Benwood Wreck | Key Largo Florida Scuba Diving
Benwood Wreck | Key Largo Wreck Dive
Visit the link below to learn more about scuba diving the Benwood Wreck.
History of the Benwood Wreck:
The Benwood Wreck lays northeast of French Reef in Kay Largo, Florida. The 360-foot Benwood was a Norwegian merchant freighter built in 1910. This wreck’s story of how it became is an interesting one that takes us back to the night of April 9, 1942 when the Benwood was on a routine voyage from Tampa Bay, Florida to Norfolk, Virginia with a load of phosphate rock.
Benwood WreckThat same day, the Robert C. Tuttle was traveling to Texas. This was during World War II and there were rumors of German U-boats in the area. Both vessels traveled completely blacked out to avoid the enemy. At 12:45 a.m., the Tuttle turned starboard (right) as the captain sighted a black object ahead which was believed to be a U-boat. The captain signaled with one blow of the ship’s whistle, “I intend to turn starboard.” There was no response from the Benwood. At 12:50 a.m., the Benwood sighted a black object and sounded the whistle twice indicating, “I intend to turn port (left).” There was no response from the Tuttle.
It’s believed the Benwood and Tuttle were unknowingly on a collision course with each other. Captain Skjelbred of the Benwood made a last-minute effort to avoid the Tuttle by ordering the engine full astern (fastest reverse). Moments later, the bow of the Benwood crashed into the Tuttle’s port side above the waterline. The collision caused the bow of the Benwood to collapsed upon itself. The Benwood quickly took on water and the crew was forced to abandon ship. The Tuttle sustained minor damage.
The day after the collision it was discovered the keel of the Benwood was broken and the vessel was declared a total loss. Her superstructure and cargo was salvaged. The salvaging on the Benwood Wreck prompted John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park to create a protection program in 1959. This helped to prevent further damage to the historical Benwood Wreck. After being salvaged, the Benwood was later used as target practice by the Army Air Corp, which became the US Air Force. She was then dynamited as she was a navigation hazard.
The wreck is protected under the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary which was formed in 1975.
Diving the Benwood Wreck:
The Benwood Wreck rests between 25 feet to 55 feet of water northeast of French Reef off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. Be very careful of the jagged, rusted, fire coral encrusted metal when exploring the Benwood Wreck. Between the history and its shallow depth, This wreck is one of the most popular dives in Key Largo.
This dive site is home to many Jawfish – we almost felt like we were exploring Blue Heron Bridge!
Benwood Wreck | Key Largo Wreck Dive
Diving The Benwood WrecK, Key Largo, Florida
Diving the SS Benwood Shipwreck - Key Largo FL
Diving the SS Benwood in Key Largo Florida. Anther Wreck dive on our Wreck Trek
Snorkeling at the Benwood Wreck. Key Largo FL
Benwood Wreck Key Largo Florida June 2014. My first and third open water dives.
Reef Manta - Wreck of the Benwood, Key Largo, Florida
While diving the wreck of the Benwood one afternoon, this Manta came in to check us out.
It wasn't bothered by our presence. If anything, it was curious and willing to interact with us. It definitely was not shy!
After most everyone had gotten back on the boat, it came back. There were only three of us in the water as it kept making close passes around us - very close. It seemed as curious about us as we were about it. A magical experience!!
String Impromptu Number 1 Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
2014 10 04 Scuba Diving Benwood Wreck
Benwood in Key Largo, FL
The wreck of the benwood in key largo, FL shot on Canon 5D Mark 2
Nurse Shark Wreck of the Benwood Key Largo (Florida)
This is a Nurse Shark that I found on the wreck of the Benwood Key Largo (Florida)
Benwood Wreck - John Pennekamp - Key Largo 10-19-13
A little History on the Benwood
The Benwood met her fate when she collided with a tanker, the Robert C. Tuttle (544'x70'), in the wee hours of the morning of April 9, 1942. The Benwood and Tuttle were both running lights-out to avoid being torpedoed by German U-boats. The two ships spotted each other at the last minute... albeit too late to avoid a collision.
The bow of the Benwood punched into the Tuttle's port side, above the waterline, just aft of the bow, and collapsed upon itself on impact. The Benwood began taking on water at an alarming rate. Her captain made for shore, but within the hour, was forced to abandon ship. The Benwood came to rest stern-to on a 25'-45' slope of hard bottom between Dixie Shoals (to the north) and French Reef (to the south).
benwood-1910
Her superstructure and cargo appear to have been salvaged, while her stern section, once considered a navigational hazard, seems to have been mostly obliterated by aerial artillery and/or dynamite. Since her sinking, the Benwood has become an impressive artificial reef, providing the only high profile relief in the immediate vicinity.
All types of aquatic life have taken up residence here. Schools of barracuda and other predators now patrol the wreck, while hordes of smaller fishes seek refuge amidst the debris. Hard and soft corals have almost completely encrusted the hull and deck.
At night, the Benwood comes alive with feeding invertebrates and amazing bioluminescence. Parrot fishes bed-down for the night here, while other creatures come out to feed. The Benwood is considered to be one of the best shallow wreck dives in Key Largo.
Diving the Wreck of the Benwood, Key Largo FL 10/12/2013
Scuba diving to explore the Wreck of the Benwood. The dive shop we used was Sea Dwellers out of Key Largo FL. This particular dive was probably my least favorite because it was pretty uneventful all together as far as sea life and I had a lot of trouble equalizing the pressure so my ears were bothering me most of the time. Still a great dive though! Thanks again to Dive World (diveworld.us), Higher Images Inc. (higherimages.com), Sea Dwellers Dive Shop, and Gayle and Denny Harmon!
Benwood Wreck Key Largo
The Benwood is a great shallow diver. It is loaded with sea life. This is a great stop if you have been deep diving like the Spiegel, Duane or Bibb.
Benwood Wreck
The Lower Keys Jr. Scientists in the Sea dive the Benwood Wreck off Key Largo during their SSI Wreck Diver certification course.
SS Benwood Wreck Key Largo (360 VR)
Benwood Wreck in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. a Turtle, Green Moray Eel, Goliath Grouper
Scuba diving the Benwood Wreck in Key Largo (Part 3)
Scuba diving the Benwood wreck at John Pennekamp Preserve in Key Largo, FL. Filmed with a mask mounted GoPro Hero 3+
Best Spot for Snorkeling in Key Largo Florida | Molasses Reef
This video covers my favorite reef to freedive and snorkel at in Key Largo, Florida. It's located near John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
Exploring the amazing coral reefs in Key Largo is one of the best things to do when visiting the Florida Keys!
Below is the link to the Rainbow Reef Dive Center. They were the dive company we used for this trip. Unfortunately all of Key Largos reefs are far from shore so they require a dive boat to explore.
Please comment below if you have other reefs in Key Largo you enjoy! I would love to hear about them.
Filmed on GoPro Hero 6.
Benwood Wreck
We dove the Benwood in July, 2013 with Ocean Divers in Key Largo, Florida
Scuba diving the Benwood Wreck in Key Largo (Part 1)
Scuba diving the Benwood wreck at John Pennekamp Preserve in Key Largo, FL. Filmed with a mask mounted GoPro Hero 3+
Duane Wreck | Key Largo Wreck SCUBA Diving
Duane Wreck | Key Largo Wreck SCUBA Diving
Visit the link below to learn more about scuba diving the Duane Wreck.
The Duane Wreck is one of the most popular wrecks in the Florida Keys. While it's not nearly as massive as the Spiegel Grove Wreck which rests 7 miles northeast, you can take an amazing visit on a single dive with 32% Nitrox. However, we recommend doing a double dip to really enjoy the beauty of the Duane Wreck.
History of the Duane Wreck:
The USCGC William J. Duane (WPG-33), better known as the Duane, was one of seven 327ft Coast Guard Cutters built between 1935-1936. This specific vessel's keel was laid on May 1, 1935 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. She was then launched on June 3, 1936 as a search/rescue and law enforcement vessel.
These seven vessels were known as the Treasury/Secretary Coast Guard cutters which were all named after former Secretaries of the Treasury Department. The Duane was named for William John Duane, who served as the Secretary of the Treasury under President Andrew Jackson.
The Duane served the United States Coast Guard for 49 years and became one of the oldest warship in service. After servicing the United States for nearly half a century, her age began to show. Replacement parts were nearly nonexistent and the Coast Guard decided it would be more feasible to decommission the Duane than to keep putting money into this cutter.
The Duane was decommissioned on August 1, 1985 and was laid up in Boston for two years. On November 27, 1987 the Duane was deliberately sunk of the coast of Key Largo to create this amazing artificial reef we advance open water divers get to explore! Then On May 16, 2002 the Diane Wreck was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Diving the Duane Wreck:
The amazing Duane Wreck rests upright at a maximum depth of 128ft. Her deck is around 102ft. The crow’s nest is close to 54ft and make sure to visit it as there's a hawks bill sea turtle that calls it home!
Duane Wreck | Key Largo Wreck SCUBA Diving
Scuba Diving in Key Largo, Florida: Molasses Reef, French Reef, Benwood & Spiegle Grove dive sites
The most frequently visited dive site in the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary, and likely the world, is known as Molasses Reef. During World War II, near midnight on April 9th, 1942, the Norwegian merchant freighter Benwood was on a routine path from Florida to Virginia, transporting a load of phosphate rock. It was running with no lights to avoid being spotted by German U-boats, which was common for ships throughout the war. The Spiegle Grove ship is enormous and much larger than any natural reef structure in the Keys. In fact, at the time of its sinking, the Spiegel Grove was the largest ship ever intentionally sunk to create a new reef for divers, and it remains one of the largest ships ever scuttled for that purpose.
Diving on the Duane Wreck Key Largo Florida
Wreck diving on the Duane in key Largo Florida. The Sea Turtle seems to be trying to scrape the barnacles of his back on the crows nest structure.