New Jersey Scuba Diving

Type:

shipwreck, freighter, Chile ( originally Denmark )

Name:

Tolten is a city on the central coast of Chile.

Built:

1938, Denmark, as Lotta

Specs:

( 280 x 43 ft ) 1858 gross tons, 28 crew

Sunk:

Friday March 13, 1942
torpedoed by U-404 - 27 casualties

Depth:

95 ft

Despite being a neutral Chilean ship, the Tolten was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine early in the war. The U-boat crews called this period of the war "The Happy Time" since their marauding off the U.S. coastline went almost completely unopposed. The Tolten was actually the Danish ship Lotta, which was taken over and renamed by the Chilean government after Denmark fell to the Germans. After the war, the U-boat captain admitted that in the dark he could not tell what ship he was firing on. The U-404 sank the Lemuel Burrows the next day. After the war, the wreck was wire-dragged to reduce its menace to shipping.

As with many wrecks like this, most of the remaining structure is found at the bow and stern, while in-between is mostly a flattened-out. The broken bow rises at least 20 ft off the bottom, and in the stern area, there are several large enclosed spaces that may be entered. The wreck lies roughly east-west and is contiguous, which simplifies navigation.

Much of the wreckage is overgrown with a luxurious layer of hydroids, anemones, and other marine life. Lobstering seems to be better along the south edge, in and around the fallen masts and hull plates, and the Tolten is a regular producer in this regard. Conditions this far offshore are often excellent, although this is usually a chilly dive.

Most of the wreckage forward ( west ) of the boilers is low-lying. The entire wreck is smeared off to the starboard ( north ) side, no doubt from the wire-drag. This may be a hatch coaming.

The starboard anchor was found off the wreck and salvaged several years ago. The propeller was removed long ago.