatory fish.”By Amy Kilgore Mangus
Photography by
Brad Butler
Living Species identification by
NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher
Crinoids, often called “sea lilies,” have taken root on the Cassimir shipwreck.
20
WBM august 2013