Shipyard: McDougall-Duluth Shipbuilding Co., Duluth,
Owner: Panama Railroad Steamship Line
Propulsion: Single screw oil-fired steam engine.
Speed: 9.5 knots.

GPS: N 34 36.414 W 76 18.846
Underwaterpicture: © Paul M. Hudy \ www.nc-wreckdiving.com

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Information from www.nc-wreckdiving.com;

Diving Depths: 70-90 ft. Current: Visibility: Highly variable and susceptible to ocean swells; generally in the range of 10 to 40 feet Summer Temperature: mid to high 70s with thermocline Points of Interest: Two boilers, engine, port and starboard bow anchors, rudder, intact bow section Fish/Animal Life: Large groups of spadefish, baitfish, amberjacks; frequented by stingray and cobia, spanish mackeral in the summer and generally numerous sandtiger sharks. Description: Because it is relatively small and the wreckage is contiguous from bow-to-stern, the Caribsea is an easy wreck to navigate on-- even in the worst visibility! The boilers, engine and bow are the highest and most notable sites on the wreck. This wreck is one of the best for marine life. It is often covered up with bait which attracts sharks, amberjacks and other large predators. Visit the bow while you still can, because it won't remain standing for long. The beams supporting the upper deck have given way and the deck, with its heavy anchor windlass, has been dropping and twisting to star board ever since 1993. The storms of late 1994 caused more significant damage. The upper decking is now almost completely gone. The windlass has twisted and dropped even further and has dragged the port anchor on to what used to be the upper deck...


Caribsea, from the collection of Mike McKay;
One of the Caribsea crew who died was a resident of Ocracoke Island on the North Carolina Outer Banks named Jim Baum Gaskill. He was the engineer. A local story has it on the day after the sinking, his father, Bill Gaskill was cleaning up the debris from a strong gale that has passed through that night. He was inspecting his dock and shoreline when he noticed a large plank bumping up against his dock. Mr. Gaskill tried several times to push the plank away, but each time it returned to the dock, as if tied by a unseen string. Using a boat hook, Mr. Gaskill finally pulled the plank completely onto the dock. When he turned it over, he was greeted by large gold-gilt letters spelling the ship's name "Caribsea". He knew then his son was dead. The official word would arrive that evening.
Another version of the story has it that the glass case that enclosed Gaskill's engineer's license came ashore near Ocracoke Village a few days after the sinking. It is also reported that the special cross behind the altar of the Ocracoke Methodist Church is made of the Caribsea nameplate that drifted through Ocracoke Inlet and was found on the sound shore, opposite Gaskill's birthplace.
An old diving buddy of mine, James Pickard of Durham, NC, recovered the builder's plaque of the Caribsea, with it's original name, Lake Flattery. It is on display at the Olympus Dive Center in Morehead City...