Credit River - Bianca C Traditional Geocache
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Credit River - Shipwreck Series
Bianca C
October 24, 1961
There are many shipwrecks around the world. Some very famous and others not so. Each however has it’s own story to tell. As you travel along the Credit River doing this series of caches, we have highlighted a number of these shipwrecks. During low water levels on these parts of the Credit River, you need to be careful in a canoe or kayak so as you don’t wind up in your own shipwreck. Besides the many large rocks along the way, there are also some other obstacles such as dams which should be avoided. All of the geocaches in this series have been placed by tubing, inflatable boat or on foot by walking in the water along the Credit River. Whichever way you choose to search for these caches, use caution and common sense.
More information about this series can be found here: Credit River - Shipwreck Series
Bianca C
The Bianca C is also known as the Titanic, or Andrea Doria of the Caribbean. She was a 593 foot long by 75 foot wide, 18,427 ton, Costa Cruise Lines luxury cruise ship owned by the Linea & ;C"; Company of Genoa. Today, she is resting on the ocean floor off the southwest coast of Grenada. The Bianca C was built in 1944 by Provencale de Constructions Navales, La Ciotat in yard #161. She had triple screws and 31,500 BHP sulzer diesels that could push her at speeds of up to twenty two knots, two masts and one funnel. She was originally launched as the Marechal Petain, then renamed in 1946 the La Marseillaise, and in 1958 she was sold to the Arosa Line Inc. and renamed the Arosa Sky. The vessel had accommodations for 200 first class passengers and1,030 tourist class passengers. The first class dining salon had a glass roofed hall two decks in height. She was also equipped with a swimming pool, solarium, beauty parlor, library, gym, and a children's playground. The Bianca C was sunk once before her construction was ever completed. After being launched in 1944,the Marechal Petain's hull was towed to Port Bouc. In August of the same year, the Germans sank the incomplete vessel as they retreated from Southern France. The ship was later raised and completed.
On October 22, 1961,ten days after she left Italy the Bianca C was on her last port of call before returning to Europe on her usual run from Naples to La Guaira in Venezuela. She was under the command of Captain Francisco Gravato and at anchor off St.Georges, Grenada when suddenly, before dawn one of her massive boilers exploded instantly killing one of her crewmen. Fuelled by bunker oil in the storage tanks, flames rapidly spread from the engine room to every deck. The explosion on the ship was so massive it sent tremors through the town of St. George. Fortunately for the 750passengers on board, the people of St. George were awakened and rushed to the fiery scene with a flotilla of30 small crafts to ferry everyone to safety. Two crew members were reported dead from burns in the tragedy. Eight crew men including Rodizza Napale, her chief engineer, were treated at a hospital for injuries.
After the initial explosion and subsequent fires, the Bianca C was doomed. The island did not possess any marine fire fighting equipment that would have been needed in a salvage attempt of this enormous magnitude. Captain Gravato circled the burning vessel with twenty of his officers trying to direct hopeless fire fighting efforts from a small boat, but ultimately ended up watching this once beautiful vessel destruct before their eyes. On October 24, two days after her initial explosion while the Bianca C was still ablaze and beginning to sink, the H.M.S. Londonderry, a British frigate, succeeded in securing a cable to the still burning cruise ship. This was no easy feat as a crew from the Londonderry had to face burning deck plates and billows of steam in order to fasten the tow line. The Londonderry then attempted to beach the Bianca C in a spot where she would not be blocking the harbor, but after towing her a few miles through strong currents and winds, her burnt hull plates gave out and she went down off Port Saline.
In gratitude for the efforts of the Grenadian people, the Italian government sent a statue of "Jesus of the Sea" which can now be seen guarding the harbor at St. George's.
The Bianca C now rests only one mile from shore which is about a fifteen minute boat ride. Although she sits in 160 feet of water leaning slightly to her starboard side, divers can reach her deck hand railings at 95 feet and cover most of her decks without descending lower than 120 feet. Water temperature here is usually a steady 80 degrees, and the visibility on and around the wreck is usually better than 50 feet. The current over the wreck is very powerful; divers have to pull themselves down the dive boat's anchor line, hand over hand, to keep from drifting away. This deep but interesting shipwreck is only for very experienced divers due to the strong currents and depth. As an extra note of caution all divers should be conservative on their dive schedule since the nearest recompression chamber is on the island of Barbados. The area is inhabited by all sorts of marine life including some huge eagle rays, turtles, and barracuda. The Bianca C has not been visited by too many divers, but those who have had the privilege of exploring this enormous wreck will surely remember her as one of their most interesting dives.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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