Amaryllis

The Amaryllis, a Greek-owned freighter, met its fate off Singer Island, approximately four miles north of Palm Beach. En route from Manchester, England, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the ship ran aground on September 8, 1965, during Hurricane Betsy’s storm-churned seas. Despite four months of tug efforts, the cost of saving the ship exceeded its value, leading to abandonment. Samuel McIntosh of Miami later purchased the beached vessel but also abandoned the project. Over the next 32 months, the Amaryllis remained on the beach, drawing attention as both an eyesore and an environmental concern. In January 1967, the security guard, Clifford S. Valentine, was arrested for allowing local teenagers to use the freighter for late-night parties. A suspicious fire broke out in February 1967, burning for over a day. Eventually, the US Army Corps of Engineers removed the superstructure and successfully pulled the hulk off the beach in August 1968. The Amaryllis, originally named Cromwell Park, now rests on the ocean floor, resembling a 400-foot-long canoe. Located just north of the Palm Beach Inlet, the Amaryllis is part of an artificial reef site known as “The Corridor.” Other wrecks in the area include the yacht Mizpah, the patrol craft U.S.S. PC-1174 (U.S.S. Fredonia), an 80-foot-long barge, and piles of concrete pilings—all connected by lines of limestone boulders. Diving during flood tide is recommended, as an outgoing tide can stir up murky water from the inlet.