Astron (ship)

Astron (previously named Esmeralda and Bonnie) is a shipwreck located off the coast of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. She was a Russian-owned cargo ship built in France by Chantiers de l'Atlantique during 1957. She was 127 metres (417 feet) long, 27,990 gross tons, and was a motor ship.[1][3]

The Astron shipwreck in 2008
History
Name	Esmeralda
Operator	Compagnie Auxiliaire De Navigation[1]
Builder	Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France[1]
Yard number	L17[1]
Launched	1957
Out of service	1972
Fate	Acquired by Pontiac Shipping Co. Ltd 1972[1]
History
Name	Bonnie
In service	1972[1]
Out of service	1976[1]
Fate	renamed Astron[1]
History
Name	Astron
Owner	Pontiac Shipping Co. Ltd[1]
Port of registry	Panama
In service	1976[1]
Identification	IMO number: 5106380[1]
Fate	Run aground in off Punta Cana, 7 April 1978[1]
General characteristics
Type	Oil tanker
Tonnage	26,947 GRT[1] 27,990 GT[2] 47,012 DWT[2]
Length	127 m
Propulsion	Steam Turbine[1]
Speed	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)[1]

Astron was delivering 60 tons of corn to Cuba on 7 April 1978, when she ran aground at Punta Cana during a storm. However, there is no hurricane or tropical storm listed during this date in the history of the Atlantic Hurricane season of 1978.[4] This ship either hit a mine, was torpedoed, or intentionally scuttled, evidenced by the extensive ripped steel of the lower hull.[5] She broke into two distinct sections with the bow above the water and the stern underwater, with 7,330 barrels of bunker fuel reported lost in the incident. The wreck is in water 16 metres (52 feet) deep, meaning it can be visited by scuba divers.[3]

As of 2018 only a small portion remains above water.

The Astron shipwreck in 2010