The S.S. Sapona was one of a fleet of concrete ships originally commissioned by former U.S. President, Woodrow Wilson, to serve as troops transport during WWI.
The ship was completed after the end of the war, it was sold for scrap to Carl Fisher, who used it as a casino and then for oil storage, before it was purchased in 1924 by Bruce Bethell, a liquor merchant out of Nassau. Bethell moved the ship to Bimini and used it as a floating warehouse to store and distribute his liquor supply during the Prohibition Era, earning his nickname ‘Bimini’s Rum King’.
During a hurricane in 1926, the ship ran aground on the bank. It was then used as a bombing target for U.S. fighter planes during World War II. During that time a group of five U.S. bombers mysteriously disappeared while returning from a run to the Sapona on December 5, 1945, all target practice on the Sapona stopped immediately.
The wreck sits in 15 feet of water, just a few miles off of South Bimini, and most of the concrete hull has now been worn away by the elements, time by the bombings and weathering. Today, you can still see some of the ship’s inner workings and might find an interesting souvenir from the past as you swim among the multitude of tropical fish. The wreck itself is both a navigational landmark for boaters and a popular scuba and snorkeling site. Some brave but foolish souls even dare to climb & dive 40 feet into the ocean from atop of the ship.
Recognized as South Florida’s most trusted Captain & Crew as Captain & Boat Owner, Captain Chase was voted Top Five for Charter Boat Captains in South Florida by CBS for his distinguished community service & his dedication to his clients & as the Co-Founder of ‘Get Kids Fishing’ Foundation.
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