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Dionysus (AR-160)
Oregon Inlet, NC
Max Depth: 61-70ft/19-21m
Average Viz: 41-50ft/12-15m
Entry Type: Boat
Bottom Composition: Sand
Aquatic Life: Plenty To See
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Spring: 61-65°F/16-18°C
Summer: 71-75°F/22-24°C
Fall: 76-80°F/24-27°C
Winter: 56-60°F/13-16°C
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Dionysus (AR-160) is a boat accessible salt water dive site, located in Oregon Inlet, NC. The maximum depth is 61-70ft/19-21m. The average visibility is 41-50ft/12-15m.
Name: DIONYSUS
Type: Liberty Ship-dry cargo
Date Sunk: 1978
Cause: Artificial Reef Program
Size (ft.): Length = 441 x 57 x 37.3 ft.
Gross Tonnage: 7191
Propulsion: Triple Expansion, oil-fired steam
Location CONSTRUCTION & MISCELLANEOUS NOTES The ship was built by largest of the wartime emergency shipyards, the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland. The
Dionysus was originally intended to be transferred to the British as the
HMS Faithful, but was retained by the US Navy and renamed. She served in the Pacific during World War II and was put in the reserve fleet in 1947. In 1952, the
Dionysus was recommissioned and provided service during the Korean War before being reserved again in 1955. In 1978, her main engine was donated to the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, Virginia, where it is on display. The propeller from the
Dionysus is displayed at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, located on the north side of Oregon Inlet, on the right, as you approach the Bonner Bridge.
Source: L.A. Sawyer and W.H. Mitchell,
The Liberty Ships, 2nd Edition, Lloyd’s of London Press, Ltd., 1985
The propeller of the
Dionysus as it sits at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, just north of Oregon Inlet.
DIVING NOTES: Diving Depths: 65+ ft.
Visibility: n/a
Current: n/a
Summer Temperature: n/a
Points of Interest: n/a
Fish/Animal Life: n/a
Description: I have never dived this wreck. When sunk as artificial reefs, most, if not all of the liberty ships were cut down to at least to the upper deck level, thus removing all of the superstructure and other "in teresting" parts. Others were cut down to only 15 feet above the keel! The
Dionysus