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Haunting's - The Haunted U-Boat
By Mark Milburn on 29 October 2008 -
Almost two years into the Great War, the battlefields of France and Belgium were literally running red with blood. Hundreds of thousands of young men were dying, an entire generation consigned to the mud and mayhem of trench warfare along the Western Front. The conflagration was so evenly matched that victories were measured in mere yards.
Neither side could muster the reserves for that one decisive thrust to punch through the other’s defenses, and the war developed into a grotesque stalemate – except that in this case, the pawns were the young men of England, Germany and France.
The only breakthrough in the war, it seemed, might come at sea where, by the summer of 1916, the Kaiser’s navy, led by the wolf packs of U-boat submarines, was beginning to take a heavy toll on British shipping.
Manina - Shipwreck Research Information
By on 14 October 2008 - comments
WRECKED ON STACK SKERRY
ORCADIAN 11 APRIL 1968
SEVEN DIE – TWO MISSING
Nine men were lost – two of them are still missing – when the 1,333 ton Greek cargo ship Manina was wrecked on Stack Skerry 37 miles west of Orkney, early on Monday morning. Five survivors picked up by the Swedish tanker Vassijaure, were taken to Stornoway.
It was just before five; in the morning, when the Manina (formerly the Norwegian vessel Corvus), on passage from Bergen to Glasgow, radioed an SOS message saying she had grounded on the 120 ft Stack, which is five miles south-west of Suleskerry Lighthouse, she said that one of the holds was full of water and that the crew, 14 strong, were abandoning ship. The ship’s red flares were seen by the Suleskerry lightkeepers.
Freesia - Shipwreck Research Information
By on 12 October 2008 - comments
TRAGEDY OFF THE EVIE COAST.
The Orkney Herald, Wednesday, January 4th 1922.
TRAGEDY OFF THE EVIE COAST
Grimsby trawler sinks after striking rocks
Nine lives lost
TWO OF THE CREW SAVED BY STROMNESS LIFEBOAT
On Sunday morning 1st at about 9.15 a.m., Mr George L.Thomson, Hon secretary of the Stromness Lifeboat received a telegram stating,
‘’Steamer struck and damaged near Keith Hall wreck Birsay, she is burning flare lights. ‘’ Immediately on receiving the above, Mr Thomson called out the lifeboat crew and notified the Rocket Brigade, all of whom responded to the call in the shortest of time, and the Lifeboat left the harbour at 9.40 to render assistance. The weather at the time was very rough, and a heavy land sea was breaking on the shore all along the west side. While the lifeboat was proceeding on her way, the Rocket Company, in motors, under the direction of Mr William Couper, were making for Birsay to assist if needed, and Mr Thomson and a party of expert signallers also left for Costa, Evie, and other vantage points , where they could signal and direct the lifeboat on her arrival from Stromness.
Isle of Erin - Shipwreck Research Information
By on 10 October 2008 - comments
Shipwreck Research Information
Stamped beside her entry in Lloyd’s register of 1908/9 are the words “Missing since 10, 08.”
The following reports appeared in the Shipping gazette and Lloyd’s list weekly summary and Lloyd’s list:-
ISLE OF ERIN. – Kirkwall, Oct. 27, 3.15 p.m.
Reported here from North Ronaldshay that a barque passed near the lighthouse on Monday night with heavy list, yardarms near the water; also a broken boat drove ashore with name Isle of Erin.
A Long Weekend in Plymouth, The James Egan Layne
By Mark Milburn on 24 September 2008 - comments
Long before the Scylla was sunk as an artificial reef off Whitsand bay, there was another attraction, the James Egan Layne. The WWII liberty ship was sunk in March 1945 by a torpedo from U1195 and although some salvage was undertaken, the war finished soon after and apart from the later salvage of the propellor, propshaft, condensor and some brass shell cases, JEL lies fairly intact.
JEL has been a favourite of divers for years, the combination of its shallow depth, the amount of cargo on it and the pure size of it makes it the most likely wreck in any U.K. divers logbook.
The Luna - Shipwreck Research Information
By Kevin Heath on 24 September 2008 - comments
Royal Cornwall Gazette
The fearful gale which raged through Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday has been accompanied by many shipping disasters and serious loss of life. The stranding of the steamship “Renwick” at Falmouth on Thursday night was followed by a far more serious wreck near Cape Cornwall on Sunday. The rugged and deadly reef of rocks known as the Brissons, about 2 miles north of Lands End and about a mile from Cape Cornwall have nearly as bad a record for sacrifice of life as the dreaded Manacles.
On Sunday evening when the wind was blowing a gale at N.W. by W. a barque was sighted in distress off Pendeen. She had apparently lost her foretopmast and head gear, and was standing south with the intention of clearing Lands End. Noticing the disabled condition of the vessel, the coast-guard watched eagerly for distress signals, but there were none, and it was not until a quarter to 9 o’clock – when she was within 4 miles of land – that rockets were fired and flares burnt.
Clan Alpine - Shipwreck Research Information
By Kevin Heath on 17 September 2008 - comments
Cornish Telegraph: Wednesday 5th February 1873
WRECK OF S.S. “CLAN ALPINE”
Intelligence has reached Falmouth of the total wreck of the steamer “CLAN ALPINE”, of Liverpool, commanded by Captain Nelson,and the loss of thirteen lives. During the terrific gale on Saturday night she was driven ashore at the Blackhead, near Coverack, not many miles from Falmouth coastward’s. The tremendous sea soon made havoc of the ship. Of those on board, seventeen managed to get on shore, among them the second mate. The “CLAN ALPINE”, 917-tons, is a screw steamer, belonging to the Parana Steam Shipping Company, and had put into Antwerp to discharge part of her cargo from the Brazils. She left Antwerp about six o’clock on Friday evening for Liverpool with thirty-one hands on board, including Captain, the ship’s husband. On Saturday evening, a tremendous gale from the Southeast sprung up at eight o’clock.
Day 2 – City of Mexico – Oh the Wildlife!
By Tim Ingmire on 11 September 2008 - comments
Plan:
- 48 metres for 30mins
- Back gas: air
- Deco with 70% switch at 12m
- TDT: 78mins
The Dive:
This started very much as the previous day arriving at the boat an hour before ropes-off to gear up and the briefing from Jack. This time however, our cylinders had appeared on the boat as if by magic, having been filled the previous evening – all we had to do was analyse the gas in the stages and adjust our plans accordingly. Nice and easy, just the way I like it. I just wished that all my diving started out like this.
SMS BADEN
By Mark Ellyat on 11 September 2008 - comments
Wreck diving is my passion, whether deep or shallow. As a child I would visit naval dockyards on their yearly open days, and explore huge battle ships as much as time and energy allowed. When I learned to dive, my interest grew even more, as now I could explore huge ships from propeller to mast without breaking a sweat!
A Long Weekend in Plymouth, H.M.S. Elk
By Mark Milburn on 9 September 2008 - comments
In service twice
H.M.S. Elk was originally built in 1902, a 108ft long, 181 ton fishing trawler. Requisitioned as a minesweeper in WWI, then returned as a trawler after the war, then requisitioned again as a marker buoy layer in WWII. Then hit a mine and sunk, irony!
Expedition with Deep Wreck Divers: Maldavia
By Tim Ingmire on 8 September 2008 - comments
Day 1 – HMS Moldavia – The shakedown!
Plan:
Bottom Time 50m for 25 mins
Twin 12’s with Air. Single 7L Deco gas: 80% switch at 9m
TDT: 69mins
The Dive:
This was it, my first deep dive in the UK briney. And not just any waters, oh no, this was doing it proper. This was the English Channel with big ships, potentially dreadful viz and strong currents. This was a dive that required support divers and accelerated staged decompression with a real deco trapeze – a dive that would use and need all the knowledge and experience that I had built up – one that had been carefully planned. Richard and I had been practicing this type of dive in Dorothea for this very trip but this was the real thing and potentially very different from diving in a quarry. Oh, and we were a long way from land – a very long way.
S.S. Stanwood
By Mark Milburn on 5 September 2008 -
The Stanwood was a 4158 ton steamship, that had been confiscated from the Germans at the end of the Great War (WW1). It was used for carrying cargo for many years, until one day in December 1939, she caught fire.
The Heroine - A Colony Of Congers!
By Jane Wilkinson on 2 September 2008 - comments
The townsfolk of Lyme were woken by the loud sound of canon fire reverberating across the bay. Quickly they rushed down to the Cobb, as they knew that a ship was in trouble for the date was 1852 and this was a distress signal. Undeterred by the raging storm that lashed the walls of the Cobb the watching crowd could just make out the distinct shape of a ship that was now beginning to sink; it was the Heroine, a wooden sailing barque on its way from London to Australia.
SS Yongala - One Of The Best!
By Jane Wilkinson on 1 September 2008 - comments
It’s in the top ten!
SS Yongala is regarded as one of the world’s best wreck diving sites. Whilst everyone has their own personal favourites no one could possibly dispute the amazing sight of this awesome wreck with its mass of marine life.
New deep wreck in Hurghada, Red Sea
By Paul Vinten on 31 August 2008 - comments
The number of technical divers discovering the wonders of the Egyptian Red Sea is on the steady increase with the availability of support now for both open and closed circuit divers. The numerous deep reefs around Hurghada, Sharm and Dahab provide a multitude of sites for visiting ‘tekkies’, but it is nearly always the wrecks which get the adrenaline of a deep diver pumping.
Wreck Diving in Mull
By Mark Davies on 26 August 2008 - comments [1]
Beautiful Sound
When I first dived at the Sound of Mull on the west coast of Scotland I simply fell in love with the place. Since then it has made its way onto my annual ‘must do’ diving list and I usually make it one of my first diving trips of the season. Year after year the Sound has never failed to deliver. It has everything that is best in UK diving – magnificent coastal scenery, sheltered dive sites that let you get in the water in almost any weather (and the weather is usually very good) and most important of all, absolutely fabulous wrecks!
To dive or not to dive
By Mark Milburn on 24 August 2008 - comments
Bad weather
All week the weather had been building, dives were being called off everywhere. Several people had called me to see what I was doing. I had been booked on a boat for the weekend on a trip organised by Colin, the local dive shop owner. Some of his ex-dive club members from ‘up north’ were on their way down for a long weekend of diving.
I had been watching the weather forecast all week and it didn’t look good. I called Colin and he said it was going to be up to the skipper to call it. Not always the best move – they need to make money after all. I was booked on, so I would see what was going to happen.
The Sphene
By Mark Milburn on 22 August 2008 - comments
It was about time
We have all been living the easy life recently. All our recent dives have been off hard boats, usually Shaun’s ‘Redeemer’, which has a lift, heated cabin etc. The sun had been blazing all week and there were no spaces left on Shaun’s boat. Nothing had been planned, so it was about time I took my RIB out.
The Derbent
By Mark Davies on 19 August 2008 - comments
Anglesey is beginning to win me over. I’m starting to realise that there are two sides to this, my most local sea diving location. There is no doubt that when diving inshore, where depths of less than 30m can be found for regular no-decompression diving, the conditions can be . . . variable. Visibility is rarely great, tides can be strong and difficult to predict without expert local knowledge and the weather is very changeable.
This all adds up to some challenging diving. However, extend the range of your diving, as I have done recently, and you are then able to explore the deeper, offshore waters. Head further out, generally in depths of about 40m, and conditions are much more favourable. Added to that, there are some great wrecks to be found.
HMAS Swan - First Down Under
By Jane Wilkinson on 18 August 2008 - comments
I wasn’t very interested in diving this wreck. Divers I came across kept asking me had I done it and what was it like, but to be honest I wasn’t that interested.
HMAS Swan like the Syclla in the UK are what I personally refer to as ‘designer wrecks’. They are ships that have been deliberately prepared for diving and sunk, all in a very sanitised manner. There is nothing wrong with this but I just prefer my wrecks ‘au natural’ and if they have a bit of a story behind them even better.
Diving The Ajax
By Alan Ewart on 12 August 2008 - comments
It’s been a bit bizarre down here in the Poole area lately. I mean Easter was in Mid-April and divers were reporting 10 Metre visibility on some of our popular wrecks. On the 18th of April I went out to Dive the Kyarra on an evening dive and did in fact enjoy 10M visibility. The following weekend I dived her twice and found the visibility even better. Out of curiosity I checked my logbook and found that I dived the Kyarra on the 17th April last year and the visibility had been so poor that I lost my buddy on the shot-line!
Wreck Detectives
By Jason Gibbs on 10 August 2008 - comments
Jason Gibbs provides us with an insight into the trials, tribulations and frustrations involved in running an underwater shoot for the recently screened TV diving series ‘Wreck Detectives’
I Wake up wondering where the hell I am and, for that matter, what am I doing here? Looking around my hotel room I remember that I’m in Normandy, working as Underwater Producer and Cameraman on Channel 4’s ‘Wreck Detectives’.
Diving the Salem Express
By Alan Edwards on 1 August 2005 - comments
Truly an awesome wreck, and the best wreck the Red Sea has to offer, the Thistlegorm can have the tag of being the most famous Red Sea wreck, but it just simply isn’t the best. The Thistlegorm and the Dunraven just cannot compare historically or aesthetically to the haunting beauty of the Salem Express, which fills your senses on every dive.
To dive on a wreck where over a thousand poor souls have been rumored to have lost their lives makes the dive completely different from any other. Any dive group dropping down on it will have the history of what happened foremost in their minds. Monica and Alan at Travel-Dive dived this wreck for this article and to this day it’s our favourite dive in the Red Sea and our favourite wreck in the world. Never before have we seen a group dive on a site before with such dignity and thoughfulness.