Shipwreck cove! Wreck of the Cartanza Senora

• 🤿snorkel

About this spot

• Shipwreck Cove gets its name from the sunken ship (often referred to as Cartanza Senora) sitting on the sea floor just off Buck Island. This wreck serves as an artificial reef, now covered in coral and home to schools of tropical fish and other marine life.  • The wreck sits in relatively shallow water — often around 20–40 ft (6–12 m) — making it visible to snorkelers as well as divers. • According to local accounts and maritime lore, by the 1970s the ship and its crew had shifted from legitimate cargo runs to smuggling contraband (rumored to be narcotics).  • When the U.S. Coast Guard became suspicious and planned to board, the crew allegedly abandoned the vessel in St. Thomas Harbor, taking their cargo and leaving the ship to drift. • The abandoned Cartanza was considered a navigational hazard in the harbor, and local authorities planned to demolish or remove it. However, local dive community members protested, valuing it as a dive site. There’s even mention of dive owner Bill Letts being involved in efforts to preserve it as an underwater attraction. • A plan was made to move the wreck off Buck Island where it would be in deep water, but funds ran out. In June 1979 the vessel was instead dropped into about 85 ft (26 m) of water. Over time, powerful hurricanes (especially Hurricane Hugo in 1989) battered the wreck, breaking it apart and shifting parts of the hull into shallower areas — including what’s now known as Shipwreck Cove, where parts of the wreck rest in about 40–45 ft (12–14 m) of water.

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