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Dive Report: Kendrick 
Date: Sunday Morning July 29, 2001
Boat: Dream
Captain: Tropical Mike
By: Mike Rodriguez
The "usual suspects" and I were out diving the S-16 off Key West the day before, and
everyone was looking forward to diving the Kendrick as we loaded the boat for the 90
minute ride to the site. The team tried to dive the Kendrick the previous summer, but
the GPS numbers we were given were wrong and our attempts to dive the wreck
failed. We were hoping the new numbers we acquired were correct.
It was a beautiful Florida day, sunny and warm with a light breeze.
Air temperature was in the upper 80s and the surface water was about 85F. When we arrived at the
GPS coordinates we could see nothing on the bottom finder. Memories of our prior
attempt to dive this ship haunted us. We spent quite a while running search patterns
and were finally rewarded with a sharp spike on the bottom finder. About
a dozen GPS units quickly came out of pockets as everyone tagged the waypoint. The captain
maneuvered us into position; we prepared our shot-line then dropped it into the water.
We were finally going to dive the Kendrick!
The USS Kendrick, a Bristol-class destroyer, was long and thin at 350 feet by 36 feet.
It was commissioned in 1942 and sunk during explosives tests near Key West in
1968. The ship sank mostly intact and now rests upright on a white sandy bottom at
about 315 feet.
The team geared up as we watched the floatball to estimate the current; we could see
none around the ball. Enjoying our seeming good fortune, everyone got ready. We
dropped together next to the floatball and started down. Unfortunately, by 70 feet or
so, the temperature dropped precipitously and the current picked up. As we
grabbed onto the line and continued down, the current increased. By 150 feet we were pulling
ourselves hard against the strong flow. I was near the front of the pack and kept up a
steady, relaxed pace. As I approached the sand, I estimated the visibility at around
60 feet. The wreck was nowhere in sight yet, so I continued to pull myself up current
along our line. When our hook came into view, I realized it had missed the wreck and
landed in the sand. However, we were extraordinarily lucky that the hook, as it
dragged across the sand with the load of all the divers, had snagged an abandoned
anchor line which was securely snared on the wreck. When I reached the hook, I
grabbed the errant anchor line, continued to pull myself up-current, and finally reached
the wreck near the bow.
The Kendrick is a beautiful ship. It's thin form jutting sharply up out of the sand is quite
a sight. The ship has "fast" written all over it. I relaxed waiting for the rest of the divers
to arrive and imagined the ship cutting briskly through the water when it still
sailed the oceans decades ago.
As the rest of the team arrived and spread out over the wreck like ants, I dropped just
below the starboard deck to get out of the current and began a leisurely swim aft. I
checked the temperature and found it was 54F. To keep from shivering, I thought of
the warm surface water I'd be decompressing in soon.
Passing the bridge, I noticed numerous portholes, some with
glass. I took a quick look inside the bridge, then continued aft passing
snapper, grouper, and other fish that make the wreck their home. The temperature at the bridge was noticeably warmer than it
was just below deck level. There is an abundance of coral growing on the ship, but
not as much as I expected considering how long the ship has been underwater.
Farther aft I reached an area where the ship is badly damaged. It
seemed to be cut almost in half, and from above I could see the sand where the keel should have been.
My time was running out and I didn't have time to take a closer look, but I plan to next
time I visit this awesome shipwreck.
Reluctantly, I released my hold on the ship and let the current drift me back toward our
line. Aft of the bridge I 'climbed' a long mast with numerous ropes abandoned by
fishing boats when they irreversibly snagged the wreck. The current was strong up
there, but I wanted the view; near the top, I grabbed onto one of the lines and flapped
in the current like a flag as the team 50 feet below me converged at the bow
and prepared to leave the wreck. I was in my element and very happy.
I finally released my grip and, with the rest of the team, drifted off the ship over the
snagged anchor line in the sand. At the hook, one of the guys cut the anchor line we'd
serendipitously snagged and we started up.
During our shallow stops, the current was light but still strong enough to require we
hold onto the line. We didn't have time to foul the hook on the way up, so it was
dragging through the sand instead of free-drifting in the current. The team dives
together so frequently that we can instinctively 'read' each other underwater
almost without overt communication. Sensing that everyone was tired of holding onto the line,
I pulled out a liftbag. Simultaneously, everyone let go of the line and we drifted off to
relax as the current vanished. The rest of decompression continued uneventfully
in the wonderful, warm, clear Florida water.
When everyone was back on the boat having lunch, the crew recovered our shotline
and we headed toward Pelican Shoal to hang out for a few hours' surface interval.
Immediately on our arrival, I couldn't resist grabbing a mask and snorkel and jumping
back in the water refusing to get back out until we were ready to leave for our second
dive of the day on the Wilkes-Barre.
Everyone had an awesome time diving the Kendrick and a lot of fun snorkeling around
on Pelican Shoal too. I can't wait go back later this summer!
Copyright
© 2001 Mike Rodriguez. All rights reserved. |