Panama City Bh. FL

[Trip_Wire]

Deleted bt TW ("To much Bandwidth")

[Trip_Wire]

Deleted by TW (To much "Bandwidth")

[ExSquid]

Is the tricycle still outside in the sand? I wish one of my buddies had a camera there to snap a picture of me in SCUBA gear trying to ride it. And yeah, it is a neat little dive, I just can not remember the name.

D/S

[DY]

Is that the bridge with the Skeleton steering the ship?

[Trip_Wire]

Originally posted by DY
Is that the bridge with the Skeleton steering the ship?

I didn't see one...but somebody could have setup something like that. ;)

[DY]

Wouldn't be me. I was too scared to go near it.

[sarc88]

Is that the Black Bart?

[EODDVR]

...gotta be Black Bart

[Trip_Wire]

Originally posted by EODDVR
...gotta be Black Bart

Correct!! Yes, it is the Black Bart!! :D

[dvpj]

Anyone here remember Capt. C. "Black Bart" Bartholomew?

God, rest his soul.

Or, what BART means?

[Trip_Wire]

Originally posted by dvpj
Anyone here remember Capt. C. "Black Bart" Bartholomew?

God, rest his soul.

Or, what BART means?

No, but I'd sure like to hear more about it if you know more. As I said, it was a good dive site and I'll visit again God willing! :rolleyes:

[dvpj]

NEDU Dedicates "Black Bart" Artificial Reef

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (NNS) -- Representatives from the Navy
Experimental Diving Unit (NEDU) and the Panama City Marine
Institute (PCMI) formally dedicated the newest Panama City
artificial reef July 27 in the memory of CAPT Charles "Black Bart"
Bartholomew, who died during a dive in Panama City, Fla., in
November 1990.
A 180-foot supply ship used for offshore diving operations was
acquired through a grant with the Florida Department of Natural
Resources. The ship was renamed the "Black Bart" in the captain's memory and sunk in 80 feet of water seven miles offshore as part of the community's artificial reef program.
CAPT Bartholomew was a 1961 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture. Throughout his career, "Black Bart" played a vital role in the Navy's diving and salvage program. He had extensive salvage experience in Vietnam and participated in many salvage projects, such as the Challenger Space Shuttle, United Airlines Flight 811 door search and recovery, Air India search and recovery, and the Navy's effort in helping to clean up the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
CAPT Bartholomew served as commanding officer of the Navy
Experimental Diving Unit, and as Director of Ocean Engineering and Supervisor of Salvage in Washington, D.C.
Story by NEDU Public Affairs


I first met Bart during the Challenger salvage, and worked with him on several other deep jobs. I look forward to some day having another cold one with him.
He wrote a great book about the history of Navy Salvage;
Mud, Muscle, and Miracles.

BART...

Bart was an old school diver!
Bits, And Round Turns.

[Trip_Wire]

Wow!!

That was great reading! I always wondered where the name came from. The local people I was diving with didn't seem to know much about the name or history of the ship.

In one of my visits to Panama City, my wife and I were invited to visit the Armies hard hat diving school on the base there. (They train Army engineers to be divers.) I enjoyed the tour and the way I was treated by the staff there. Some time I'd like to see the Navy side too.

Did you ever neet Master Chief (Master Diver) Sheets? I did and really thought highly of him. (I will not go into how I met him at Keyport in about '58 to embarrassing for me. :D )

Thanks again for all that info!

[dvpj]

The name rings a bell....but as many times as my bell's been rung...that's not a surprise.

[Trip_Wire]

Originally posted by dvpj
The name rings a bell....but as many times as my bell's been rung...that's not a surprise.

Yeah me too!

I don't remember his first name, but he was involved in some of those early UW habitat business after he left Keyport.

[Sigi]

Great article on Capt Bartholomew. Thanks for posting that dvpj.