El Rey
Kelp Harvester · United States · Lost 1987 · Southern California & Catalina
A retired Kelco kelp cutter sunk off San Diego in 1987 to found what became Wreck Alley.
Become Captain of RecordSee Shipwreck on Map
The Vessel and Her Loss
El Rey spent 35 years harvesting kelp along the Southern California coast for Kelco, logging some 3,600 voyages before her 1981 retirement. Rather than being scrapped, she was donated to a San Diego artificial reef program. In April 1987 she was towed to Mission Beach, cleaned of fuel and hazards, and intentionally sunk as one of the first wrecks in what divers now call Wreck Alley.
Vessel
- 1946
- Gunderson Bros.
- Portland, Oregon
- Steel
- 100 ft
- 32 ft
- 133
- Diesel, single screw
- Kelco (Kelp Company)
Loss
- April 2, 1987
- Intentional sinking
- About 1.5 miles off Mission Beach, San Diego
- Pacific Ocean
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 75 ft
- Broken down but recognizable; deck cut with openings for diver access
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
Position
- 32.764° N 117.277° W
- Surveyed position
- Mission Beach, San Diego, California
California Department of Fish & Game's Guide to the Artificial Reefs of Southern California lists the El Rey reef at 32°45'51" N, 117°16'38" W in the Mission Beach Artificial Reef complex.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (78/100)
An exact sinking position was not confirmed in the sources reviewed, only the general Wreck Alley location.
Build details, career as kelp cutter, sinking date and reef program.
Description of the sunken wreck and diver visits.
A Guide to the Artificial Reefs of Southern California, CDFW
wreck position
