The Kittiwake's relatively open spaces make it "a pretty forgiving wreck - most ships are broken apart, but this was deliberately sunk, and in absolutely beautiful conditions." And, since portions of the ship rise to within five feet of the surface, it's easily visible to snorkelers as well.
"No Trespassing," reads the warning plastered prominently across the hull of the USS Kittiwake, a 251-foot, 2,200-ton Navy submarine rescue ship built in 1945.
The Kittiwake, whose missions over five decades of service included recovering the "black box" from the Challenger space shuttle disaster, is the first decommissioned Navy ship donated to a foreign country for use as a dive attraction. It was sunk in early January, 60 feet down and about 800 yards off the north end of Grand Cayman's fabled Seven Mile Beach, and tourism promoters hope it will be the first of five in an eventual "Shipwreck City."
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