SS Benwood, Key Largo, FL (Part 2)

The SS Benwood was originally a British-built Norwegian merchant freighter. She was reportedly sailing north along the coast of Florida on the night of April 9th, 1942, without the use of running lights. This was common during the Second World War to avoid the attention of prowling German U-Boats. Unfortunately, the much larger Robert C Tuttle was traveling southbound along the coast, also without lights. According to multiple reports at the time, both captains saw a dark object ahead and signaled that they were turning. The Tuttle allegedly turned to starboard, and the Benwood turned to port, which placed both vessels on a collision course. At the last minute, the captain of the Benwood ordered a full reverse of the engines, but it was too late: the Benwood hit the Tuttle on the latter ship's port side. With her bow crippled and taking on water, the Benwood was steered, heading towards shore in hopes that a future salvage operation could fully recover her load of phosphate rocks in shallower water. The crew abandoned ship with all hand accounted for, and the Benwood only made it slightly past the reef line where sank in her final position on the reef in 25-45ft of water with some of her superstructure above the water. After deeming the keel vessel as a total loss and with her superstructure and phosphate rock load salvaged, the Benwood sank soon after. Multiple accounts tell different stories on how she came to be in her final condition resting on the sea floor. One theory is that the U.S. Air Force used her for target practice during a training exercise for bomber planes. Another is that an unknow explosion took out her stern section, coincidently once deemed a hazard to navigation. The other option is that the hull plates were salvages, but then dumped back because they were seen as scrap metal worth nothing. Regardless, the SS Benwood has become one the premier dive sites of the Florida Keys and is the mecca of life between Dixie Shoals and French Reef.

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Did you know the SS Benwood was originally a British-built Norwegian merchant freighter.