The Durley Chine (Bacardi) Shipwreck
New York and New Jersey's (Wreck Valley)
Historical and current New York and New Jersey Shipwreck Information and images for scuba
divers and fisherman.
DURLEY CHINE
The Durley Chine was built in Sunderland, England, by the Osbourne,
Grahm and Co. shipbuilders in1913. Her 279 foot length and 40.1 foot
beam were powered by 209 nhp triple expansion engines. She displaced
1,918 gross and 1,157 net tons and was registered in Cardiff, Wales.
On April 22, 1917,only four years after she was built, the Durley
Chine was in a collision with the British steamer, Harlem, and sank
in an area known as Wreck Valley. At the time of her demise, she was
en route from Halifax, N.S., to Norfolk, Virginia, under the command
of Captain F.J. Anstey. The Durley Chine's entire crew of 28men were
rescued by the Harlem.
For some years now, the unidentified wreck, known as the
G&D, has
been thought to be the Durley Chine. This assumption was proven
wrong on June 28, 1987. A group of divers from the Atlantic Wreck
Divers Club, ran an expedition to the wreck which was then known as
Bacardi. According to Brad Sheard, the Bacardi received its name by
the charter captain who originally found the site. In order to
return to the spot again he marked the wreck with a weighted line
and a marker made from a corked bottle of Bacardi Rum. The wreck has
since then been known to local divers and fisherman as the Bacardi.
Rick Jaszyn, who is one of the east coast's most experienced wreck
divers, and a member of the Atlantic Wreck Divers Club, found and
recovered the ship's bell. Inscribed on it were the words, ";S.S.
Durley Chine-1913-Cardiff." This artifact, a prized find for any
diver, positively identified the
wreck formerly known Bacardi wreck as the Durley Chine, a Canadian cargo vessel.
Today, the wreck lies upright in 185 feet of water, bow and stern
intact. Her boilers are amidships and her stern leans slightly to
her port side. Visibility on this and the nearby Texas Tower can be
excellent.
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The Durley Chine was built in Sunderland, England, by the Osbourne,
Grahm and Co. shipbuilders in1913. Her 279 foot length and 40.1 foot
beam were powered by 209 nhp triple expansion engines. She displaced
1,918 gross and 1,157 net tons and was registered in Cardiff, Wales.
