Coral Reef Travel

Although the international rules of navigation in 1915 clearly stated that a steam vessel should always yield to a sailing vessel, the proud captain of the brand-new steamer Washingtonian was confident he had power to spare. After all, his 407-foot refrigerated cargo vessel was the pride of the American-Hawaiian Steamship Lines. Bound for Philadelphia on the final leg of the Washingtonian’s maiden voyage, the captain took her across the bow of the Elizabeth Palmer. He misjudged the Palmer’s speed, however, and the stately five-masted schooner crashed into the starboard side of the freighter, cracking both hulls and sinking the steamer in 10 minutes. The damaged Palmer remained afloat for eight hours before sinking about a mile away from the Washingtonian, while rescue ships picked up the survivors.

Today, divers board charter boats from Indian River Inlet, Del., or Ocean City, Md., for two-tank trips to both wrecks near Fenwick Island Shoals. The 90-foot-deep Washingtonian is the first stop, providing underwater photographers excellent backdrops, while offering spearfishermen an opportunity to land flounder, tautog and sea bass.

Although 30 feet of the bow rests upside down on a sandy bottom, the remaining wreckage is on its side. Sea anemones and starfish cling to the wreckage, while lobsters are usually found in deep recesses beneath the hull plates. Divers with the proper training and equipment can swim among collapsed bulkheads, enter the boiler room and head aft, past the boilers and engine, then exit through the stern. A few of the ship’s masts are partially intact, and the beat-up weather deck and superstructure lie off to one side from the main wreck.

The Elizabeth Palmer sank in 70 feet of water. The schooner, one of the last grand sailing vessels of yesteryear, was dynamited by the U.S. Coast Guard shortly after the mishap to eliminate any hazard to navigation. Anchors, chains, large wooden timbers, ribs and part of the bow are all that’s recognizable of the 300-foot-long schooner. The rest is buried in the sandy bottom, but often exposed after heavy storms.

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