| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Adolphus Busch |
| Operator | Dundee, Perth & London Shipping Co Ltd,Dundee |
| Builder | Burntisland Shipbuilding Company,Fife |
| Yard number | 336 |
| Launched | 20 December 1950 |
| Completed | 12 March 1951 |
| Renamed |
|
| Identification | IMO number: 5211161 |
| Fate | Wrecked atPort-au-Prince on 24 September 1998;Scuttled 5 December 1998 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage |
|
| Length |
|
| Beam | 36 ft (11 m) |
MVAdolphus Busch was acargo ship that was sunk offLooe Key,Florida, as anartificial reef and dive site.[1]
The ship was built asLondon by theBurntisland Shipbuilding Company,Fife, Scotland, for the Dundee, Perth & London Shipping Co Ltd,Dundee and was launched on 20 December 1950. She sailed under a number of names during her career before she was wrecked atPort-au-Prince on 24 September 1998 under the nameOcean Alley.
The wreck was bought byAugust Adolphus Busch IV and named after his great-grandfather,Adolphus Busch. He had the ship stripped out and arranged for its sinking as an artificial reef to help preserve marine habitat.[2] The ship was sunk on 5 December 1998.[3]
TheAdolphus Busch rests upright on a sand bottom at an average depth of 80 feet (24 meters). Maximum depth is 110 feet (34 meters). The wreck is fully penetrable, and can be entered through the bridge or cargo holds. The machinery in the engine room is still present and presents the only major entanglement hazard to divers. The glass from the wheelhouse windows and the covers to the cargo holds have been removed.
Multiple mooring balls are secured to the wreck to allow boats to tie up to the site. Reef fish are common on the site, as are large jewfish, eels, and largepelagic fish. Sharks have been seen on the reef, but are not considered typical.[4]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1998 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
24°31′51″N81°27′41″W / 24.5307°N 81.4615°W /24.5307; -81.4615
