Ship Wreck Video!

In 1942 the Hebe, a Dutch merchant vessel collided with the British sub chaser St. Cathan during blackout conditions. Now two of the Carolina’s most popular shipwrecks for advanced divers, they now rest 1/4 mile apart in 90-110 feet of water off the coast of Ocean Isle Beach. This site is known for artifacts, tropical and game fish, as well as Sand Tiger sharks in the spring and fall.

These two World War II casualty wrecks lay on a flat sand bottom 36 miles due south of the Little River, South Carolina Sea Buoy in 105 feet of water. The St. Cathan was a British armed trawler assigned to allied convoy duty, and the Hebe was a Dutch freighter loaded with bottled beer and insecticide from South America assigned to the St. Cathan’s convoy. They sank less than a mile apart after colliding one dark night. At the time they were running with lights doused trying to avoid a German U-boat attack. Forty of the St. Cathan’s forty-five crew died that night while Hebe’s crew was saved.

Today the two wrecks offer superb diving. At times there will be moderate to strong current running over both wrecks but the visibility is usually good to very, very good. Spear fisherman and photographers will find an over abundance of potential targets, and the artifact hunters should bring a good sized collecting bag and a lift bag. The Hebe is often referred to by local divers as the “Bottle Wreck” because of the thousands of beer and insecticide bottles found there.