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Photo courtesy of the
Florida Division of Historical Resources.
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Built in 1906 at Kiel, Germany, the 366 ton, schooner-rigged steel yacht Germania participated in the prestigious Kaiser Cup races and Cowes regattas before being captured as a prize of war by the British in 1914. Auctioned in 1917, she was renamed Exen and brought to the United States by her new Norwegian owner. Purchased by a former Assistant Secretary of the Navy and renamed Half Moon in 1922, the yacht nearly sank during a severe storm off of Cape Hatteras. Sold again shortly thereafter, she served as a floating saloon/casino in Miami during Prohibition. She sank in the Miami River during the 1926 hurricane but was raised to become a fishing barge anchored in the Gulf Stream. During a storm in 1930, she sank for the last time on a shoal in 10 feet of water off Key Biscayne. Located near Marker #2 in Bear Cut, between Virginia Key and Key Biscayne, at 25° 43.638’N and 80° 08.067’W, Half Moon is the seventh State Underwater Archaeological Preserve, providing a colorful shallow-water snorkeling and diving destination.
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