SHIP NOTES: (Gentile)
Name: PROTEUS	Type: Passenger/Freighter
Date Sunk: 8/19/1918	Cause: Collision with SS Cushing
Size (ft.): 390 x 48 x 29	Tonnage: 4836 tons
Propulsion: Coal-fired steam	Location N34° 45.918'/W75° 47.010'
SHIP HISTORY: (Gentile)

DIVING NOTES:

Diving Depths: 110-120 ft.

Current: Slight to reportedly undiveable

Visibility: Generally greater than 60 feet

Summer Temperature: mid to high 70s

Points of Interest: Three main boilers plus a small auxillary boiler, propeller, spare propeller, visually stunning and intact stern and somewhat intact bow with old-style port anchor and windlass.

Fish/Animal Life: The Proteus seems to frequented by large stingrays and their attendent groups of cobia. On a recent dive there were several sandtigers on both the stern and bow.

Description: The wreck is contiguous and thus offers no problems as far as navigation. It is a fairly large wreck, but traveling from bow to stern and back can be done in one dive. In fact, once you find the engine debris, the shaft and shaft alley provide a trail directly back to the stern. The stern offers the highest relief and on a clear day is just stunning. It rises almost 30 feet off of the the sand and lists to the port side. The entire steering mechanism is intact, from rudder and prop to steering quadrant. Look for the spare propeller toward the starboard side just forward of the high stern section. When first discovered, the Proteus offered a seemingly endless supply of brass artifacts. The square, brass, stained-glass windows were particularly popular and were just lying there for the taking. Now rare, the wreck still offers artifacts for the diligent.

PHOTOS: Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 by Paul M. Hudy
Bow and anchor windlass		One of the three main boilers
Stern w/ rudder and propeller	Engine detail	Stingray lying in the wreck	Shaft alley
Auxillary anchor windlass with anchor, just aft of the bow		Auxillary boiler
Steering quadrant & mechanism	Port anchor	Looking down the shaft alley w/ stern in background	Propeller