AH-WR-0673

Sea Emperor

Hopper Barge · United States · Lost 1991 · Florida's Atlantic Coast

A hopper barge loaded with concrete culverts and sunk upside down off Boca Raton, now a beloved shallow reef nicknamed the "Aqua Zoo."

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Interpretive Reconstruction, drawn to convey the vessel's era, type and general form. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

The Sea Emperor was a hopper barge donated as environmental mitigation after a dredging company damaged natural reef habitat off Palm Beach County in 1988. Loaded with roughly 1,500 tons of concrete drainage culverts, she was deployed off Boca Raton Inlet on October 3, 1991. During sinking the barge flipped, scattering the culverts and coming to rest upside down. The resulting jumble of barge and culverts has become one of the most popular and photogenic shallow dive sites on the Palm Beach coast.

Vessel

Built: Not established
Builder: Not established
Yard: Not established
Material: Steel
Length: 171 ft
Beam: 45 ft
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Unpowered barge
Owners: Great Lakes Dock and Dredge Company (as mitigation donation)

Loss

Date: October 3, 1991
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Off Boca Raton Inlet, Florida
Water: Atlantic Ocean
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 0
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 50-70
Condition: Upside down, with scattered concrete culverts around the site; safe for penetration with light in every chamber.
Orientation: Inverted (turtled)
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established