Coral Reef Travel

Descending through the green algae bloom like airplanes through fog, we break out of the haze at 30 feet. The water cleared dramatically, and below us, the wreck of the Chester Poling looks for all the world like she is under way to some ghostly port.

Approaching from the stern, it’s easy to think the tanker is still ferrying cargo along the New England coastline. Upright and nearly intact, the ship’s hull has settled into the white sand to her normal waterline. The fantail deck structures – chafing gear, winches and bollards – are eerily intact, ready to tie up one last time, should the ship ever reach her destination.

The last voyage of the Poling was interrupted in January 1977 when a vicious Nor’easter snapped her in two. The bow turned turtle, sinking in deep water, but the 165-foot stern section drifted close to shore before sinking in 90 feet of water off Gloucester, Mass.

The 281-foot coastal tanker was considered an ugly duckling during her 50 years of seafaring, but in her years under water, she has become a work of art. From twin stacks that once belched diesel smoke, colorful anemones spill out like a bouquet of flowers, and a catwalk running the length of the forward tank deck is painted in the psychedelic colors of northern Atlantic marine growth.

Properly equipped and trained wreck divers can penetrate the ship to the engine room through a companionway or the break where the stern and bow separated, which is often obscured by a tremendous school of pollack that has claimed the Poling as home.

Location

Off Gloucester Harbor, less than 15 minutes from the charter boat dock.

Water Temperature

Surface water temps range from 40F in winter to 65F in summer; temperature at depth is usually 40F.

Profile

Weather permitting, visibility reaches 70 feet during winter and spring and drops to 30 feet during summer algae blooms. Maximum depth: 90 feet.

Operators

Cape Ann Divers (508-281-8082), the only full-service shop on the cape, operates two charter boats. Two other shops, Undersea Divers in Beverly (508-927-9551) and Northeast Scuba in Danvers (508-774-7296) are within 20 miles. Charter boats that offer dive trips to the Poling include: The Three J’s (617-245-7888), Donna III (508-927-8139); Down Under (508-256-1208); and Symbiosis (508-229-7707).

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