The M/V PRINCESS ANNE is a successful artificial reef for diving and fishing alike. Varied and numerous fish species can be observed in and around the ship, and when storm surges sheered off its superstructure and set it alongside the hull, it became a larger more complex reef. It can often be difficult to dive because of strong currents.
Reef Name – M/V PRINCESS ANNE Reef
Reef Type – 340 ft. car ferry vessel
Permit Site – Palm Beach 1
Date Deployed – May 23, 1993
Depth (ft) – 100 ft.
Relief (ft) – 14 ft. ave., 25 ft. max.
Unique Aspects – The Princess Anne attracts a wide assemblage of fish; Nassau grouper, large dog snapper and bull sharks regularly visit the ship.
Latitude – 26° 47.616 N
Longitude – 80° 00.230 W
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Location:
The M/V PRINCESS ANNE lies about 1¾ mi. offshore of Singer Island just one mile north of the Lake Worth Inlet in 100 ft. of water. The midship location is at 260 47.616 N / 800 00.230 W.
Design and Materials:
The M/V PRINCESS ANNE, a 2400-ton ferry vessel, was designed to carry cars and passengers across the Chesapeake Bay. It was built in 1936 in Port Chester, PA. at a cost of $691,000. It was large – 58 ft. wide and 52 ft. tall – with enough room on its main deck to carry 120 automobiles, arranged in six lanes with about 800 people on its upper decks. The M/V PRINCESS ANNE was in service until completion of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in 1964. In 1979 she was sold and renamed the M/V GREENPORT. As the M/V GREENPORT, she provided service between Fire Island, off the coast of mainland Long Island, and Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island. In the early 1980s, the ferry was bought by investors who planned to convert her to a gambling ship to operate off the U.S. coast in international waters, but financial troubles and legal entanglements resulted in the ferry being sent to a shipyard in Rhode Island as settlement for unpaid bills. From this berth in R.I., the M/V Princess Anne car ferry was towed to Palm Beach County to become the largest artificial reef.
Photo copyright: Jennifer Podis
Total cost of the project was $175,000 which included purchase, cleanup, and scuttling. The majority of the funding came from Palm Beach County's Vessel Registration Fee Trust Fund. Other sources of funding were State grants and environmental enforcement fines from a contractor who had caused reef damage.
Fall 2002, a severe storm caused the upper portion of the ferry to break away from the main deck, and it lies west of the hull, creating a more complex artificial reef. This double configuration probably accounts for the variety and numbers of fish that make this wreck unusual compared to others. Subsequently, the area where the cars would have been parked collapsed.
Monitoring:
Monitoring on artificial reefs consists of stationary and roving fish counts, surveys of the benthic invertebrates encrusting the structures, mapping with a GPS unit, and photo and videography documentation. The M/V PRINCESS ANNE has been monitored by the Palm Beach County Reef Research Team since it was scuttled in 1993.
Photo copyright: Linton Creel
Fish:
The species list for M/V PRINCESS ANNE Reef includes 31 families and 119 species of fish. Sharks and various jacks are frequently seen on dives. Interesting observations include: Nassau grouper, spotted eagle ray, bull shark, huge dog snapper and orangeback bass. This ship is often difficult to dive because of strong currents, and it is popular with fishermen.
For a complete list of fish observed at M/V PRINCESS ANNE Reef, go to R.E.E.F's database at http://www.reef.org/data/twa/geogform.htm [External Link] and enter 33010006 for the site.
Benthics:
Sponges and algae hydroid are the predominant encrusting organisms; however, several species of tunicates are present. Within 3 years, hard coral and gorgonians began to encrust. Nine species of hard coral and carmine sea spray have been documented on the M/V PRINCESS ANNE. The exotic orange cup coral was documented on the ship hull in 1998.
- Map
Provided by Reef Research Team
Coastal Resources