08/02/2026
Sunk in 1868, the Nevada was built in and launched from Mystic, CT, just four years prior in 1864 and immediately put into service carrying cargo for the Union in the Civil War. After the war, she spent a few years carrying goods up and down the east coast. That didn’t last long, however, because the Nevada ran aground in the Diamond Shoals near Cape Hatteras on June 4th, 1868. Salvage was attempted, but after a few days, heavy seas moved the Nevada to deeper water where she sits today.
158 years later, we found the Nevada teeming with life. Red snappers live in the large crevices between machinery, spadefish and sheepshead abound, and schools of smaller fish engulf the wreck while jacks dive bomb them from above. This video shows the aft end of a pair of square boilers leading to a tall, single cylinder steam engine. The shaft and propeller sit aft of that, while a field of railroad ties and other debris lay forward.
I really enjoyed diving this wreck and look forward to visiting it again with Captain Dave Sybert!
