News
Ceremony commemorates centenary of historic sinking of HMT Arfon
Just over a century ago (April 30th, 1917) a rare steam fishing trawler – HMT Arfon – fitted out as a mine sweeper for the Royal Navy during the First World War, rapidly sank off the Dorset coast after striking a mine with the loss of 10 of the crew of 13.
100 years later to the day, a commemoration ceremony took place at St Aldhems Head, Swanage to mark the anniversary of the sinking. The original plan was for the descendants to visit the site of HMT Arfon by boat and lay wreaths to mark the occasion. Unfortunately the wind was too strong to allow this.
20 descendants plus Martin and Bryan Jones, Andrew Bailey and Garry Momber visited St Aldhems Head. Despite the windy conditions the ceremony took place, the poem ‘For the fallen’ was read, followed by a prayer by Janette Humberstone, a descendant of Edward Youngs, the Second Hand. The names of all the crew were read out followed by the blowing of the steam whistle using Morse Code for mine. The original steam whistle, beautifully restored was sounded for the first time since the sinking of HMT Arfon in 1917.
The whole group then assembled at the eastern side of St. Aldhems Head NCI station for the unveiling of an information board sponsored by Historic England. The unveiling was performed by Garry Momber, Director of the Maritime Archaeology Trust.
Martin was most surprised and delighted by how many people were able to attend the ceremony and said “it was a real pleasure to meet John Abrams (IV) who was the great grandson of the Skipper, John Abrams of HMT Arfon.”
After the ceremony the group spent the rest of the day at The Pines Hotel in Swanage where Garry Momber was able to show everyone the 3D tour released that day. Martin brought along a number of artefacts for the descendants to see. At a later date, the intention is that all the artefacts will be on display in museums.
The wreck was a rare find by Martin & Bryan Jones of Swanage Boat Charters whilst taking divers out on another wreck in 2013. Bryan was the first person to dive the wreck in 2014. Bryan, with the help of Dave Wendes a local maritime historian, proved the wreck to be HMT Arfon. The wreck is exceptionally well preserved with the trawler’s key features such as its mine-sweeping gear, deck gun, portholes and engine room still intact on the sea bed.
The Maritime Archaeology Trust has taken more than 10,000 images as part of their Heritage Lottery Funded Forgotten Wrecks Project. The images have been used to produce a 3D tour of the Arfon as she lies on the seabed today using a process called photogrammetry. This enables non-divers to view the wreck via the internet. As the wreck is now protected, diving can only be undertaken under special licence granted by Historic England.
Martin added “We would like to thank Historic England and the Maritime Archaeology Trust for the enormous amount of work that they have contributed to this project and we hope the Arfon will be left in its pristine condition and respected for its rarity and historical value for many years to come.”
Virtual Dive: Click here to view the 3D tour of the wreck of the HMT Arfon
More information about the Maritime Archaeology Trust can be found at http://maritimearchaeologytrust.org
More information about the Heritage Lottery Fund Forgotten Wrecks of the First World War project (2014-2018) can be found at http://forgottenwreck.org
Thanks also to Martin, Bryan and Patricia Jones at Swanage Boat Charters, www.kyarra.com
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Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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