The Alexander

The Alexander is a destroyer ship located off Key Colony Beach in the Florida Keys. It can be reached by divers in the Key West area. The destroyer is located in 30 feet of water, making it a perfect site for divers and snorkelers. The actual depth of the ship is 22 to 39 feet. Visibility on the dive can be 29 to 59 feet. Alexander's Wreck was first known as the USS Amesbury. It is a 300 foot navy vessel of 35 feet width. The ship was built in 1943 in Massachusetts.

It was used as a transport ship landing many aircraft during World War II. It served during the Normandy Invasion and ended up in China. In 1946 after serving in Korea the ship was decommissioned.

The ship was placed near Marquesas Key. The military was going to use it for bombing practice; unfortunately it sank in a shipping lane before it could be used. Chet Alexander was a commercial salver. Using two thousand dollars he bought the boat, got it floating again and moved it to the shallow Gulf side of Key West in 1962. It has been there ever since as an artificial reef for scuba divers.