U.S.AT. Liberty wreck ship
The real story of the shipwreck SS Liberty, located at Tulamben/Bali
1. SS Liberty was built in 1918 and was the first vessel of the US Shipboard design 1037 and the first vessel ever constructed and built by the Federal Ship Building Yard, located at Kearny, New Jersey.
2. Particulars:
gross tonnage: 6.211
length: 411ft
breadth: 55ft
depth: 31.4ft
4. Propulsion system
Single screw, double-reduction-geared steam turbine, 2-oil fired boilers,
top speed 11kts
5. Engine makers:
General Electric Co.
The order was placed with the shipyard by the United States Shipping Board and she served the US Navy NOTS at the end of World War 1. She was not part of the US Navy after 1919 and was either laid up in reserve or chartered by various agents/shipping companies to carry general cargo.
At the outbreak of World War 2 she was requisitioned and operated by the US Army!
She was torpedoed by the japanese submarine I-66 (which became later I-166) on January 11, 1942 off Bali at the position S 8.05, E 115.28 and beached at Tulamben, after towing attempts by an US destroyer failed.
For ship’s history from 1942 on one should refer to the Official Wrecksite Guide of U.S.A.T. LIBERTY“
Note:
The are a bunch of misleading and confusing informations published around the history of the SS Liberty, wrecked at Tulamben, most notably that the ship was a Standard Type Liberty Ship EC2-CS1, of which a total of 2710 ships (Not 2500 as stated in some of the false releases) have been built between 1941 and 1945.
This is totally wrong, the only thing in common shared by the SS Liberty and the EC2-CS1 Standard Type Liberty ship ist the name Liberty, however, non of the 2710 ships ever carried the name Liberty.
SS Liberty was built 1918 and had gerared turbines unlike the Liberty Standard Ships, which were propelled by a 3cylinder steam triple expansion engine
If a ship (Like the Liberty EC2-CS1 Standard Ship) is wrecked, the part to survive the longest would be the big cast-iron steam engine, which weights a couple of 100 tons.
Diving the Tulamben wreck one can easily notice that such an engine does not exist, the only large part of the propulsion system to be seen are the remains of the boilers..
The other significant difference between a Liberty Standard Ship and the SS Liberty at Tulamben is the design of the stern. The SS Liberty has a stern design identical to British Standard Ships of World War 1(All ship carried the prefix WAR) of which the SS Liberty is moreles a copy, whereas the EC2-CS1 has a modern type stern still be seen today
Sources
Wartime Standard Ships Volume 3, British Standard Ships of Wold War 1
By W.H Mitchell and L.A. Sawyer
The Liberty Ships, The history of the Emergency type cargo ships of Wolr d War 2 by L.A. Sawyer and W.H. Mitchell
Lloyd’s register of Shipping, Volume 1, 1937-37.
Tulamben coral garden
Coral Garden is a great dive site at Tulamben, easily accessed from the numerous small resorts and beach areas. I refer to it as the centre of Tulamben because it lays between the wreck of the USAT Liberty Glo and the Drop Off wall dive sites.Coral Garden is an entry level dive site, but has more then enough to keep the more experienced divers interested! Coral Garden is a gently sloping dive site, where you can easily get down to 40m or deeper if you choose to, but most of the fun stuff is in the 5m to 15m zone. There are several artificial reef structures there (one is shaped like a WW2 fighter) which are great not just for life, but as navigation points as well. The water is warm, usually in the mid to high twenties. There can be currents, but they are very mild and easily dealt with by even the newest diver. Vis is good all year, with virtually unlimited vis in the best of times and around 10m+/- at the worst. The bottom, when not covered in coral, is black volcanic sand with broken shell bits scattered over it, which makes for truly beautiful night diving experiences under a full moon!
The marine life here is astonishing. In the right season, there can be as many as 400 or more different species of fish and invertebrates sharing the reef! It's not an attempt at a sales pitch when I tell you you will need a fish ID book and a camera here. The opportunities for macro photography, videography and regular photography here cannot be understated. Even in the rainy season, I saw dozens upon dozens of different species. This is a great place to move slowly along the coral reefs and in the forests of anemones, where patience can reward you with great photos and great memories.
Coral Garden is a great dive site, and a common site for training as well. As a trainee Divemaster, I was there with Open Water and Specialty courses, and a few years ago I did my Advanced Open Water there. It's also where I fell in love with underwater photography and sweet chilli sauce grilled pork as a post dive snack! Open for diving all year, and a not to miss night dive (that's when all the weird stuff and cuttlefish come out), it's hard to go wrong with this simple but always enjoyable dive site!
The marine life here is astonishing. In the right season, there can be as many as 400 or more different species of fish and invertebrates sharing the reef! It's not an attempt at a sales pitch when I tell you you will need a fish ID book and a camera here. The opportunities for macro photography, videography and regular photography here cannot be understated. Even in the rainy season, I saw dozens upon dozens of different species. This is a great place to move slowly along the coral reefs and in the forests of anemones, where patience can reward you with great photos and great memories.
Coral Garden is a great dive site, and a common site for training as well. As a trainee Divemaster, I was there with Open Water and Specialty courses, and a few years ago I did my Advanced Open Water there. It's also where I fell in love with underwater photography and sweet chilli sauce grilled pork as a post dive snack! Open for diving all year, and a not to miss night dive (that's when all the weird stuff and cuttlefish come out), it's hard to go wrong with this simple but always enjoyable dive site!
Tulamben drop off
The Drop Off can be dived on various levels depending on experience and makes an excellent multi-level dive. Besides amazing coral growth, this reef features an unbelievable landscape sculpted by many overhanging rocks.
The presence of smaller reef fish is abundant, with angelfish being the species worth mentioning. Besides emperor angelfish, yellow-faced angelfish and blue-banded angelfish can be found with the duke fish rounding out the selection as a member of the angelfish family.
Often, huge schools of trevally and bumphead parrotfish pass the wall, darkening the sun. Although it is a wall, this dive site is also suitable for snorkelling.
Tulamben Drop Off - At a Glance Site characteristics: Wall Visibility: 15-30 m average Current: Mild to moderate Coral growth: Fantastic coral, sponges and fans Marine life Excellent - vast schools of trevally, plus angelfish, bumphead parrotfish, triggerfish, reef fish and the occasional barracuda Highlight: Easy to dive, good snorkelling and accessible from beach Photo ops: 9/10 for both wide angle and macro
The presence of smaller reef fish is abundant, with angelfish being the species worth mentioning. Besides emperor angelfish, yellow-faced angelfish and blue-banded angelfish can be found with the duke fish rounding out the selection as a member of the angelfish family.
Often, huge schools of trevally and bumphead parrotfish pass the wall, darkening the sun. Although it is a wall, this dive site is also suitable for snorkelling.
Tulamben Drop Off - At a Glance Site characteristics: Wall Visibility: 15-30 m average Current: Mild to moderate Coral growth: Fantastic coral, sponges and fans Marine life Excellent - vast schools of trevally, plus angelfish, bumphead parrotfish, triggerfish, reef fish and the occasional barracuda Highlight: Easy to dive, good snorkelling and accessible from beach Photo ops: 9/10 for both wide angle and macro
Batu kelebit
If at the corner of Tulamben has Alamanda, the south has Batu kelebit to be proud of. Kelebit is the fishermen’s name for this Bali diving location. This Bali dive site has two large underwater boulders lying just offshore from a point marked by by a jagged crest of lava. It consists of a beautiful site of steep, coral-covered ridges separated by valleys of bright white sandy sand. Its fish and invertebrate life are as rich as Tulamben bay and perhaps even richer.
This Bali dive spot has depth at about 9 to 55 meter or 30 to 180 feet. Batu Kelebit Bali diving requires deep diving to explore its large marine creatures. With the visibility around 5 to 25 meters, this Bali dive location is having its own characteristic. Slinking sharks, mantas, beautiful mola mola and other large marine life can be mostly seen at deeper levels. Due to its overall conditions, this Bali diving site is suitable for advanced divers. Taking 2 hours road by mini bus won’t be useless to get this Bali diving location. Divers will be welcomed by the cold currents which can be quite strong there. These cold currents occur at the surface and down the slope, but tend to fade away following the depths. From only 3 – 5m deep, the reefs at this Bali site dive fan out into the sand rising from the bottom. The striking difference between the virgin sand bottoms and the array of hard corals makes this Bali dive site even more unique.
This Bali dive spot has depth at about 9 to 55 meter or 30 to 180 feet. Batu Kelebit Bali diving requires deep diving to explore its large marine creatures. With the visibility around 5 to 25 meters, this Bali dive location is having its own characteristic. Slinking sharks, mantas, beautiful mola mola and other large marine life can be mostly seen at deeper levels. Due to its overall conditions, this Bali diving site is suitable for advanced divers. Taking 2 hours road by mini bus won’t be useless to get this Bali diving location. Divers will be welcomed by the cold currents which can be quite strong there. These cold currents occur at the surface and down the slope, but tend to fade away following the depths. From only 3 – 5m deep, the reefs at this Bali site dive fan out into the sand rising from the bottom. The striking difference between the virgin sand bottoms and the array of hard corals makes this Bali dive site even more unique.
Emerald point
This is the last site on the rocky shore lines that overlook the ‘Drop Off’, Alam Anda and Batu Kelebit between Tulamben Bay to the west and the next bay to the east, Muntig Bay. It is also known as the ‘Car-wreck’ site as someone had the brilliant idea to sink Toyota mini van here that was no longer in use to form an ‘artificial reef’. It is an eye sore rather, and not worth the bother. The reef flat to the east of it, however, is very rich, and macro photographers like this site’s sandy slope for the – albeit seasonal – abundance of Nudibranchs. While investigating this area in 1998 with my Japanese dive master Yumiko (a not just highly competent and passionate diver, but equally gutsy girl), we followed down the sandy slope, with nothing particular in sight. At around 48m, Yumiko busied herself with her new digital camera and a crab. Not much of an eye for ‘small stuff’, I looked beyond and noticed a rock that struck me as odd. It jutted out of the sand at 55m for about 2m by 3m wide. This side of Bali is all volcanic, and the few granite rocks that are found in the area were all broken into smaller, cubical pieces by the eruption, or round boulders that were washed down the mountain while rivers were still flowing before the eruption. But this one had a perfectly flat, smooth surface. When I touched it, I was dumbfounded; it was a thick slab of steel. And up to this day I am sure it was not nitrogen-induced imagination. But I haven’t got a clue how it possibly got there, more than 150m offshore, as there are no other known wrecks in the area.