|
Kassandra Louloudis
Diamond Shoals, NC
Max Depth: 61-70ft/19-21m
Average Viz: 41-50ft/12-15m
Entry Type: Boat
Bottom Composition: Sand
Aquatic Life: Plenty To See
|
|
|
|
|
Kassandra Louloudis is a boat accessible salt water dive site, located in Diamond Shoals, NC. The maximum depth is 61-70ft/19-21m. The average visibility is 41-50ft/12-15m.
Name: KASSANDRA LOULOUDIS
Type: freighter
Built/Builder: 1919 by W. Gray & Co.
Speed: 10.5 kts
Date Sunk: 3/17/1942
Cause: Torpedoed by
U-124 Size (ft.): 400 x 52 x 28
Tonnage: 5106 tons
Propulsion: Oil-fired steam
Location: LORAN: 26886.9/40274.7
DIVING NOTES: Diving Depths: 70 ft.
Current: medium to undiveable, generally running from starboard to port, quartering from bow to stern
Visibility: usually 40 ft or better; the white sand and shallow depth adds to the general "brightness" of the viz on this wreck; however, generally the better the viz, the harder the current
Summer Temperature: high 70s to lo 80s; generally no thermocline
Points of Interest: numerous — stern with prop and rudder; spare prop blades; 3 boilers; engine - toppled over; lots of cargo remains: truck/jeep tires, aircraft tires, truck engines, railroad tracks, medicine bottles, iron bars, rebar, etc. — a vertiable junk yard! Lots of fun.
Fish/Animal Life: I almost always see sting rays, turtles and nurse sharks on this wreck; lots of tropicals; Large groups of spadefish, numerous triggerfish, etc. There are also some very odd, large and colorful filefish on this wreck. I think they are "Orange" filefish -
Aluterus schoepfi. I have never seen them anywhere else off NC.
Description: This wreck is a lot of fun to dive if you can get out there — the shoal currents can really hum on this wreck!. It is like diving a large underwater junkyard. The wreck is relatively contiguous from stern to bow, with only a short break to the rudder section. The wreck profile is relatively low, with the boilers providing the highest point of relief. I have never seen any evidence of the bow end of the wreck - no anchors, windlass, etc. I have seen some evidence of anchor chain, but other than that the
Kassandra simply ends as if it never had a bow. I suspect from year to year the amount of sand that builds up on this wreck varies and could cover certain sections, but I have never seen things completely buried nor parts of the bow. Navigation is pretty straight forward although the in very low viz, all the junk starts looking the same if you are in the middle of the wreck. Fortunately, viz is usually very good and the white sand helps. The port edge usually offers a leeward shelter to explore during all but the hardest of the prevailing currents - IOW, if you can drag yourself down the line, you can usually find shelter there to do a dive.
http://www.nc-wreckdiving.com/WRECKS/KASSANDRA/KASSANDRA.HTML
http://www.divehatteras.com/Loulou.html
Web site for videos of various wreck sites in the area-
http://www.olympusdiving.com/PhotoGallery/VideoGallery/tabid/115/Default.aspx