One of Grand Cayman’s most-popular dive sites — the artificial reef site Kittiwake — was impacted by Tropical Storm Nate as it first began developing in the Caribbean. The 251-foot-long ship was purpose-sunk in 60 feet of water near the Sand Chute dive site, close to Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach in 2011.

According to reports on Sunday, October 8, the popular shipwreck was toppled on its port side. It was initially closed to divers, pending an assessment to make sure it was stable.

According to various reports, the 10-foot seas that were the result of Tropical Storm Nate impacted the Seven Mile Beach and the West Bay coastline. The stormy seas pushed against the Kittiwake and snapped the anchor chains, pushing it over. A team from Divetech on island went out to survey the wreck and any damage it may have suffered. They reported that the wreck is mostly undamaged, although it now sits at a different angle.

"It's still in as good shape as it was before, just leaning on its side," says Jo Mikutowicz, managing partner of Divetech. "All of the marine life is still there. And you can still penetrate the whole wreck — it just sits at a different angle now."

The Cayman Islands' Department of Environment made its own assessment and reported that a small portion of the nearby coral reef — about 10 to 15 feet — was damaged by the Kittiwake. The DoE says it is concerned about further damage to the coral reef should the wreck be moved by a future storm and is now discussing what it can do to protect the reef, according to the Cayman News Service.

Launched on July 10, 1945, the former U.S. Navy vessel USS Kittiwake ran countless rescue missions for 54 years until she was decommissioned in 1994. The 251-foot, 2,200-ton ship was acquired by the Cayman Islands government in 2008 and sunk as an artificial reef in 2011. During its 49 years of service, the ship was deployed throughout the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

The vessel was acquired by the Cayman Islands government in 2008 and sunk as an artificial reef in 2011.

The ship has had a long association with scuba divers. Kittiwake accompanied submarines during sea trials where its crew would monitor dive operations and practice underwater-rescue procedures. Kittiwake also helped during salvage and rescue operations, such as in 1949, when it provided divers and equipment during an operation to free the Missouri after it had become grounded off Thimble Shores, Virginia. In 1949, Clyde M. Prickett set a new open-water deep-diving record for the Navy while serving aboard Kittiwake, descending to a record-breaking depth of 501 feet.

Nancy Easterbrook, founder of Cayman’s Divetech and the project manager overseeing the ship's sinking, thought the Kittiwake was the perfect wreck to put down in Grand Cayman waters.

“She was a ship that served divers all of her life,” Easterbrook told CNN at the time. “So it seemed the appropriate ship.”