Pedernalis

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The Pedernalis is a World War II-era shipwreck off the coast of Aruba in the Caribbean Sea.

The Pedernalis is a popular scuba diving destination.

The Pedernalis was a small size oil tanker, which transported oil between Maracaibo Venezuela and the oil refinery on both Aruba and Curaçao. In 1942, during World War II, several of these tankers were in front of the refinery on Aruba. The German U-boat U-156 attacked the refinery and hit some of the tankers in front of the refinery coast line, one of these being the Pedernalis.

While it didn't sink, it drifted afloat burning and it was towed to the west side of the island, where it sat in 25 feet of water. The bow and stern of the ship were salvaged and converted into another smaller vessel, which might have been used in the invasion at Normandy.

The rest of the ships damaged mid section was left were it was anchored and after WW II the Dutch navy used this area for target practice for their aircraft stationed on these islands. These bombing practice cause the remains of the wreck to be scattered over an area, which has eight sections of the wreckage.

The maximum depth for scuba diving at this site is 25 feet and the three main sections of the wreckage are used daily by the local dive operators.

These remnants rest in 25 feet of water at N 12.57889 W 070.05833.