MV Adolphus Busch

The "Adolphus Busch" was a cargo ship that was sunk off of Looe Key, Florida, as an artificial reef and dive site [ [http://www.florida-keys.fl.us/divesite.htm#MARATHON Dive Sites - Florida Keys ] ] .

The ship was built as "Winsor Trader" by Burntisland Shipbuilding Company, Burntisland, for the Dundee, Perth & London Shipping Co Ltd, Dundee and was launched on 20 December 1950. She sailed under a number of names during her career before she was wrecked at Port-au-Prince on 24 September 1998 under the name "Ocean Alley". The wreck was purchased by Adolphus Busch IV and named after either himself, or his great-grandfather, Adolphus Busch. He had the ship stripped out and arranged for its sinking as an artificial reef [ [http://www.divespots.com/scuba/view.divespot?spotID=87 Adolphus Busch - Marathon SCUBA Site - Dive Spots ] ] . The boat was sunk on December 5 1998 [ [http://www.sfdi.com/newsthewreckswedive.html#busch South Florida Divers, Inc. SCUBA Club The Wrecks We Dive ] ] .

Current Status

The "Busch" currently rests upright on a sand bottom at an average depth of 80 feet. Maximum depth is 110 feet. The wreck is fully penetrable, and can be entered through the bridge or cargo holds. The machinery in the engine room is still present and presents the only major entanglement hazard to divers. The glass from the wheelhouse windows and the covers to the cargo holds have been removed.

Multiple mooring balls are secured to the wreck to allow boats to tie up to the site. Reef fish are common on the site, as are large jewfish, eels, and large pelagic fish. Sharks can been seen on the reef, but are not considered typical [ [http://www.lowerkeysdivesites.com/z_panorama/divesites_java.cfm?siteID=68 Dive site page: Adolphus-Busch - wreck -LowerKeysDivesites.com:Scuba diving in Paradise, the lower Florida Keys scuba divers Key West to Big Pine Key with underwater tropical reef fish and see maps of wrecks at diveshops ] ] .

References