The " Senateur Duhamel " is a shallow dive close to Cape Lookout shoals. It lies in approximately 63 feet of water, usually with visibility at best of 20-25 feet. The wreck has two identifiable boilers and metal debris scattered around 125 to 150 feet. During the dive, I stumbled across an Ordnance locker with shells for a 4-inch gun. According to my good friend Captain Jerry Smith, who let's me follow him around sometimes, there's a lot of buried explosives on this wreck and divers should cease from handling or banging on anything that resembles ammunition. The Duhamel rests on the west side of the shoals and is a pretty short ride from the Beaufort docks. This was my first trip there and the water was a smooth as glass. There were pods of dolphins everywhere you looked busting fish. We dropped the anchor right into the front of the boilers and quickly got a good bite. Phlink bounced and tied us in, though we didn't need it. Bee Castle enjoyed his first dive with us and from his expressions, he will try to make as many trips as we can squeeze him in on. Two big jacks kept us company on the first dive, and Phlink and Bee dove with a big loggerhead, while I shared my dive with a giant stingray. Of course I didn't take the camera on the first dive, ain't that always how it goes?

...The Senateur Duhamel is at a depth of 63 feet. It is approximately a 125 foot plus foot wreck that is scattered along the bottom. Most of the wreck is buried and comes and goes with storms. The Senateur Duhamel was built in 1927 and sunk on May 6, 1942 in a collision with the "USS SEMMES" (see the wreck "Ashkhabad"). This was a British Navy ship and was assigned to escort duty with the U.S. Navy, and for anti-submarine patrol. There is a story worth reading about how this ship met it's end and became part of the artificial reef. You can find it in Gary Gentile's book, "Shipwrecks of North Carolina". Pick it up if you get the chance, it makes for some great reading, and if you plan to dive here it makes for some great info on diving the wrecks.

Photos taken by Diverlars!

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