The USCGC Duane is a 327-foot Treasury-class Coast Guard cutter resting perfectly upright at 120 feet — a decorated WWII veteran, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and consistently ranked among the finest advanced wreck dives in the Florida Keys. The crow's nest and radar tower start at 60 feet. The deck sits at 100. The seafloor is at 120.
The USCGC Duane was built in 1936 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard — one of seven 327-foot Treasury-class cutters, each named for a former Secretary of the Treasury. She served for nearly 50 years. By the time she was decommissioned on August 1, 1985, she was the oldest active U.S. military vessel afloat.
Her service record is worth understanding before you dive her. When the U-boat U-77 torpedoed the British tanker Tresillian in the Atlantic in 1941, the Duane pulled 46 survivors from the water. Two years later, the Duane and her sister ship the Spencer tracked down and sank U-77 — settling a debt the ocean had left open. She went on to convoy escort duty through the Battle of the Atlantic, amphibious operations in the Mediterranean during Operation Dragoon, Coast Guard squadron duty off Vietnam, and decades of search and rescue, drug interdiction, and Cuban refugee escort work in the years that followed. She did all of it over 49 years of continuous service before she was donated to the Keys Association of Dive Operators for one final mission.
On November 27, 1987, her hatches and seacocks were opened and she went straight down — settling perfectly upright on an even keel at 120 feet, exactly as planned. The Bibb followed the next day and landed on her side. The Duane hasn't moved since. She was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
Three decades of Gulf Stream nutrients have transformed her into one of the most densely encrusted wrecks in the Keys. Orange cup corals and sponges cover the superstructure. The crow's nest and radar tower sit at 60 feet — reachable on a single breath of confidence before the real dive begins. The navigating bridge is at 70 feet. The deck runs around 100. The propellers and rudder sit at 125 feet on the sand. On clear days, the outline of the intact hull is visible from the surface. There are three entry points — the stern, the smokestack, and the bow — and depending on the current, you may make it across most of the ship, or you may work one section at a time. Either way earns it.
If you're not yet Advanced certified, the last line on the IDC site listing says it plainly: we can get you there.
Year-round
Calm seas, minimal Gulf Stream current — on clear days the hull is visible from the surface; on strong current days the site can be extremely challenging
Strong and variable — Gulf Stream currents can pull mooring buoys underwater on bad days. Always verify conditions before departure.
75–85°F depending on season
Morning and afternoon charters run year-round from Three Waters Marina. Whether you're booking a charter, a course, or just have questions — we're here.