Wreck Dive Northern Light Wreck, Key Largo, Florida

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The Northern Light Wreck also known as the Elbow Wreck, was built in 1888, one of her first oddities is that she was one of the first steel hulled, steam freighter's to be built. It was initially used in the Great Lakes, but in 1917 her owner decided to turn her into an ocean going vessel. The oddity here is that she was too large to leave the Great Lakes system. At 300 feet in length with a 40 foot beam, she simply could not pass through the lock system.The only way to move her, was to burn out the rivets which held her together. This caused her to split in two and she was then able to be transported through the locks. Once she cleared the system, she was reassembled and made seaworthy. On August 16, 1927, the owner set fire to her so he could profit from the insurance money. The owner was charged with his crimes, and the ship, with manageable damage, was sold again. Her new owner removed the damaged portions, and cut her down to serve as a barge. On November 8, 1930, she was being towed in a very heavy storm. Unfortunately, she separated from her tow vessel, and in the process sank about 200 feet to her current position at Elbow Reef off Key Largo. Level: Intermediate - Advanced Depth: 150' - 190'

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