About Who's Been Here Photos Revisions Zane Grey Nags Head / Oregon Inlet, NC More Info Entry Type: Boat Rating: 3.50 by 2 divers 8/29/2009 7:20 PM

Zane Grey is a boat accessible salt water dive site, located in Nags Head / Oregon Inlet, NC. This dive site has an average rating of 3.50 out of 5 from 2 scuba divers.

The Zane Grey is one of many Liberty Ships from World War II that have been deployed in artificial reef programs. The Zane Gray is in 40 to 60 feet with a maximum depth of 80 feet.

Name: ZANE GRAYType: Liberty Ship-dry cargoDate Sunk: 1974Cause: Artificial Reef ProgramSize (ft.): Length = 441 x 57 x 37.3 ft.Gross Tonnage: 7191Propulsion: Triple Expansion, oil-fired steamLocationConstruction & Misc. Notes I have seen the name spelled Zane Grey or Zane Gray in several references. The ship was built by the California Shipbuilding Corporation, managed by the famous Henry Kaiser and associates. Kaiser, who had never built a ship prior to the Liberty program, developed the time-saving "prefab" method of shipbuilding. This allowed a liberty ship to be assembled from parts constructed off-site, using labor unskilled in shipbuilding te chniques. As a result, the liberty ships were completed much more quickly than was possible using the more traditional means. In one recording setting effort, the elapsed time from keel-laying to launch was 4 days 15 hours.

Source: L.A. Sawyer a nd W.H. Mitchell, The Liberty Ships, 2nd Edition, Lloyd’s of London Press, Ltd., 1985
DIVING NOTES:Diving Depths: 65+ ft.Visibility: n/a


Current: n/a


Summer Temperature: 60s below thermocline


Points of Interest: n/aFish/Animal Life: I noted several species of cold/cooler water marine life mussels and tautog on this wreck.Description: I have dived this wreck only once, back in August of 1979 (2 dives), and do not have any recollection or log notes as to its condition or structure. I did note that it was warm on the surface, but cool on the wreck and there was a relatively strong current on the day I dived it. When sunk as artificial reefs, most, if not all of the liberty ships were cut down to at least to the upper deck level, thus removing all of the superstructure and other "interest ing" parts. Others were cut down to only 15 feet above the keel! The Zane Gray shares the same resting site as another liberty ship in the artificial reef program, the Dionysus, which was sunk in 1978.

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