DAY THREE: A REALLY BIG BOAT, I MEAN, SHIP MONDAY, 16 JANUARY 2012
There's a Rum Punch Party with the management tonight; also a Bajan buffet diner. Other than dive, dive, dive, that's the plan for today. . . . Oh, and a stop at a grocery store on the way back from diving to get some B & B to keep costs down. [This should actually be MV STAVRONIKITA, as it was a Motor Vessel, not a Sailing Ship. That's how I understand it, and how I've seen it referred to on other sites. - ad] STAVRONIKITA: The Stav is the most popular wreck in Barbados waters. She was a 365' Greek freighter built in Denmark in 1956 and originally christened the Ohio.
On August 26, 1976, while en route from Ireland to the Caribbean, carrying a cargo of 101,000 bags of cement, the vessel caught fire, killing six crew members and injuring three others.	After the fire
An explosion that followed the fire destroyed all of the ship's radio equipment, making it impossible for the stranded crew to call for help. Twenty-four crewmen drifted in the open sea for four days before being rescued. The Stavronikita was then towed to Barbados. Anchor capstans at bow A year went by, and the vessel was still anchored off Carlisle Bay, Barbados. On October 24, 1977 , she was purchased at an auction for the sum of $30,000 by the Parks and Beach Commission. The ship was then stripped of all the machinery & brass that could be salvaged. She was cleaned of pollutants, namely the 70,000 gallons of oil being carried in her fuel tanks, and towed to a spot just 400 yards offshore on the west coast of the island. I'm number two on the wreck; you can see the mooring line on the left leading to the dive boat and TEAM MANTA on its way to join me. On November 21,1978, the U.S. Navy demolition crew set seven charges totaling 200 pounds and blew holes in the ship's hull, causing her to sink. Much more detailed information on the ship itself is available HERE TEAM MANTA descends onto the wreck. The "crow's nest" sticks up from the 112'+ depth of the wreck ending in about 30' of water. Looking at top deck rail Looking at fire damage Swimming alongside the port rail Inside looking out Mike Weiss (my dive buddy this swim) waits, watching the crazy photographer from outside the wreck. Interior Diver swims in through hole in side of hull (similar to one in the Costa Concordia that tipped & sank) Going up a companionway inside the wreck.

DAY THREE: SWIMMIN' WIT' DA FISHES HERE