Felipe Xicoténcatl
Minesweeper · Mexico · Lost 2000 · The Mexican Gulf Coast & Campeche
A World War II minesweeper turned Mexican Navy patrol vessel, sunk off Cozumel in 2000 as one of the island's best-known artificial reefs.
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in Tampa, Florida, in 1943 as USS Scuffle, this Admirable-class minesweeper served the US Navy in the Pacific during World War II. Sold to the Mexican Navy in 1962 and later renamed for the 19th-century military hero Felipe Santiago Xicoténcatl, she patrolled the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean against arms and drug trafficking for decades. Retired in 1999, she was deliberately sunk near Chankanaab Marine Park, Cozumel, in June 2000, becoming one of the island's most popular wreck dives.
Vessel
- 1943
- AM-298 (US Navy); C-53 (Mexican Navy)
- Wilson Marine Shipworks
- Tampa, Florida, United States
- Steel
- 184 ft
- 33 ft
- Not established
- Diesel-electric, twin screw
- United States Navy (1943-1946), Mexican Navy (1962-1999)
Loss
- June 1, 2000
- Intentional sinking
- Near Chankanaab Marine Park, Cozumel, Quintana Roo
- Caribbean Sea
- Not established
- Not established
- 0
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 82 ft
- Intact, upright on a sandy bottom.
- Not established
- Not established
- Within Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel
Position
- Not established
- Approximate position
- Chankanaab, Cozumel, Quintana Roo
General location near Chankanaab Marine Park is published; a precise surveyed position was not found in the sources reviewed.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
Sinking project history, donation by the Mexican Navy, and local dive association involvement.
Build details, US and Mexican Navy service history, and sinking date.
