ARM Suchiate
Oceanographic Research Vessel · Mexico · Lost Sunk as an artificial reef in the early 2020s near San Carlos, Sonora · The Sea of Cortez
A former Great Lakes freighter turned Mexican Navy research ship, deliberately sunk off San Carlos, Sonora, to expand a growing artificial reef system.
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1946 as a freighter serving the U.S. Great Lakes, the vessel later renamed Suchiate was transferred to the Mexican Navy in 1996 and used as an oceanographic research ship until her decommissioning in 2020. She was sunk near San Carlos, Sonora, beside the earlier ex-Santos wreck, as part of an expanding Mexican Navy artificial reef and dive tourism project in the Sea of Cortez.
Vessel
- 1946
- Not established
- Minnesota, United States
- Steel
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Diesel
- United States Navy (originally); Mexican Navy (from 1996)
Loss
- Sunk as an artificial reef in the early 2020s near San Carlos, Sonora
- Intentional sinking
- San Carlos Bay, near Guaymas, Sonora
- Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez)
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Intact, resting near the ex-Santos artificial reef
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 27.94° N 111.07° W
- Approximate position
- San Carlos, Guaymas
Approximated to San Carlos Bay near Guaymas, where the reef program is based.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Sparsely documented (45/100)
The exact sinking date and final resting depth are not clearly established in the sources reviewed.
Rotary District 5495, account of the Suchiate reef sinking near Guaymas
Build year, original Great Lakes service, transfer to Mexico, and sinking as a reef near Guaymas.
