Duane
Also built in 1936, and named in honor of former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury William J. Duane, this 327ft Coast Guard cutter is a sister ship of the cutter Bibb. The two ships are only about a quarter mile apart on the bottom, not far from Molasses Reef. As far back as 1940 the Duane and the Bibb worked together, coordinating their efforts as weather stations in the North Atlantic.
While serving as a convoy escort in 1942, the Duane assisted in rescuing 229 people when the troop-carrying passenger ship SS Dorchester was torpedoed by the German submarine U-233. In a joint attack with her sister ship the Spencer the following year, the Duane forced the submarine U-175 to the surface with depth charges and took 22 of its crew prisoner as the sub sank. At Normandy the Duane was the flagship of Maj. Gen. John O’Daniel, head of Operation Dragoon during the invasion of France.
The Duane patrolled the coast of Vietnam between 1957 and 1968 as part of the Coastal Surveillance Force. In 1980 the cutter actually steamed over the spot where she now rests, on the way to Key West for escort duty during the massive Mariel Boatlift, which brought nearly 125,000 Cuban refugees to the Florida Keys. During her 50-year career, however, the Duane’s most important accomplishment is the number of lives saved during rescue operations.
The Duane sits upright on the sand, with a maximum depth of 115ft. The superstructure is accessible down to the main deck, and the interior of the bridge is laced with yellow rope sponge. The ship’s masts reach to within 50ft of the surface, attracting a squadron of very large great barracuda. Schools of crevalle jacks and permits patrol the wreck, and the hull is home to a huge variety of fish, including many angelfish and parrotfish.
As on the Bibb, currents can develop quickly and be very strong. Evidence of advanced diving experience may be required before a dive shop will take you to either wreck.
Reproduced with permission from Diving & Snorkeling Florida Keys 2001 Lonely Plant Publications www.lonelyplanet.com