Credit River - Anona Traditional Cache
Hidden : 7/18/2013
Difficulty:
3.5 out of 5
Terrain:
5 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


Credit River - Shipwreck Series

Anona
 June 11, 1944



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

Anona
The Anona was a 117-foot long, steel-hulled, propeller-driven steam yacht built for the wife of wealthy Detroit industrialist Theodore DeLong Buhl in 1904 by the well-known yard of George Lawley & Sons in Boston. Lawley & Sons was famous for building several America’s Cup winners during the early 1900s. Although constructed of steel, the elegant lines of this vessel are strongly reminiscent of wooden-hulled sailing schooners of the same period; down to the floral scrollwork decorating the billet at the bow. The interior of the Anona was sumptuously appointed with “a social hall in the after deckhouse, finished in mahogany and containing piano, desk, etc.” The forward stateroom, used by the owner, was described as “exceptionally large,” occupying the full width of the boat. The owner’s cabin also boasted a large private bath with a “tub, closet (head), and wash basin.” A dining salon and pantry were located in the forward deckhouse.

The Anona was owned by Mr. Buhl until his death in 1907, when it passed to Buhl’s wife Elizabeth, the daughter of Hiram Walker, founder of Canadian Club Whiskey Distillery. Mrs. Buhl continued ownership of the vessel until 1924, when she sold it to a Canadian, Alfred E. Mathers. The Anona passed through a number of Canadian owners until it eventually became the property of the Pan-American Banana Producers Association of Montreal in 1943. After having begun life as an industrialist’s luxury yacht, the Anona met a somewhat ignominious end in 1944 when it sank in the Gulf of Mexico carrying potatoes to the British West Indies after the plates under the steam engine buckled. The 9-man crew was rescued by three PBY planes after spending two days adrift in a raft.

The wreck of the Anona is in an excellent state of preservation, sitting upright on its keel in 4,000 feet of water. It is buried in the bottom to just above what would have been the vessel’s waterline, but the deck is relatively clear of sediment. Most of the wooden decking has deteriorated, but the steel hull and machinery appear to be in perfect condition. Once the setting of glittering soirees for Detroit’s social elite, it now is home only to countless anemones and crabs in a world of eternal darkness beneath the sea.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Ovfba ghor. 8 srrg hc gur jnyy unatvat va prqne ebbgf.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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