LariatAdvance

The Carteret County Amateur Radio Society participated in the April 2023 County Emergency Services hurricane drill. The mission of our field volunteers was to provide the county EOC with real-time information concerning conditions at transmitting stations across the county. The amateur radio clubs drill consisted of three separate emergency nets. The first net, designated remote volunteers provided the EOC with Field Status Reports and practiced use of the WebEOC and the operability of the WinLink system, the second net invited all amateurs in the area to participate in the drill by providing Field Situation Reports to net control via our local repeater from their field station or QTH. The third net was a simulation of a local repeater-down scenario where volunteers communicated via simplex and relayed traffic from weaker stations to net control.

"There ain't no sound like Bogue Sound"

August 27th, 2023

In April of 1942, Ashkhabad was traveling empty from New York to Cuba, escorted by the ASW trawler Lady Elsa. They were running a zig-zag course as ordered in an effort to avoid U-boat interference. On April 30, 1942, Ashkhabad was hit on the starboard side by a single torpedo fired by U-402 and sunk by its stern end in the shallow waters off Cape Lookout, N.C.

August 29th, 2022

The James J. Francesconi Tug (JJF) is a popular inshore wreck. The wreck is a 107 ft. US Army oceangoing tug boat sunk in May 2016 as an artificial reef in memory of James J. Francesconi, former director of the North Carolina Artificial Reef Program. She sits upright in 60 feet of water about 15 miles out of Beaufort Inlet.

27 August 2023 ~ Dive two

The Ashkhabad was a Russian Tanker traveling from NY to Cuba being escorted by the ASW trawler Lady Elsa. They were runnig zig-zag course as ordered to avoid German u-boats. The tanker was hit on the starboard side by a single torpedo and sunk by its stern end in the shallow water off Cape Lookout. The ship was abandoned and all the crew were taken to Morehead City. Today Ashkhabad lies in 55 feet of water. What is left of the Ashkhabad is very broken-up and scattered about.

September 14th, 2021

2004 ~ 2014

The US Coast Guard Cutter SPAR is an artificial reef located about 30 miles out of Bogue Inlet. The Spar upright, in a port list, in about 95 feet of water.

Horseshoe Laggoon on Big Pine Key, Florida Visibility sucked.

The JJF Tug is part of the North Carolina Artificial Reef program. Sunk in 2016, this wreck sits in 65 ft of water about 15 miles out of Beaufort Inlet.

Commissioned 18 June 1945, the Aeolus began service as the attack cargo ship "Turandot". After spending the final months of WWII transporting troops and cargo throughout the Pacific, she was decommissioned on 17 April 1947. In 1954, Turandot was reoutfitted as a cable repair ship and recommissioned as the "Aeolus". In her following 20 years of service, she operated in both the Atlantic. She remained the USS Aeolus until her final decommissioning in May 1985. today Aeolus sits upright in 110 feet of water about 30 miles out of Beaufort inlet. She is home to the full array of offshore marine life, including sand tiger sharks that can often be found inside the cable storage compartment. The wreck is in 3 pieces making navigation potentially difficult, especially in lower visibility.

Ashkhabad was built during World War I as a standard cargo ship. In April 1942, Ashkhabad set sail to Cuba from New York, escorted by British trawler, HMT Lady Elsa. Ashkhabad and Elsa ran a zigzag course in an effort to avoid U-boat attacks. Unfortunately, this tactic did not work. Traveling under the cover of darkness on April 30, 1942, theAshkhabad passed southeast of Cape Lookout, North Carolina. Subsequently, a U-402fired a single torpedo and hit the ship. The tanker sank in shallow water by its stern. Today, the Ashkhabad sits in 60 feet of water about 17 miles from Cape Lookout, North Carolina. The wreck lies in the warm water of the Gulf Stream, making it a popular site for diving. With an abundance of marine life, including many tropical fish, the Ashkhabad is also often home to loggerhead sea turtles.

The Titan was a tugboat sank in 2004 as a part of the NC Artificial Reef program. Titan was manufactured in New York in 1909 and was originally steam-powered. Titan was originally built for the Erie Railroad but was bought by the Panama Railroad once the canal was completed. Today she sits mostly upright, about 15 miles out of Beaufort Inlet in 60 feet of water.