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Ashkabad
 Cape Lookout, NC
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Max Depth: 51-60ft/16-18m
Average Viz: 21-25ft/6-8m
Entry Type: Boat
Bottom Composition: Sand
Aquatic Life: Plenty To See
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Rating: 4.00 by 4 divers
Spring: 56-60°F/13-16°C
Summer: 76-80°F/24-27°C
Fall: 56-60°F/13-16°C
Winter: Under 50°F/10°C
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Ashkabad is a boat accessible salt water dive site, located in Cape Lookout, NC. This dive site has an average rating of 4.00 out of 5 from 4 scuba divers. The maximum depth is 51-60ft/16-18m. The average visibility is 21-25ft/6-8m.
Russian freighter sank between April 3 and May 3, 1942. Reportedly torpedoed and sank by gunfire. She lies in 60 feet of water on the tip of Cape Lookout Shoals. A broken and scattered wreck.
Name: ASHKHABAD
(previous names:
Dneprostroi, Kutais, Mistley Hall, Aldersgate, Milazzo, War Hostage)Type: Tanker (originally built as freighter)
Built: 1917 by Harland & Wolff Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland
Owner: USSR
Home Port: Odessa, Russia
Size (ft.): 412’ 4" x 52’ 4" x 25’ 3"
Tonnage: 5284 tons
Propulsion: Oil-fired reciprocating steam/single screw/speed 10 knots
Date Sunk: 4/29/42
Cause: Torpedoed by U-402
Location:Cape Lookout, NC
SHIP HISTORY: (
Sources: Gentile)
Ashkhabad prior to final destruction by
Semmes and
St. Zeno (
Gentile)
The
Ashkhabad was traveling "in ballast" from NY to Cuba being escorted by the ASW trawler
Lady Elsa. They were runnig zig-zag course as ordered. The tanker was hit on the starboard side by a single torpedo and sunk by its stern end in the shallow water off Cape Lookout. The ship was abandoned for a later salvage attempt and all the crew were taken to Morehead City, NC by the
Lady Elsa. Several days later, the destroyer
USS Semmes DD-189, not aware of the intent to salvage and given standing orders to "sink wrecks that might be a menace to navigation" , fired three shells into the
Ashkhabad. Another armed trawler,
HMS St. Zeno joined in the shelling and completed the destruction. The salvage ship/tug
ReliefSP-2170 arrived on the scene to find nothing left to save. The wreck was reduced even further later in the war and post-war.
Destroyer
Semmes, pictured here in 1945,
finished the job started by the
U-402.... (
8)
...leaving nothing for the salvage tug
Relief (circa 1907) to salvage
(
6)
DIVING NOTES:Diving Depths: 55 ft.
Current: I have been on the wreck only twice, both times with no current, but I suspect that given its position on the tip of the shoals that I have been lucky.
Visibility: I have had 50+ ft of viz and 10 ft of viz. Again, its position should make the visibility highly variable.
Summer Temperature: high 70s
Points of Interest: A large 4-bladed propeller on the port side (bow section) of the wreck and two large main boilers (amidships) and possibly a smaller auxilary on the port side (amidships).
Fish/Animal Life: The usual array of NC marine life - amberjacks, stingrays, grouper, etc. I also noticed an interesting variety of macro life.
Description: What is left of the
Ashkhabad is very broken-up and scattered about. I guess this is to be expected given the multiple times it was "knocked down" by the allies during the war to minimize the hazard to navigation. Little remains that is recognizable as part of an intact ship. It is mostly a pile of flattened hull plates and structural support members. The "bow section" of the wreck seems to cover the larger area and is separated from the boilers by a stretch or gap of sand. Little wreckage remains aft of the boilers. One or two connecting rods directly aft of the boilers seem to be all that is left of the engine. There is no sign of the stern rudder, propeller or shaft alley. Given the scattered nature of the remains, this wreck can be hard to navigate in low visibility. In good viz, it is quite easy and can be easily circumnavigated during a single dive. In fact, it appears to me that much of the ship must be buried under the sand as the wreck area overs far less than one would expect from a 400 foot vessel.
http://www.nc-wreckdiving.com/WRECKS/ASHKHABAD/ASHKHABAD.HTML
Web site for videos of various wreck sites in the area-
http://www.olympusdiving.com/PhotoGallery/VideoGallery/tabid/115/Default.aspx