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Guide, Feedback, and Issue Reporting
 * Home Home
 * Our Destinations
    * Key West The southernmost city in the continental U.S., Key West is a
      unique blend of history, natural beauty, cultural diversity, intriguing
      events, vibrant arts and romantic appeal.
    * The Lower Keys The tranquil Lower Keys are rich in natural beauty and
      feature a refuge for miniature Key deer, Looe Key’s vibrant coral reef,
      serene paddling spots and a laid-back lifestyle.
    * Marathon Marathon features top-flight boating facilities, fishing, the
      iconic Seven Mile Bridge, waterfront restaurants, family-friendly nature
      attractions and wildlife care centers.
    * Islamorada Famous as the “Sportfishing Capital of the World,” Islamorada
      is renowned for its angling diversity, arts scene, dining, shopping and
      historical and nature attractions.
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      undersea park in the U.S., noted artificial reefs, pioneering coral
      restoration centers and lively waterfront hotspots.

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THE SPIEGEL GROVE WRECK





Divers explore the Spiegel Grove in May 2022 to commemorate the ship’s 20-year
sink date May 17, 2002. Image: Frazier Nivens

The Spiegel Grove Shipwreck



THE SPIEGEL GROVE AT A GLANCE

 * Date Sunk: June 10, 2002 (Hurricane Dennis turned ship upright in July 2005)
 * Location: 25° 04.00' N; 80° 18.65' W (6 Miles off Key Largo)
 * Maximum Depth: 130 feet
 * Minimum Depth: 45 feet (approximately)
 * Ship Length: 510 feet
 * Ship Height: 84 feet
 * Tonnage: 6,880
 * Ship Type: U.S. Navy Landing Ship Dock
 * Date Commissioned: 1956
 * Date Decommissioned: 1989
 * Named For: Ohio estate of US President Rutherford B. Hayes




SPIEGEL GROVE NAUTICAL CHART



Location of the ship at its final resting place





Spiegel Grove departs Norfolk, VA.



Spiegel Grove arrives off Key Largo.




FASCINATING DIVE OPPORTUNITY TAKES A TURN FOR THE BETTER


The bow of the Spiegel Grove is one of the most iconic views for qualified wreck
divers to see. Image: Frazier Nivens

Diver Bob Snyder was the first person to view the wreck of the Spiegel Grove
after Hurricane Dennis skirted the Keys in July 2005. Three years earlier, the
Key Largo community had rallied to sink the 510-foot retired Navy ship as the
backbone of a new reef ecosystem six miles offshore.

When Snyder got close enough to see the ship, he couldn't believe his eyes. The
storm had turned the 510-foot ship upright from its previous position on its
starboard side in 130 feet of water.

"I had to ask myself, 'Am I narcked?'" Snyder would later tell a local newspaper
reporter, referring to nitrogen imbalance that can sometimes make divers giddy.

Snyder and others had learned to love the Spiegel Grove with its cliff-like hull
sprawled across the sandy bottom.


A commemorative plaque honoring the military personnel who served on the Spiegel
Grove, as well as supporters of the project and the Keys dive community, was
affixed to the wreck for its 20th sink date anniversary. Image: Frazier Nivens

The ship spent 12 years tethered in the Navy's "Mothball Fleet" in Virginia's
James River. In June 2001, it was towed to undergo an elaborate cleaning process
and 11 months later was relocated off Key Largo. On May 17, 2002, the Spiegel
Grove unexpectedly sank and rolled over about six hours before its intended
scuttling. Because of an exceptional safety plan, there were no injuries.

Resolve Marine Group finished scuttling the ship on it side June 10, 2002.
That's where it stayed until Hurricane Dennis waves helped to finish the job
correctly.

One thing has not change about the Spiegel Grove in its new position. The ship
is enormous and much larger than any natural reef structure in the Keys. In
fact, at the time of its sinking, the Spiegel Grove was the largest ship ever
intentionally sunk to create a new reef for divers, and it remains one of the
largest ships ever scuttled for that purpose.

Almost immediately after the sinking, the ship began to attract marine life from
large groupers to schools of shimmering smaller fish and colorful tropical fish.
Marine scientists expect natural corals to eventually envelop the Spiegel Grove.


Thousands of species of fish and marine life populate the Spiegel Grove
shipwreck, its own living ecosystem covered in coral growth. Image: Frazier
Nivens

The Spiegel Grove is so wide that on many days, the view of the super structure
will fade into a green-blue abyss. On the clearest days, the sandy bottom will
be visible at a depth of about 130 feet from the surface. Mooring buoys provide
convenient, coral-friendly boating tie-offs.

From 1956 to its decommissioning in 1989, the Spiegel Grove helped enforce
America's Cold War strategy of containment, which called for rushing troops and
equipment to support friendly governments.

The Spiegel Grove is well on its way to becoming an entire reef ecosystem. "If I
had to use two words to describe it, I would say it's huge," said Gloria Teague,
a sport-diving enthusiast in the Keys.

A descent on the Spiegel Grove is not for the beginner diver, sport diving
experts say.

Gary Mace, president of the Upper Keys Dive and Snorkeling Operators
Association, says he has specific guidelines that are communicated to his shop's
customers that dive the Spiegel Grove or any artificial reef in the Keys.

"For a normal dive on a wreck without penetration, we want people with advanced
open water certification or higher," Mace said. "If divers just have open water
certification, they should have their log books available to be reviewed for air
management skills from previous dive history."

Mace said for those intending on entering the upper decks of the Spiegel Grove,
areas that were prepared to lessen the risk of such activity, divers must have
knowledge and proof of certifications regarding diving in overhead environments.

"Overhead environments are dangerous and without special instruction and
knowledge they are not meant for the average diver," Mace said. "We tell divers
there are areas on this ship not intended for access and for no reason should
you be entering an opening below 90 feet, or below the main deck on the Spiegel
Grove, even with advanced certifications."

Back to Florida Keys Diving

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