Nautical Currents

Toward the south end of the Pompano drop off, near mooring buoys 3 and 4, is the Copenhagen wreck.  A 325' long steel vessel lying on the bottom with most of the superstructure removed and the bow pointing to the south.  A good gathering place for marine life.   

The S. S. Copenhagen is a single screw steamer that was built in England in 1898.   At 325' in length with a 47' beam, she was powered by three triple expansion steam engines.  When she ran aground in May of 1900, she was carrying almost 5,000 tons of coal.  While the ship was heading south along the Florida coast, captain William S. Jones altered course to the S.S.W. to avoid the northerly flowing Gulf Stream.  Shortly thereafter the ship ran onto the reef approximately three quarters of a mile off of what is now Pompano Beach.  The crew was unable to free the ship from the reef under her own power.   After unloading the coal and with the help of salvage vessels, they were still not able to free the ship from her grounding and the ship was finally abandoned.

Much of the super structure is gone and the hull is collapsed, but you can still see much of the steel lying on the bottom.

Copyright © 2003 - 2006 Nautical Currents.com