Ancient Mariner wreck
The Ancient Mariner, as she is known, was sunk on June 9, 1991. The ship is the former U.S.C.G. cutter 'Nemesis' and is lying in about 68' of water while the main deck is about 45' down.
The wreck is located just South of the Deerfield Beach rock piles, with the bow facing East, and listing a bit to the Port. As with most of the diving spots, there is a wide variety of tropical fish and invertebrates, which tend to attract larger carnivores , and the wreck is now covered with hard and soft corals. There are also large Barracuda inhabiting the wreck. 40 - 45 degrees off the Port bow, on a compass heading of 155 degrees, and 80 ft or so seaward lies another wreck in the sand known as "The Berry Patch".
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History
The Ancient Mariner was originally a 165' United States Coast Guard cutter named Nemesis. She was commissioned in 1934 and home ported at St. Petersburg, FL. During WWII she hunted submarines in the Gulf of Mexico and Southeast Atlantic.
She was decommissioned from U.S.C.G. service in the 1960's and was eventually purchased and converted into a floating restaurant in Fort Lauderdale's new river district and renamed the Ancient Mariner. Before the newly renamed vessel could open for business, she sunk at the dock. She was re-floated and finally opened in 1981. The restaurant closed in 1986 and eventually sunk at the dock for a second time and the vessel was sold to the Artificial Reef Program.
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