
COORDINATES: 26843.3, 41420.0
The USS Washington (BB-47) was intended to be a Colorado-class
battleship that was never completed due to an arms treaty signed
in 1922. In order to recoup some of the costs that were incurred
from building this 624' long dreadnought, items that could be
utilized on other vessels were removed. The huge steel hull,
lacking her shafts and screws, was towed to the Southern Drill
Grounds, 60 miles off Virginia, to be used as a test victim for
various explosion experiments. After multiple days of being
subjected to detonations and explosions, the USS Washington
was sunk by salvos from the 14" and 9" guns of USS
Texas on 25 November 1924.

The wreck lies upside down with her keel reaching 240', the sand at 290'. The large inverted hull does not present many penetration opportunities. Furthermore, due to the scrapping prior to her sinking, there are most likely few artifacts or other interesting items at this site; while perhaps presenting an impressive sight, this wreck has few appealing features. This site has been known for decades as the 44 Fathom Wreck and the British Aircraft Carrier.