Mohawk Deer

Mohawk Deer is the wreck of a Canadian merchant freighter lying in Cala degli Inglesi (Bay of the English) on the Portofino promontory, at depths ranging from 20 to 40 metres. The ship has a long history: built in 1896 as the Waldo on the Great Lakes, she broke in two during a violent storm on Lake Superior in 1913, was salvaged the following year, and continued working cargo runs for more than six decades. At some point she was lengthened by 20 metres to reach nearly 140 metres overall, increasing her cargo capacity. She was later renamed Riverton and then Mohawk Deer after the Mohawk Navigation Co. acquired her in 1948. On 5 November 1967 she left Genoa under tow by a Yugoslav tugboat bound for a breakers' yard in La Spezia; a violent south-westerly gale parted the towline and she struck the Portofino headland, sinking in Cala degli Inglesi — and, as a curiosity, breaking in two again just as she had 54 years earlier in November on Lake Superior.

The wreck rests on a seabed that varies between 20 and 40 metres, making it the best-known wreck in the area. The hull lies in two sections, as it split during the sinking, and it has since become habitat for fish and marine life.

Conditions at Mohawk Deer are generally favourable: there is no current, and average visibility runs 15–20 metres. An advanced diving certification or equivalent is required to dive the site.