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Proteus

Proteus

The Proteus was a luxury liner that made trips form new Orleans to New York from 1900 to 1918. The ship was quite modern and luxurious for the time period. In August 1918, as the Proteus sailed off Cape Hatteras without lights (this was during World War I), a heavy fog descended. At about 2:00AM, the Cushing, a tanker, appeared out of the fog and although the Proteus made a hard turn to port, the tanker struck her midship on the starboard side tearing open a hole at the water line. The Captain conducted a very orderly abandonment of the ship and all passengers and crew were safely transported to the Cushing. The only casualty was a crew member who panicked and dove overboard. In a matter of minutes the Proteus had slipped underwater and now rests in 125 feet about 25 miles south of the Hatteras Inlet.

The Proteus lies on her port side and is mostly intact. The profile is 20-30 feet. The windlass, boilers, engine, and propeller shaft are visible though covered in coral growth. The ship is about 400 feet in length. The stern area is where sand tiger sharks usually hang out. Divers will often see two or three sharks, and groups for more than ten have also been spotted. Divers on the Proteus have also seen some large grouper.

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