AH-WR-1314

USS Kittiwake

Submarine Rescue Ship · United States · Lost 2011 · Cuba & the Greater Antilles

A former U.S. Navy submarine rescue vessel, once involved in the search for the Space Shuttle Challenger's black box, sunk off Grand Cayman as a dive reef.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents.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

Documented Likeness. Drawn from surviving builder's plans or clear photographs of this vessel. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

USS Kittiwake served the U.S. Navy for decades as a submarine rescue and support vessel, including work related to the recovery of debris from the Space Shuttle Challenger. After decommissioning, she was acquired by the Cayman Islands Tourism Association and deliberately sunk off Seven Mile Beach on 5 January 2011 to create an artificial reef. She remains one of the region's best-known wreck dives.

Vessel

Built: 1945
Registry: ASR-13
Builder: Not established
Yard: United States
Material: Steel
Length: 251 ft
Beam: 44 ft
Tonnage: 1653
Propulsion: Diesel-electric, twin screw
Owners: United States Navy

Loss

Date: January 5, 2011
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Off Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
Water: Caribbean Sea
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: 0
Lives lost: 0
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 65 ft
Condition: Intact, upright, prepared for diver access with cut openings
Orientation: Upright
Discovered: Not established
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 19.36° N 81.41° W
Accuracy: Approximate position
Nearest: Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
Region: Cuba & the Greater Antilles

General position off Seven Mile Beach; precise dive-site coordinates vary by source.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Documented (85/100)

Divers Alert Network, Alert Diver
Project history and sinking narrative.
Ambassador Divers Grand Cayman
Dimensions and depth of the dive site.