It took me a second to say yes to the opportunity of touring the secret interiors of an enormous oceangoing freighter off Aruba. The ship pretended to sail with nothing more in mind than peaceful commerce, but it was in fact supplying German wartime submarines lurking in dark waters. The Antilla, off the shores of Aruba, was sunk in 1939, the first year of World War II, and is today a scuba-diving site.

Approximately 400 feet in length, it is thought to be the largest shipwreck in the Caribbean. And it’s a beauty, an endless labyrinth of mysterious corridors, swarms of silverside fish teaming the cargo hull, chambers for ammunition and a mast rising from the depths and breaking the water’s surface in a last hurrah.

The Germans deployed many ships to the waters of Aruba, an independent nation close to the South American country of Venezuela and which until was part of the Netherlands. When Adolf Hitler attacked Holland, however, the Dutch administers of Aruba and its neighboring islands no longer wanted German ships in their seas. They demanded that the Antilla surrender. Its captain asked for a day to collect personal belongings, but what he really wanted was time in which to scupper his own vessel, refusing to allow it to fall into enemy hands. He and his crew dumped the ship’s cargo overboard and blasted a hole in its side. The Dutch could only watch it sink before their eyes. Visitors wishing to see what is left can book a snorkeling or scuba-diving trip to the ship with Red Sail Aruba (www.redsailaruba.com), which also arranges trips to 10 other wrecks, including planes.

The most famous wreck in the waters of Curaçao is the Superior Producer. This also is referred to as the “Christmas Wreck,” as the 3,000-ton freighter was so overloaded with Christmas goodies that it sunk from the weight in 1977. Local folk grabbed snorkels and collected booty from the doomed ship, which is now a colorful medley of fish and coral. No presents remain. Carib Sea Sports (www.caribseasports.com) organizes a visits to the site, which is right by the Marriott Curaçao Resort & Emerald Casino.

On Bonaire, pick up your snorkeling mask to discover sailboat and plane wrecks directly off hotel beaches. A top pick is the Hilma Hooker, a Colombian cargo ship that was found to contain 12 tons of marijuana and cocaine in a secret compartment welded to the hull. Though the ship’s captain was jailed, the owner decided not to claim the ship and it was sunk in 100 feet of water as an artificial reef.