About Revisions Kingston Ceylonite Va Beach, VA Max Depth: 51-60ft/16-18m Entry Type: Boat Bottom Composition: Sand Aquatic Life: Might See Something 10/31/2013 10:51 AM LatitudeAdjustment 7/20/2008 2:27 AM

Kingston Ceylonite is a boat accessible salt water dive site, located in Va Beach, VA. The maximum depth is 51-60ft/16-18m.

Year Built 1935

Date Sunk 15 June 1942

Depth 60 feet

Gross Tonnage 448

Dimensions 160’ x 26’ x 14’

Vessel Type Armed Trawler

Power Steam Turbine

Builder Cook, Wellington & Gemmell, Ltd. Beverly England

Owner Her Majest’s Navy

Location 27131.3 41218.1

Home Port England

Cause of Sinking Mined by U-701

In Brief

U-Boat Commander Horst Degen mined an area within 10 miles of Cape Henry (at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay) on 12 June 1942. On the 15th both the tanker Robert C. Tuttle (sunk) and the Esso Augusta (damaged) fell prey to the charges he left behind.

The Kingston Ceylonite, one of twenty-odd trawlers (fitted with depth charge racks, 4 inch deck guns etc) sent by Britain to help fortify our coastal defenses, was escorting a second group of ships through the US mine fields and struck one of Commander Degens "forget me nots" and sank within 2 minutes.

Today the Kingston Ceylonite is little more than junk at 60’ and home to tautog and sea bass, with an occasional lobster to fill the plate.

Source "Shipwrecks of Virginia" Gary Gentile 1992

36 49.473N 75 51.539W