Totally Wrecked 2006

Totally Wrecked – Red Sea, January 2006
Outlaw Divers Rock ‘n’ Roll in Egypt
By Louby Lou


I hope you enjoy my trip report, and Beanie’s and my images. It was the first time with our new camera and my first time in a long time since I photographed underwater. Whilst I am not entirely sure what to write, it’s pretty much a general report and some bits to boot about the wrecks we dived.

I’d just like to add that at the time we were out in the Red Sea, we experienced some horrific weather conditions, and sadly they contributed to the ferry disaster, which took the lives of 1000 people on the night of 3 February 2006; may God rest their souls in peace.


Somewhere back in the midst of time, Edster uttered the words “Red Sea Trip” and my ears pinned themselves back and listened. Oh, yes! The Red Sea on the unit, how could we say no? Beanie had never dived in warm, blue water before and it seemed like the perfect way to start the year. No sooner had we said yes, New Year was over and the countdown was on…


Friday, 27th January 2006
Countdown – 2 Days and counting
Location – Cirencester, UK

Argh… Last minute panic! Chassis’ were still being bolted and riveted together at 5.30pm on Friday, after being freshly laser cut that afternoon. Then more panic… Not all our kit would fit in both suitcases, so an impromptu visit to Tesco’s (the joys of 24-hour supermarkets) ensued and finally we got everything packed and ready to go.

Beanie and I were testing the SPB chassis that he and Simon (aka Padowan) had been designing and my brother had manufactured for us, so space and weight were on our side.

Weighting in at 23.5kg and 26kg we weren’t overly worried about excess baggage, plus most of it was in our hand luggage; but we had a cunning plan


Saturday, 28th January 2006
Countdown – 1 Day and counting
Location – Gatwick, UK

With a long day ahead, we decided to make the most out of Gatwick and crashed overnight at the Hilton. Dumping all our gear, we headed off out for dinner and a chance to catch up with everyone and talk about the week ahead. Fuelled by red wine, a peaceful night’s sleep was had by all, ready for a 5.30am start.


Sunday, 29th January 2006
Countdown – Lift Off!
Location – Gatwick, UK and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

Ooh, early start. A scout around South terminal at Gatwick the night before had given us a rough idea of where we were heading. With a check in time of 6am, we decided that the earlier we were there the better not to beat just the queues, but hoping that we wouldn’t get stung for an excess baggage. Hand luggage was strategically left back in the hotel rooms just in case we should be the lucky ones to get the check-in person who had had a rough night the night before ?

Luckily, check-in went smoothly and no one blinked at the 2-4kgs some of us were overweight by. Although, others who checked in later on were not so lucky. Back to the hotel for a shower, pick up the hand luggage, check-out and off to while an hour or so away at Gatwick departures.

5 Hours or so later, we touch down in Sharm. Local time 4.30pm and another hour or so or immigration and baggage collection, the warmth of the evening air as we emerge from Sharm airport at 5.30 is a welcome change to the 4°C we’d left behind in the UK. A short transfer and we were welcomed on board MV Diamond Safaga by our hosts for the week Steve and Malin and the Crew. Once we had handed over 18 pairs of stinky shoes and set dive kit up it was time to hit the bed and catch some sleep ready for the first day of diving and a 5.30am start!

This was to be Diamond’s last week as part of the fleet operating out of Sharm and was transferring up to Safaga at the end of the week. We were going to give her an amazing last week.


Monday, 30th January 2006
Location – Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Pool’s Open!

Urgh, 5.30am and the sun isn’t up yet but it’s the first day of diving and fuelled by a good nights sleep and enthusiasm its time for the first briefing of the week!

I cannot praise the dive guides, Steve and Malin, enough. Every dive was accompanied by a thorough brief of the site, the points of interest, what to expect and for the wrecks a full brief of the ship’s history and her sad demise. Malin’s site diagrams were perfect and the ideal accompaniment to Steve’s briefings giving us an idea of what to expect and where to go when we were down there.

Dive 1 – Ras Katy

Just round the corner from Sharm, the first dive of the week was at Ras Katy, situated in the Ras Mohammed National Park the sheltered site, made for the ideal check out dive.

In the water for 7am – it was the perfectly refreshing wakeup call. A balmy 23°C and viz as far as the eye could see. Perfect to acquaint Beanie with the wonders of warm water diving. Unfortunately, although we setup everything up and checked it all over the night before Paul’s unit decided it was going to play ball and flashed a cell warning. Maybe it doesn’t like early starts Good job we brought a set of spare cells with us. So a quick change, re-calibrate, and Paul joined us in the water.

Beanie and I decided to bimble around with Steve just to get the feel of the units of the new chaises’ and couple of lesser spotted yellow turtles were spied on the dive (Lisa and Edster) as well as Crocodile fish, Loin fish, Clown fish and a beautiful Napoleon Wrasse. The reef was absolutely teeming with life and guess who forgot to take the camera. Never mind, we were heading off for our first piece of metal next.

Dive 2 – SS Dunraven, Sha’ab Muhmud

Onwards and eastwards to our first wreck of the week the SS Dunraven. The Dunraven was built in 1873 in Newcastle, UK and was a mixed propulsion ship (steam and sail). One of the oldest wrecks on the tour, the Dunraven sank in 1876 on route to Bombay carrying a cargo of timber and cotton and although there is some confusion, we believe she was later discovered in 1977.

At the time of her discovery, the Dunraven became the subject of intense media speculation as one of the fabled treasure ships of Lawrence of Arabia. Unfortunately, she was not – however, she now rests in a maximum depth of 29.5m, has become home to an incredible amount of life, and is a gorgeous artificial reef.

With very little current, the dive started with us dropping down towards her stern section just forward of the main impact area. Within moments, the Dunraven’s impressive propeller comes into view and is perfect, encrusted in soft and hard corals, that have established themselves over the last 100 years or so she has lain to rest upside down on the seabed.

Moving round to the starboard side, we entered the hull through a gapping hole were she had been opened like a tin can by the reef. Inside ambient light penetrated through her hull and lit the Dunraven in all her glory, paving the way towards her engine room, with her huge boilers still in place. At only 85m in length, it was not long before we emerged back out into the open and headed towards her bow section and the coral gardens of the reef in front of us. With my stomach calling out for feeding, it was time to head back up the shot and grab some lunch.

Dive 3 – MV Ghiannis D, Sha’ab Abu Nuhas

Urgh… what a crossing! Sea sickness! I don’t think I’ve ever felt as ill as I did as we crossed the Straits of Gubal to reach Sha’ab Abu Nuhas. Nowhere was safe. In the saloon, you were hit with flying books, bottles and people and up top, she was corkscrewing like a good’en. Urgh, how I yearned for dry land.

The reef of Abu Nuhas is one of the most loved sites in the Red Sea, and is the site of the oldest wreck in the Red Sea and also some of the youngest – claiming at least seven vessels since 1869. We moored on the opposite side of the reef, away from the wrecks due to the winds, and made the 5-minute trips to the dive sites of Abu Nuhas via Zodiac.

The MV Ghiannis D fell victim to the reef in April 1983 as she sailed from Croatia to Yemen with a cargo of timber bound for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Built in 1969, Ghiannis D started her shipping life in Japan as the Shoyo Maru , until she was sold on in 1975 when she became the Markos and then again in 1980 she became what we know her as today. The D of the Dumarc Shipping and Trading Company still sits proudly on her funnel.

I wasn’t feeling too hot after the wonderfully rocky crossing, kitting up my stomach decided that it wanted to become integrated with my loop and I took the decision to sit it out.

Beanie jumped in with Jill and Phil and went for a bimble about and down into the engine room, and being a freaky girlie diver, a part of me was glad I wasn’t in there with them; I’m quite happy with caves and natural overhead environments, but put me in a big metal structure and my breathing rate goes through the roof. To enter her engine room, you can either drop down from an opening in the funnel, or if you prefer the more natural way, there is a doorway down by her workshops. Once inside, and with the aid of a good torch the Ghiannis D’s machinery and engines are perfectly intact – although it’s pretty murky in there and not to mention a tight squeeze too.

Back on board, my stomach had started to settle and within no time at all, we saw the dive groups heading back towards the boat in the Zodiacs.


Tuesday, 31st January 2006
Location – Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
While You’re Down There!

Dive 4 – SS Carnatic, Sha’ab Abu Nuhas
The SS Carnatic lies parallel and to the East of the Ghiannis D and is the oldest wreck on the tour. The Carnatic was built in 1862 and like the Dunraven, was of the first generation of mixed propulsion steamers. She was a member of the P&O line which serviced the Suez-Bombay route and it was on a fateful trip to Bombay in 1869 when she ran aground on the reef.

There are a number of tales about the final days of the Carnatic’s sailing life. It is rumoured that after she hit the reef, her Captain Philip Buton Jones, did not feel it was dangerous enough to ask passengers to abandon ship and awaited for help from sister steamer, the Sumatra which was operating the same passage. Tragically, after 2 days of holding tight, the water level in the hull rapidly rose and the Carnatic eventually split in two, taking with her the lives of 31 passengers.

The romantic tales that attract diver after diver to her, not only stem from the sheer beauty that she now is lying beyond the waves – but also for her cargo. The night the Carnatic met her end, she was carrying gold bullion estimated at a value of 40,000 sterling. Although, it is believed that all the gold was recovered, the legend lives on that there is still bullion remaining in her holds.

Our dive began at her bow section, lying in approximately 16m, we made our way down towards her propeller and stern section. Encrusted in beautiful soft corals and teeming with live, the Carnatic is in my opinion one of the most beautiful wrecks on the itinery. Resting on her side, Carnatic’s wooden decks have rotten away and the iron joists, which supported the decks, are all that remain. As the early morning sun filtered through the water, it penetrated the wreck lighting the carcass of the holds and her deck. As we rounded the stern, the lifeboat davits remain out from when the passengers were asked to abandon ship, that fateful night. Unfortunately, it was at this time the camera decided it didn’t want to play nicely anymore and gave up the ghost. The XD card completely corrupted; however, we managed to salvage some of the images.

Our dive continued in and out of the holds, swimming over the exquisite cargo of vintage wine; bottles strewn over the seabed. Swimming along the deck, we reach the mid section of the Carnatic, which has collapsed around her engine room, funnel and bridge. Her masts still lie on the seabed. As we neared the end of our dive, we came back round the bow section and saw the copper ring where the bowsprit once was. Looking down through the copper ring, you could see all the way down through the holds in her front section, since the decks had rotted away.

Coming back up the shot, Steve took full advantage of diving with rebreather divers and got some fantastic film of Beanie sat in the middle of a huge shoal of glassfish whilst five jacks hunted round our heads, without a care in the world.

Dive 5 – MV Marcus or MV Chrisoula K, Sha’ab Abu Nuhas

After a hearty breakfast, there was time for a brief hour or so surface interval, spent filling scrubbers and sorting gas etc; and it was time to get back in the water.

We were to stay at Sha’ab Abu Nuhas for a further 2 dives and the next was to be on the next wreck along the reef the MV Marcus or MV Chrisoula K dependent on who you talk too.

More often than not, the wreck is referred to as the Wreck of Tiles, rather than her name; due to the cargo she was carrying and which still lies on her holds. I prefer to think of her as the Chrisoula K. Lying to the east of the Carnatic with only a small reef ridge between them, the Chrisoula K was built in 1954, weighing in at 3,720 tonnes. Originally named the Dora Oldendorf, she became the Chrisoula in 1979, when she was brought by the Greek company Clarion Marine. Similar to the Ghiannis D, the Chrisoula K and her cargo of Italian tiles were bound for Jeddah, when she struck the reef on 31 August 1981. She sat stranded on the reef until 1986, when she quietly slipped beneath the waves and joined the other ships who had come to rest on Sha’ab Abu Nuhas.

Armed with a new XD card in the camera; we dropped onto the Chrisoula K at her bridge section, in about 10-15m and dropped off the starboard side, swimming a little way off her in amazing viz, a lone toilet, now home to an anemone and family of clownfish, was visible sat perfectly on the seabed in about 20m. Swimming back to the Chrisoula, her funnel sits broken off not far from her; heading further towards the stern, her front section lies twisted in comparison to the remainder of her hull, and her prop sits in 27m at the deepest part of the wreck.

Making our way back up the portside, there is a large opening in the hull at around 23m, taking you into hold number 3. The Chrisoula K’s cargo remains very much intact, thanks to the upright nature of her main hull. Stacks and stacks of tiles, embossed with ‘Made in Italy’ line the holds, with a narrow passage running up the portside plenty of room for a diver, there is still an enormous amount of ambient light penetrating inside. As we reach the end of hold 3, we emerge back out onto the deck and the open hatch of hold 2; we dive straight back in again into the engine room and workshop. Bypassing the engine room as I’m not feeling too brave, we have a mooch around the workshop, a pillar drill, lathe and other equipment are still intact and in place; also is the workbench and its drawer which sits open, still with tools.

With our dive time quickly creeping up on us, we exited back out of the wreck and made our way back up the reef towards the bow section, sitting in 4m. Passing the loading derricks and the anchor chain, coming round the bow the current, significantly picked up and a slight battle with my loop volume, a drop back down to 8m and the shelter of the wreck, things settled back down again and it was time to hit the shot again and back for some on board for lunch.

Dive 6 – Return to MV Ghiannis D, Sha’ab Abu Nuhas

It was intended that we would head further round Sha’ab Abu Nuhas to dive the last in the wrecks on the reef, MV Kimon M; however, the cry went up from the ranks and it was decided that we’d return to the MV Ghiannis D one last time before we moved off. Feeling a lot better than I had the previous day, I decided to jump in with Steve and Beanie, although on the promise that we didn’t head into the engine room.

We began our tour of the Ghiannis D at her stern section, in a maximum depth of 27m. Although her stern, is pretty well intact, it lies separately from the collapsed mid-section and bow. Dropping onto the top of the wreck, the superstructure of a U-shaped crane towered about us and just in front was her intact funnel and ‘D’. Penetrating into the Ghiannis D at around 10m, we entered the bridge with the solitary wheel and compass plinth. Due to the angle at which the stern section sits, swimming through the bridge was disorientating. Entering from above and coming down directly onto the plinth, we could see straight through to the opposite doorway, which opened out into the blue below.

Swimming, along the length of her 99.5m hull towards the bow, the mid section has completely collapsed and was home to a rather large Crocodile fish, who thought he was well camouflaged as well as Anthias, Lionfish and a Giant Moray, who has taken up residence although we didn’t spot him. The bow section is again well preserved and intact. With an abundance of soft and hard corals, the bow rests gently against the reef-slope. The anchor chain can be seen coming out of one of the bow eyes and the mast rests in the centre.

About 28mins into the dive, I signalled to Beanie that I was feeling a bit tired and that I wanted to turn back and head for the shot. I noticed that I was feeling ‘sleepy’ and I really felt like I wanted to shut my eyes and go to sleep. Hmm, something was quite right! After 5 minutes, although it probably was more like a minute or so, I had this urge to spit my loop out and I looked at Beanie and signalled that I wanted the OC sideslung bailout and I wanted it now! Focused on the matter in hand and settling myself back down, I didn’t think to come off my loop and onto my onboard bailout; in hindsight I should of done; but all I could think was I need to get to the surface, I need to get there quick and the sideslung had a hell of a lot more gas than my onboard! So on I went and we ascended. Back on the surface, I switched back onto my loop, flushed with O2, and breathed 100% until the Zodiac zipped over to get us.

Beanie, Steve and I got back onboard Diamond and replayed what had happened. I felt terrible that I called the dive, and if I am honest embarrassed about bailing out – however, if in doubt bailout! And that was what I did. Whether if it was just me, or something else, I wasn’t sure and got onto something I knew. Dil flushing etc everything was ok; but I just wasn’t happy with the way I was feeling. Checking over my rig and also a check by Paul, everything was ‘normal’ nothing was untoward and we put it down to dehydration. I hadn’t really been drinking a lot of water over the last 24 hours and with 2 hour dives already clocked up that day; I think I pushed it a little too far for my body and it just wanted to stop and relax and recover.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing; but in the end, I know I did the best thing!

Dive 7 – The Barge, Sha’ab Abu Nuhas

We stayed anchored in the shelter of Sha’ab Abu Nuhas for a second night; and Beanie, Ed, and Phil took advantage of the settled site and headed out for a night dive on the Barge; a small unknown wreck situated in about 10m and with a length 20m.

The darkness beckoned and off they went. The site teemed with nightlife and although there was not much to explore they had a pleasant bimble, which saw them come face-to-face with a giant Moray, hiding underneath Diamond’s hull.


Wednesday, 1st February 2006
Location – Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Come to Egypt and See the Pyramids!

Dive 8 – SS Rosalie Moller

We woke bright and early on Wednesday to the sound of the engines as we ploughed on to the SS Rosalie Moller. After yesterday’s incident and my maximum depth on the unit being only 30m, I decided that the +40m dive was probably not the best idea and was a little out of confidence zone.

The Rosalie Moller began her life in a Glasgow shipyard in 1910, as the [i]Francis[i]; until 1931 when she was sold to the Moller company and was renamed Rosalie. After her move to the Moller line, the Rosalie began journeying to China with cargoes; however, with the outbreak of World War II, the Moller line recalled its ships and the Rosalie returned home to Liverpool where she was commissioned under the command of Captain James Byrne. In 1941, Captain Byrne and the Rosalie were assigned a cargo of Welsh coal, to be transported to Alexandra; with the war being fought in the Mediterranean, the safest passage was round the bottom of Africa, up through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez.

Whilst waiting to be called forward to travel up the Suez Canal, the Rosalie was anchored at a “Safe Anchorage” point and not far away at “Safe Anchorage F” the infamous Thistlegorm awaited the same command. 48 hours after the Thistlegorm was attacked and sunk, the Rosalie Moller became the next victim of the German Heinkel He 111 bombers. It is rumoured that the explosions on the Thistlegorm, lit the night sky that the bombers saw the Rosalie and thus it was planned that she would be the next target. In one of the romantic tales, which surround most of the wrecks of the Red Sea, it is rumoured that as he stood on the bridge unable to defend his ship, Captain Byrne shook his fist in a last gesture of defiance as the aircraft passed close above him and released her bombs.

Listening to Steve’s briefing, I got a fantastic impression of the Rosalie and I do admit I was envious of those dropping in on her. Beanie, Ed, Paul and Lisa decided to take full advantage of the units and planned to drop off her stern to get a good look at her propeller.

Sitting perfectly upright on the seabed, the Outlaws descended her stern mast onto the Rosalie’s deck at 35m. The viz by Red Sea standards was not fantastic, but at 15m or so was a dream compared to the UK. Getting their bearings, the Outlaw’s bimbled along the deck towards to the stern, where they dropped over the side to get a good look at the intact propeller and rudder; hitting a maximum depth of 46m. Deciding not to spend to long down there, the Outlaws decided to head back towards the deck. With the Rosalie being upright and relatively intact, except for her blast area, the deck is easy to navigate with many of the structures such as the bridge and Captain’s quarters being obvious.

Sticking to their dive plan for deco, the Outlaw’s headed towards the bow mast dipping in and out of her holds, which were still occupied with her cargo of Welsh coal. With cold getting the better of him and not wanting to run anymore deco than he had planned, Beanie decided to head back towards the stern mast, having got as far as the funnel and make his way back up the shot. A run time of about 50 minutes made for a fantastic dive, if not a little chilly. Lisa and Ed jumped back in for a second dive after a 3 hour surface interval and a hearty breakfast; whilst a couple of others decided to save themselves and warm back up.

Dive 9 – Egypt’s Pyramids, Gubal Island Reef System

After 2 dives on the Rosalie Moller, a shallower one for the afternoon was planned. So about turn, and we headed back towards Gubal Island, and anchored in the shelter of a reef with the island behind us. The bell rang and just like Pavlov’s dogs, we had become conditioned that this meant dive time!

Sat in the briefing, we all thought that this was going to be a shallow bimble on this sheltered reef, just something to get in the water and wet. However, Steve and Malin had other plans.

“How can you come all this way to Egypt and not see the Pyramids?” Steve said. Hmmm, true one of the wonders of the world and we’re missing them. So let the pyramids come to us! A well co-ordinated dive was about to be but into operation! A pyramid of divers with a fairy at the top and a diver caterpillar, with each diver holding the divers in front fins, making one large underwater conga line. Amazing!

Right, time to get back in the water for me. There was a bit of a swell within the shelter of reef, but non-the-less in we get. Happy to be in the water, and looking forward to the ‘dive plan’, I started to descend when one of the stray Zodiacs with a bit of help from the current came down smack on my head! Being in open wall and in a depth of only 6m, I had no visible point to focus on and didn’t notice that instead of going down, I was going more side wards than anything. B******s that hurt! A nice big lump was appearing quickly and with that, it was out of the water for Lou again!


Thursday, 2nd February 2006
Location – Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Winds!

Today was THE day that everyone was waiting for – the Thistlegorm! Or was it?

Beanie and I had been awake for the majority of the night due to the winds, which had picked or something chronic! At about 2am, I woke to the sound of a Zodiac nudging the boat back into position and with that well and truly in my mind and the extreme winds billowing round the boat, and the pitching and corkscrewing movement of the boat; I couldn’t get back to sleep. Convinced that we were going to break our ropes; I kept waking up ever 30mins and looking out of the windows just to double check we were in the same place. I’ve been on liveaboards before, but have never experienced winds like we did this week and I must admit I was a tad worried.

Finally giving in to my body’s urge to stay awake, I got up and wandered down to the saloon. We were heading off to the Thistlegorm with every finger and toe crossed that once we got there the winds would have settled and we’d be fine and dandy! Oh how we were wrong!

Crossing back across the Strait of Gubal, the winds picked up and most people found that no matter where they placed themselves they felt pretty blah! Armed with a good book, a duvet and a warm fleece, I settled down in the bar area of the middle deck, sheltered from the wind but with a good view of the horizon.

Eventually after an hours crossing, we arrived at the dive site; the sight of a day boat and another liveaboard gave us an idea of maybe we would be able to get on her. Malin, dropped in off the Zodiac to tie the lines on; she is one Crazy Viking. The swell couldn’t have been much off 3m or so and the dive deck was up and down like a yo-yo; I’d already made my mind up that I wasn’t overly keen in getting in! My stomach was having another overwhelming desire to be part of my loop again! After a 45min battle with a line, and the other boats on the site deciding to give up, even after a 4am start for the day boat; it was time to call it a day and head for shelter.

We decided not to stray too far from the site as we decided that we’d try again tomorrow. So, the Captain took us up to Sha’ab Ali, where we would be sheltered from the winds and the swell by having a reef on either side of us. Whilst anchored up a couple of divers, took the advantage to dive the unknown reef; close by the boat the reef was very damaged, may due to the breaking swell on top of her. However, others went a little deeper off the edge of the reef into about 20m and spotted a Turtle and a Reef Shark (or so Phil believes he saw one).

That night we celebrated another diver, Ray’s birthday, and the wind dropped significantly and we were all in high spirits for a good day on the Friday.

1am! I hear the engine’s start up; are we off? Why now? Gathering some clothes to put on, I mooch outside straight into gale force winds. With Beanie following, we went out onto the middle deck where we saw Malin and some of the crew with concerned looks on their face. The Captain had had to turn the boat around; the wind had switched 180deg just like that! But with limited light, being in the middle of nowhere, it was proving to be a little difficult! Looking over the side, I was horrified to find that we had become stuck amongst a reef pinnacle system. All around us, were huge reef pinnacles, inches beneath the surface and about 2 foot away from the hull. Panic-stricken! Scared! ARGH!

The thing that gave away the seriousness of the situation was the Crew. All though the problems so far that week we had encountered they had remained a picture of calm, however tonight they were not. Armed with torches, Zodiacs and a loud voice, we joined the crew to help guide us out of the reef system. It was decided that we couldn’t stay there any longer, it was too risky and we’d move down towards the bottom of the reef system and anchor on Shag Rock. After a hairy couple of hours, we eventually were settled and went back to bed – whilst everyone else slept soundly not oblivious to what was going on!


Friday, 3rd February 2006
Location – Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Victory!

Phew! What a night! Still only an hour or so’s sleep I wasn’t bright and chirpy when we finally landed on top of the SS Thistlegorm on Friday morning. Taking heed from dehydration and tightness, I decided to sit the first dive out. There was plenty of opportunity to get on her with the decision to stay there until we headed back to Sharm on Saturday morning.
The Thistlegorm has become one of the wonders of the underwater world and is regarded as the jewel of the Red Sea, and an underwater museum. She began her life in 1940, as part of the Albyn Line and like the Rosalie Moller was commissioned in 1941 for wartime use. At 126m long and with a capacity of 4,898 tonnes, the Thistlegorm was the perfect transporter to be assigned to missions out to Africa with much needed supplies for the British troops.

In May 1941 and with a crew of 39, the Thistlegorm left Glasgow on route to Alexandria, via South Africa, laden with a magnificent cargo including:

• Munitions, bombs and mines
• Enfield Mark III rifles
• BSA Motorbikes - W-M20, Matchless and G3L
• Norton 16 H Motorbikes
• Bedford, Morris and Ford trucks
• Bren Carrier Mark II tanks
• Stanier 8F locomotives with coal tenders and water tankers
• Field equipment including generators, spare parts for airplanes, medicines etc
• Masses upon masses of Wellie Boots

The Thistlegorm arrived in the Red Sea and anchored up in a safe anchorage site waiting for the signal to travel up the Suez Canal, but due to 2 ships colliding in the Canal blocking the entrance, her passage was delayed for two weeks. Noticing this large enemy ship sitting patiently in the Gulf of Suez, the Germans planned attack. On the night of 5-6th October 1941, two German Heinkel He III bombers left their base in Crete ready to strike. Unlike the Rosalie Moller, the blast area on the Thistlegorm is huge, as the bombs struck hold number 2, the munitions hold.

The explosion tore through the ship and she sank quickly in an upright position. Tales state that the explosion was so violent that the locomotives on her deck, broke their chains and flew off to their final resting place some 30m away from the ship. Although the Captain and the majority of the Crew managed to abandon ship to safety, 9 men lost their lives that fateful night.

Dive 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 – SS Thistlegorm

On the first dive, the current was relatively strong going from bow to stern, looking down on her from the surface the drop tanks off the back of Diamond were hanging at a 45deg angle. Jumping in on the second dive, Beanie, Paul and Lisa ended up being swept off the back of the boat away from the shot before even getting to the shot and quickly abandoned the dive having been tired out trying to return to the boat. With 4 dives on her in total for the group, there was so much to see, so I’ll group everything together

Dropping down the shot, we ended up on the bridge in about 10m, jumped straight off the portside, and made our way towards the stern section and the blast area. On good days, you can see the locomotives, which landed on the either side of her hull, but the combination of the past day’s weather and current, the portside loco was not visible. Continuing towards the stern, we approached the blast area where the two Bren Carrier tanks lay amongst the debris, munitions and bombs which had lain dormant on the seabed since that October night. In about 30m, we headed round the stern to the propeller and rudder; and came across the only two anti-aircraft guns, which she was fitted with before she left Glasgow.

Heading back towards the bow, past the blast area, we ascended back up onto the deck and decided to wander round the foredeck. Heading past the bridge and the Captain’s quarters, we swam over the holds 1 and 2, which were due for exploration later on. The foredeck is littered with equipment, winches, loading derricks and the impressive anchor chains still in situ. Although what does catch the eye impressively, are the water and coal tenders of the locomotives which unlike the engines, stayed firmly on deck. Heading back towards the shot, to end the first dive, we swam past the lifeboat davits and the where the main mast once stood proud.

On the third dive of the day, it was time to enter inside the Thistlegorm and to view her treasure trove of cargo. We went back down the shot line onto the bridge, and dropped straight down into the lower level of hold 3. Hold 3, in comparison to the other is of little interest; it was the store for the engine’s coal but now it is used for safe passage through to hold 2 without having to fight the currents.

Passing into Hold 2 is where the beauty of the Thistlegorm begins. Starting on the starboard side of the hold, the lower level of hold 2 contains Bedford trucks and Norton motorbikes and their sidecars, some that have suffered are the hands of divers, taking souvenirs from one of the most prestigious wrecks of the Red Sea. With plenty of ambient light filtering the hold, torches were not necessarily essential. Going anticlockwise round the hold, the portside was full of trailers, once filled with wellie boots, of which most can be found strewn throughout the hold areas; and spare plane and wings for airplanes.

Hold 1 was as full of cargo as hold 2 was. Situated at the bow section of the Thistlegorm, hold 1 has suffered come damage and the portside has started to collapse internally. However, the starboard side, which was accessed by a passage from the upper level of hold 2, contained more motorbikes, BSA’s and Nortons, as well as airplane wings, field supplies and generators. Coming back along the portside of the upper level of hold 2, we emerged back at the bridge section and made our way up through the Captain’s cabin and bathroom, with his bath still in place, although strangely with a radiator now in it! Once again, we made our way back up the shot and left the Thistlegorm to her sleep on the seabed.

It is clear that although she brings in an enormous amount of divers to the Red Sea area and subsequently generates large sums of money for the area, she will rapidly disintegrate before our eyes. The damage which is being caused not just by divers taking things they shouldn’t, but it is also damage from the sheer number on the site, and also those diving OC, which is damaging her internally from trapped bubbles.

There was also an opportunity for those who wished to dive her as a night dive and on the last day, there was a chance for one last visit before we left her behind.


Saturday, 4th February 2006
Location – Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
Into the Abyss!

Saturday morning saw the end of our trip out on MV Diamond. Some ventured back in the water at first light to take one final look at the Thistlegorm in all her glory. Once all back on board and breakfasted, we started the journey back to Sharm El Sheikh. The journey back was broken up by a stop off at Shark and Yolanda reef and some jumped in to do a drift dive, whilst others decided to make the most of the space and strip down their kit and get things packed away, in avoid the chaos later on. Whilst most played in and out of the reef and the toilet cargo strewn on the seabed from the Yolanda, some went for a journey into the abyss and clocked up a maximum depth of 53m! Spurred on by a comment made earlier on in the week Malin and Ollie braved the water in nothing more than bikinis and emerged slightly chilly 30 minutes later!

Once everyone was back on board, it was back from home to Sharm and after one last briefing it was time to get our land legs back and head on to the hotel for our final night in Sharm and dry the dive kit off on the balcony.


Sunday, 5th February 2006
Location – Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
We’re coming Home!

After a good 3 hours at Sharm airport on Sunday afternoon, with numerous passport checks, it was time to board our Monarch flight back to Gatwick; finally landing in bed at 2am on Monday morning! Finally, I have come to the end of our epic journey. Would you believe it was only a week… he he!

Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Cheers
Miss Lou
x

Further images can be found at www.outlawdivers.org.uk

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