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F.W. Abrams
 Cape Hatteras, NC
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Max Depth: 71-80ft/22-24m
Average Viz: 41-50ft/12-15m
Entry Type: Boat
Bottom Composition: Sand
Aquatic Life: Plenty To See
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Rating: 3.67 by 3 divers
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F.W. Abrams is a boat accessible salt water dive site, located in Cape Hatteras, NC. This dive site has an average rating of 3.67 out of 5 from 3 scuba divers. The maximum depth is 71-80ft/22-24m. The average visibility is 41-50ft/12-15m.
Name: F.W. ABRAMS
(previous names:
Nora [1934]
) Type: Tanker
Built: 1920 by New York Shipbuilding Company, Camden, NJ
Owner: Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (ESSO); NY, NY
Home Port: Wilmington, DE
Size (ft.): 485-0 x 62-9 x 29-6
Tonnage: 9310 gross tons
Propulsion: Oil-fired reciprocating steam/single screw/speed 10.5 knots
Date Sunk: hit mines 6/11, sunk on 6/15/42
Cause: Hit 3 Allied Mines
Location: Cape Hatteras, NC
GPS : N34° 57.458’/W75° 47.920’
DIVING NOTES: Diving Depths: 80-90 ft.
Current: none to slight
Visibility: 30 ft. to 60 ft.
Summer Temperature: mid to high 70s in summer
Points of Interest: 3 boilers, engine, bow section smashed by recognizable bow point and anchor windlass
Fish/Animal Life: stingrays, large groups of spadefish, lots of tropicals, etc. I have also had an entertaining dive with an octopus and have spotted dolphins on this wreck
Description: The
Abrams is lying on its keel and pretty much continguous except for about a 50 ft. break between the stern half and the bow. In low viz, jumping this gap is a bit of a leap of faith, but the wreck is relatively wide so you should hit something....sometime! In low viz, unless you are following the "edge" of the wreck, navigation can be tricky. Particularly on the bow, where most of the wreck is low and broken up. The prevailing current seems to come from the bow. The best relief is on the stern where the remains of the engine and 3 boilers are immediately recognizable. The wreck is long and wide and making a circumnavigation in a single dive is a bit of a hike unless that is all you do. This wreck makes a good second dive when coming into Ocracoke or Hatteras from the
Proteus or other wrecks in that vicinity. Except for the usual lack of sharks, the animal life to that of the
Keshena and
Dixie Arrow. Lots of small tropicals and lots of places to explore.
http://www.nc-wreckdiving.com/WRECKS/ABRAMS/ABRAMS.HTML
http://www.divehatteras.com/fwabrams.html
Web site for videos of various wreck sites in the area-
http://www.olympusdiving.com/PhotoGallery/VideoGallery/tabid/115/Default.aspx