USS Massachusetts

One of the best small boat dives in the Pensacola area. The wreck is mainly intact, but some sections are covered by sand. USS Massachusetts (BB-2), an Indiana-class battleship, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the sixth state. She was launched on 10 June 1893. Scuttled off Pensacola Bay, Florida, on 6 January 1921, the hulk was bombarded by batteries from Fort Pickens for four years! On 15 November 1956, the ship was declared the property of the state of Florida. In 1993, the site was dedicated as an underwater archaeological preserve by the state of Florida, designed to become an artificial reef. Characteristics: Displacement: 10,288 t Length: 350.9 ft Beam: 69.3 ft Draft: 24 ft Speed: 16.21 knots Complement: 586 officers and men Armament: 4 x 13-inch guns, 8 x 8-inch guns, 4 x 6-inch guns, 2 x 3-inch guns, 20 x 6-pounders, 6 x 1-pounders, 6 x 18-inch torpedo tubes