The Wingina Wreck

The Wingina, (ex YT 395, yard tug, aka "Murph") was built in January 1944 in Jacksonville, FL., by Gibbs Gas Engine Company.  She was later reclassified as YTB-395 on May 15, 1944.  She spent most of her time as part of the Colombia River Group, stationed out of Astoria, Oregon. 

After decommissioning and being resold several times, the vessel went through a number of names, ending her days afloat named the "Murph", anchored in Quartermaster Harbor between Vashon and Maury Islands.  The "Murph" is a 101 foot long, steel hulled tug that displaced 260 tons, the single four-blade propeller (6' diameter) is an impressive sight for divers.  She was scuttled in October, 2007, and now sits upright on the sandy bottom of QuarterMaster harbor in only 30' of water, just West of the Manzanita buoy.

The wreck is well marked by two large yellow, lighted buoys, making it very easy to locate, and at this shallow depth it is a very easy dive.  Use caution when approaching the wreck site as the mast of the tug lies only three feet below the surface at low tides. The Wingina was obviously stripped before being scuttled, as there is really nothing left inside but some rotting furniture, but she is a very interesting dive, and one of the larger wrecks available at such a shallow depth.

Watch out for the large anchor draped over the port aft rail as your make your way around the wreck.  It is still swinging in the current and is a bit disconcerting when you "bump" your head into it.  Notice the shadow in the side scan image above.  It is easy to see the wheelhouse and cabin structure of this wreck.

Note Sadly, this wreck was salvaged and removed in November, 2014 and is no longer available as a dive site.

 

Location:  West of the Manzanita buoy in QuarterMaster harbor           Location

Depths:  30'      Hazards:  Boat Traffic and generally very low visibility.