Benjamin Noble Dive Site Description

Benjamin Noble Site Description

Depth Range:
360 feet to 375 feet (estimated)

The Benjamin Noble lies in slightly over 360 feet of water in a crater created by its collision with the bottom of the lake. When the Noble hit the bottom bow first, it created a trench-like crater as it cut into the clay bottom. We believe the bow cabins are totally buried with the keel under the bow an estimated 50 feet below the lake bottom. It appears the shear sides of the crater tower above the forward cargo deck by about fifteen feet. The stern sits buried in the mud up to the portholes. The fantail sits out of the mud by a mere three feet although near the forward end of the stern cabins the bulwark is closer to eight feet above the lake bottom. We were amazed at the damage, more like destruction, of the stern cabins. The stern cabins are totally oil-canned by the pressure of the rapid plunge to the bottom. Skylights are gone and open. All interior walls are rubble except for the steel bulkheads between the engine spaces. The cabin roof slopes steeply down into the center of the ship. The mast lies on top of the stern cabins. At the base of the mast are the boom joints and the hoisting engine, but the booms are broken and lie off to the sides of the ship. The forward section of boiler cabin is accordioned and the roof is bent over the front wall of the cabin. The cabin area is strewn with cables and twisted metal especially forward where the bulwarks turned into cable handrails. The hull is torn and broken just forward of the rise to the poop deck. The most intact area is the outer cabin walls and roof overhang on the fantail. The mid-ship cargo decks slope at about a 20 degree angle into the lake bottom. The two cargo hatches forward of the stern cabins are above the lake bottom and you can see the rails inside. The forward two holds are just rectangular depressions in the mud. Various pieces of debris surround the wreck including the wooden booms to the mast, the galley stack, and the life-boat with three sets of oars and a boathook lashed on the seats. The wreck is covered with a heavy layer of silt and visibility ranged from 15 to 20 feet before silting.