HMS Culloden (Culloden Point, NY)

 
 

The HMS Culloden is a Revolutionary War era British warship that sank in a winter storm on January 23, 1781 while attempting to repel a French fleet of 13 frigates and 7 “ships-of-the-line” from entering Gardiner’s Bay to aid the Colonial forces.

Dive the historical HMS Culloden with the Long Island Diving Association

On Saturday, Setpember13th, LIDA will host an afternoon of diving on the wreck of the HMS Culloden. This historic wreck is a wonderful example of the history we have off the shores of Long Island waiting to be explored by divers. Because of the uniqueness of this site, we are providing some important information below.

Date and Time:

The dive will take place on Saturday, September 13. There is no rain date planned. Because of the tides, we ask that divers arrive at 12:30 p.m. and be prepared to dive around the 2:00 p.m. high tide.

Historical Information, Access and Directions:

Parking:

The dirt parking lot adjacent to the trailhead that leads to the dive site is small and can only accommodate a few vehicles. It is very strongly advised that divers seek to carpool wherever possible to reduce the number of vehicles in the lot. When parking, please try to park so as not to block others from leaving. It is possible that the site might be used by fisherman and others and blocking their vehicles is not appropriate. 

While we are not requiring an advanced sign up, in order to help with the parking problems we ask that divers who intend to participate send an email to contact@lidaonline.com so that we can anticipate and mitigate parking problems.

In the event that we run out of parking at the site, please DO NOT park on Soundview Avenue nor on the sides of the dirt road leading to the site. We are encouraging divers who are unable to park at the site to park at the parking lot adjacent to Gosman’s Dock restaurant. LIDA will organize shuttles to/from that parking lot for divers and their equipment. We will have information at the site on how we will conduct the shuttles. Please be respectful of Gosman’s Dock, park responsibly and do not attract negative attention.

Facilities:

There will be no facilities at the site (e.g., food, restrooms, etc.). LIDA encourages divers to use the public restrooms on west Lake Drive near Gosman’s Dock before going to the site.

Protecting the Culloden:

The HMS Culloden wreck is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a Federally protected site and the removal of anything from the site is strictly prohibited. Whatever you find or see there must be left in place. It is illegal to damage the wreck site in any way or to remove anything from the site.

Dive briefing:

Like all Long Island dive sites, conditions may vary greatly at the location. There will not be a formal dive briefing, but LIDA members who have experience with the site will be on hand to give general directions.

A few words of caution: The wreck is low-lying and sometimes is completely covered in sand. We cannot predict the conditions on the day of the dive. Entry and exit can be treacherous as the water is very shallow to begin with and the bottom is covered with numerous slick, seaweed covered rocks that makes footing difficult. (This is why we are diving at high tide). Please use caution.

The wreck is no deeper than 15-18 feet so plan accordingly. 

History

  • The HMS Culloden was part of a British fleet of 14 warships stationed in Gardner’s Bay. The Culloden and three other ships were instructed to patrol the area between Montauk Pt. and the Nantucket Shoals, and to defend against any French ships trying to enter this area. Essentially, they formed a blockade.

  • The HMS Culloden came to rest in about 15-25 feet of water just off shore at a place called Will’s Point, now named Culloden Point, in Fort Pond Bay, just west of Montauk Point. She had become disoriented in the raging winter gale.

  • The remains of this historic shipwreck have been lying in the shifting sands of Fort Pond Bay for over 200 years, often completely buried, and sometimes with just a few timbers exposed to indicate the wreck site.

  • Divers who wish to dive the wreck find that, although shallow, it is a difficult wreck to locate. Despite this, the wreck of the HMS Culloden remains one of Long Island’s premier dive targets.

  • Over the years, a number of artifacts from the wreck have been professionally recovered and are displayed at the East Hampton Town Marine Museum. A large canon, copper sheathing and a section of the sailing ships’ rudder are all preserved and offered for view to the public.

  • The HMS Culloden is a genuine part of local maritime history and is on the National Registry of Historic Places and is protected by law from damage and salvage.

  • Since 1979 the wreck site has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which prohibits SCUBA divers from taking artifacts from, or otherwise disturbing the wreck. The designated area is a circle with a radius of approximately 200 feet (61 m).

Dive Site Access

The stairway to the HMS Culloden has been completed. The January 23, 1781 Wreck of the Revolutionary War British War Ship is located in 15-20 feet of water west of the Lake Montauk west jetty. Presently there is limited parking available along the dirt road leading to the stairway. The Long Island Divers Association (LIDA) is working with the Town of East Hampton to re-open the parking lot. LIDA is also working with the Town to allow parking access without any permit.

The new stairway is located west of the previous stairway that LIDA was instrumental in getting built many years ago. A small wandering path through the woods will bring you to the new location.

Please note, the wreck is pretty broken up and is spread out over a large area over a sandy bottom. Most of the artifacts have been recovered, but lucky divers may still be able to find some of the timbers and possibly artifacts that were not recovered. To locate the wreck take a compass heading of 330 degrees from the large boulder on the beach.

Look, take photos, but don't take anything!

Remember, this site is on the National Registry of Historic Places and is protected by law from damage and salvage.

Directions to Dive Site

Take the Long Island Expressway (I-495) E toward Riverhead. Take exit 70 toward NY-27/Alt Route/Montauk, proceeding to Sunrise Hwy. Turn right onto Eastport Manor Rd. Continue onto County Rd 111, and merge onto Sunrise Hwy. E (NY-27). Turn left onto Edgemere Street, which will turn onto Flamingo Ave. Turn left onto Culloden Place, turn left onto Blackberry Drive, turn right onto Pine Tree Drive, then left onto Soundview Drive, which becomes a dirt road (Rd B). Continue about a 1/4 mile and turn right onto another dirt road (no name) take it to the end and park.

Articles & Images

Wreck of the HMS Culloden: An East Coast Shore Dive into History
California Diver Magazine (Posted: 6/6/2021)
Text and Photography by  Eco-Photo Explorers
Article: PDF Version | Online

Dive Site Staircase

Recognizing that the wreck of the HMS Culloden is of interest to local divers, the Long Island Divers Association (LIDA) championed a successful effort many years ago to secure diver shoreline access to the site and also arranged for the construction of a staircase to the site along a steep bluff.

Sadly, this staircase was destroyed with subsequent hurricanes and winter storms. Diver access to the site effectively was washed away with it. In fact, LIDA has been in contact with the Town of East Hampton in 2017 and 2018 advocating for the rebuilding of the stairway down to the beach where the old shipwreck can be accessed.

Now, efforts by LIDA to regain diver access to the wreck of the Culloden have culminated in an announcement that the town of East Hampton has rebuilt the staircase!