The Frederiksted Pier (officially named: Ann E. Abramson Marine Facility) is the 1,526-foot (0.465 km or 0.29 mile), deep water, cruise ship

pier image:Brighton Pier, Brighton, East Sussex, England-2Oct2011 (1).jpg, Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century. A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of ...

located in

Frederiksted, U.S. Virgin Islands Frederiksted is both the town and one of the two administrative districts of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. It is a grid-planned city, designed by surveyor Jens Beckfor, originally to 14x14 blocks but built 7x7 to enhance the island commerce in ...

. It is located at the west end of

Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorpo ...

and accommodate two Eagle-class vessels, of a maximum of 142,000 gross tons each with drafts up to 29 feet and two mini-cruise vessels with drafts of 18 feet. Anchorage is also available in the outer harbor for larger ships. The platform of the pier is equipped with a fendering system that is designed for submarines. A shopping area is located within walking distance to the pier. Additionally, ground transportation, public restrooms and other services are available. While the pier is the gateway to shopping in Frederiksted, taxis and tour buses take visitors to Christiansted for shopping, sightseeing, and on round-the-island tours. Elevation is 10 feet (3 meters) above sea level at the outermost point, with 3 foot (1 meter) high access platforms for entry onto scuba diving boats and sailing charters. The original pier was destroyed in 1989 by

Hurricane Hugo Hurricane Hugo was a powerful Cape Verde tropical cyclone that inflicted widespread damage across the northeastern Caribbean and the Southeastern United States in September 1989. Across its track, Hugo affected approximately 2 million peop ...

and again ravaged in 1995 by

Hurricane Marilyn Hurricane Marilyn was the most powerful hurricane to strike the Virgin Islands since Hurricane Hugo of 1989, and the third such tropical cyclone in roughly a two-week time span to strike or impact the Leeward Islands, the others being Hurricane ...

. Remains of the old pier are still there with decades of coral growth and sponges. Some of the old pier was used as landfill for the current pier platform, while the vast majority was removed and sunk two miles north in 110 foot deep water at a

dive site Recreational dive sites are specific places that recreational scuba divers go to enjoy the underwater environment or for training purposes. They include technical diving sites beyond the range generally accepted for recreational diving. In this c ...

known as Armageddon.

Uses, features, special events

The pier is a popular destination for

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

enthusiasts, snorkeling, sport fishermen, swimming competitions, and internationally recognized stand-up

paddleboarding Paddleboarding is a water sport in which participants are propelled by a swimming motion using their arms while lying or kneeling on a paddleboard or surfboard in the ocean or other body of water. This article refers to traditional prone or kneeli ...

competition the Coconut Cup. There is a large public beach directly off the pier, used by locals and tourists for strolls and scenic views, as well as many restaurants and bars. Scuba on the Frederiksted Pier is a shallow dive, ideal for trying scuba the first time course resort diving, for extended shore diving,

night diving Night diving is underwater diving done during the hours of darkness. It frequently refers specifically to recreational diving which takes place in darkness. The diver can experience a different underwater environment at night, because many marine ...

, and especially for

underwater photography Underwater photography is the process of taking photographs while under water. It is usually done while scuba diving, but can be done while diving on surface supply, snorkeling, swimming, from a submersible or remotely operated underwater veh ...

—rated one of the best dives in the territory. Dive shops in Frederiksted include Ne2une Scuba, St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures (SCUBA) and Adventures in Diving STX.

References

External links

The Ann E. Abramson Marine Facility
{{Recreational dive sites, reesit Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Piers in the United States Coastal construction Marine architecture Underwater diving sites in the Caribbean 1994 establishments in the United States Virgin Islands Infrastructure in the United States Virgin Islands Transport infrastructure completed in 1994