MS Antilla (1939)
The Antilla is World War II shipwreck off the coast of Aruba that is a popular snorkeling and scuba diving destination.
When Germany invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940, the relationship between the two nations was obviously strained. As part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, this extended to Aruba. The Antilla was a German U-boat supply ship that was anchored off the coast of Aruba at the time. A contingent of Dutch Marines told the Antilla to surrender, the captain asked for extended time the Dutch accepted and the Marines gave the ship 24 hours to surrender.
The Antilla was fairly new at the time, and rather than see her turned over to the enemy, the Captain decided to scuttle the ship. After putting the crew ashore, he heated up the boilers, which were amidships, and opened the seacock. When the cold sea water hit the hot boilers, they exploded, ripping the ship in half. It sank in eight minutes.
At 400 feet long, the Antilla is one of the Caribbean’s largest shipwrecks. Only the cruise liners Bianca C and SS Antilles are bigger, at around 600 feet. It lies on its port side at a maximum depth of 55 feet, though it can readily be seen from the surface. Its location is approximately N 12.60175 W 070.05815.
Unfortunately over the last few years the Antilla has begun to collapse, the ship used to be open to special wreck penetration scuba diving but now after the hull has been weakened by storms it is collapsing on a daily basis. This means it is unsafe to go inside the wreck.
Many marine lifeforms have made their home on the ship.
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