LA FAMILLE EXPRESS WRECK

he La Famille Express is a grounded shipwreck and popular landmark near the island of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos. It’s located about two miles (3.2 km) off of Long Bay Beach on the southeast side of the island.How Did the La Famille Express Get There?

The history of the La Famille Express (also known as the Long Bay Shipwreck) began in 1953 in a much colder environment–the Soviet Union. The vessel started life as an oil rig service ship, transferring supplies to remote offshore oil wells. At its initial lunch, the ship was christened the Форт-Шевченко, or Fort Shevchenko in English, after the military port town in the Caspian Sea.

Decades later in 1992, the Fort Shevchenko was decommissioned. For about ten years, the ship saw various uses in the Baltic area, and then became the maritime La Famille Express under the Panama flag in 1999, and served as a regional freighter ship in the Caribbean. At this point in its life, the La Famille Express was in poor condition and was being used to transport bulk rock, not something that a valued freighter ship would be used for.

The La Famille Express became firmly planted in the shallow waters of the Caicos Banks during Hurricane Frances in 2004. Under the high winds, the unmanned vessel had actually dragged its anchor from the South Dock area of Providenciales, a distance of almost 12 miles (19 km). This anchor is still in the water near the ship.

• EXPLORE THE WRECK OF LA FAMILLE EXPRESS

• FIND THE ANCHOR OFF THE BOW SECTION

• SNORKEL THE HULL FOR MARINE LIFE

• TAKE A SELFIE WITH THE FAMOUS SHIP

Snorkeling the LFE Wreck