Scuba Subic - San Quintin Wreck

SAN QUINTIN

1898

SUBIC BAY

During the past two years Dive Masters from Subic Aqua Sports have spent

endless hours clearing obstructions, investigating new swim throughs and

generally mapping the eight known wrecks in Subic Bay.

Replying to many inquiries about coral diving in the bay the answer has always

been; we specialize in wreck diving, there is very little coral diving here due to the

volcanic ash fall from Mount Pinatubo. During the past 4 months and with some

interesting dives logged, things have changed. Remember, no civilians and very

few men and women had access to the former base portion of Subic Bay.

One Evening in late february some regular Subic Bay divers met at the

recompression stop in Barrio Barretto. While receiving their injection of

recompression insulin which San Saint Miguel produces in those little brown

bottles, the topic got around to whether a proton magnatometer could locate the

two aircraft which are supposed to be in the bay. Maybe, but something with a

little more steel would be a betteer target for checking new equipment. How

about the San Quintin. We had plentyof information about the ship from historical

documents and in 1898 ships hulls were already being made from iron. On Sunday

March 5 while testing our new magnatometer from Aquascan the San Quintin was

discovered. Combined with a new differential GPS system we hoped to be capable

of accurately pinpointing a targets location within 2 meters. The equipment

obtained is to be used for ongoing projects with the National Museum, and as our

headquaters are here in Subic, we decided to test the equipment on the many

targets scattered a

round to bay.

Bob Williams from Aqua Scan and Adrew Owen from Subic Bay Aqua Sports had

the equipment set up one of the dive shops new 24? dive boats. The equipment

consists of the main display screen that feeds into a computer system. A sensor

fish is trailed behind the boat at a distance of between 50? to 150?, this picks up

signals from metalic anomalies in the area and feeds it back to the computer.

Combine this with a sophisticated positioning GPS which has a land base to keep

us in an accurate search lane and you should be in business, or so we hoped.

The search area is between Chiquita island and Camayan point at the mouth of

subic Bay an area of 2.5 sq. Kilometers. The search grids where 500 meters long

and 50 meters wide. The tow fish was lowered over board and on the fourth lane

they began to pick up a substabtial reading. At the same cross sections on lanes

5&6 similar readings showed up .on the screen and it was estimated that

whatever was below the boat was in access of 200ft. Long.

The remains of the San Quintin rest on a sandy bottom at 45ft with its bow

pointing North East. Over the past one hundred years mother nature has been at

work and the ship is not proud as she once was, being layed open, its massive

boilers being the most prominent point of the wreck.

On a normal day the boilers can be seen from the surface and on this morning we

started the first dive on the San Quintin.

Swimming Nort East from the boilers the wreck seems to end and its necessary to

continue some 40ft before the bow comes into view, either seperated from the

rest of the ship from the explosion that sent her to the bottom, or dislodged

during typhoons it still lies on the same line with its Port bow, pointing upward,

you can plainly make out the graceful lines that steam sailers of the 19th century

had.

Theres plenty of new coral and tropical fish here and it seems to have formed

intentionally for photographers. The rest of the group diving with us on the first

dive all pose.

Working our way back to the steern of the ship I imagine that indeed the wrecks

at least 200ft long and at the stern we find the rudder and post still attached to

the stern of the ship, lying also on the poret side and being another classic for

the avid photographer with the nudder post extending some 20 ft towards the

surface.

With a depth of only 45ft theres plenty of time. The visibility for our dive was 50

ft. Theres very little current and plenty of young coral and tropical species of

marine life. As a wreck dive its historical and it doesn?t have the hazards of

modern shipwrecks, There are no bouyancy accurate don?t be responsible for the

death of of new coral. The reefs are coming back strong so lets keep it like that.

On the morning of April 27, 1898 the gunboat San Quintin and two Merchant ships

were scuttled to block the eastern entrance he could concentrate his land based

cannons on the western entrance.

Coming ashore at Grande Island to inspect the defense works, Montojo was

dissappointed to find that the four KRUPP 6 inch guns had not been installed due

to the lack of cement. A defense disaster for montojo a blessing for scuba divers

a century later.

One of the strangest and most thought provoking experiences in Scuba diving is

to encounter a wreck. To swim leisurely through the same element that once

destroyed this solid vessel and for a time step back in time to the era when the

ship sailed the sea, carrying passengers, crew cargo and weapons of war.

You are also aware of the momemt when this floating would came to an abrupted

end.