USS Amesbury
Destroyer Escort / High-Speed Transport · United States · Lost 1962 · The Florida Keys
A WWII destroyer escort turned high-speed transport that broke apart under tow while being readied for scuttling off Key West.
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built in 1943 as the destroyer escort USS Amesbury, the ship escorted Atlantic convoys and supported the Normandy invasion before conversion to a high-speed transport in 1945. She later supported landings in the Pacific theater before decommissioning in 1946. Sold for scrap in 1962, she grounded and broke up in a storm while under tow to be sunk as an artificial reef off Key West. She now rests in two sections known locally as Alexander's Wreck.
Vessel
- 1943
- DE-66 / APD-46
- Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard
- Hingham, Massachusetts
- Steel
- 306 ft
- 37 ft
- 1740
- Turbo-electric drive, twin screw
- United States Navy
Loss
- October 24, 1962
- Grounding
- About 5 miles west of Key West, Florida
- Straits of Florida / Gulf of Mexico
- Key West, Florida → Deep water off Key West (intended scuttling site)
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- 20-30
- Broken into two sections roughly 600 feet apart: bow/port section and stern/starboard section.
- Not established
- Not established
- Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Shipwreck Trail
Position
- 24.62° N 81.98° W
- Approximate position
- Key West, Florida
Position as published for the dive site buoy near Key West.
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)
NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Shipwreck Trail
Loss circumstances, wreck condition, depth, location.
Naval History and Heritage Command / Wikipedia (USS Amesbury)
Build data, service history, dimensions, fate.
