HMS Vixen - Somerset Village, Bermuda - Shipwrecks on Waymarking.com

H.M.S. Vixen was a three-masted, steam-driven, inside-out ironclan British gunboat. The interior was iron and the hull covered in teak wood to inhibit marine organisms. It was built in Deptford, England in 1867. Because of her design she was slow and useless as a ramming vessel. She was withdrawn from service in 1887 and taken to Bermuda as a part of the islands’ coastal defense system.

In 1896 her engines were removed and she was sunk off Daniel’s Head to prevent possible attacks on the Royal Naval Dockyard on nearby North Ireland Island. The bow of the HMS Vixen remains visible above the water.

Today the shipwreck is a very popular tourist attraction. Glass bottom tour boats regularly visit the HMS Vixen to view the wreck and the wide variety of reef fish attracted to the wreck. The HMS Vixen is classified as a protected wreck. A permit is required to scuba dive, but not to snorkel, over the wreck. For permit information, contact the Bermuda Department of Marine and Ports, 441-295-6575.

Date of Shipwreck: 1896 Type of Boat: Other Military or Civilian: Military Cause of Shipwreck: Scuttled Accessibility: Easily reached by many tour boats or by private boat. Diving Permitted: yes

Visit Instructions:
Only log the site if you have visited it personally.
Floating over a site does not qualify as a find if it is a wreck that requires diving - you must have actually visited the site - therefore photos of the site are good.

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