100 Best Wreck Dives
THE JAMES EAGAN LAYNE - 12
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| Number 12 |
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7176-ton US Liberty ship, built 1944. 441ft x 57ft. 2500hp triple-expansion engines. Armed: Bow and stern guns, plus 5 AA. Cargo: 4500 tons war supplies, tank parts, lorries, jeeps, railway rolling stock, US Army engineers' stores, New York for Ghent, via Barry. Position: 50 19.53N; 04 14.70W. Depth: 24m.
Sunk: 21 March, 1945, after hit in starboard side by torpedo from U-1195. Beached after being towed by Admiralty tugs into Whitsand Bay.
Diving: Upright, starboard side collapsing. Easy entry to Nos 1 and 2 holds, which hold many railway rolling stock wheels. Ribs intact. Main engine now covered by fallen decking. Port side a vast sheet of white anemones. Stern broken off by No 5 hold and linked by rope ÒbridgeÓ to main wreckage. This wreck is so popular that local boats run shuttle service!
Launch: Plymouth Sound.
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