News
Mark Milburn’s Cornish Wreck Ramblings, Part 5: The Trouble with Trawlers
During both the Great War and World War two, fishing trawlers, drifters and whalers were used as mine sweepers or ancillary vessels. During both wars, hundreds were put into service and many were lost. Falmouth Bay had it’s fair share. During the Great War, there were two trawlers that were lost, one due to hitting a mine, the other was lost after a collision.
On the 21st December 1916, the HMT St Ives struck a mine 2 miles WSW off St Anthony’s lighthouse, with the loss of all ten crew. The St Ives has never been found. On a dive in the area suggested by the naval report, I did find a dozen large cast iron blocks. After researching what they might be, we discarded ballast weights and cargo. As ballast, they would need to be movable, these iron blocks were roughly one ton each, not movable by the crew. As cargo, a dozen blocks weighing a ton each, wasn’t worth much, certainly not worth hiring a boat to transport them. More research into the actual vessel construction, found they could have been bow trim weights, to counteract the weight of the engine and boilers at the rear. This would be almost impossible to prove, without spending a lot of time hunting the area and still not finding any other items as proof.
The FV Tulip II collided with another vessel on 23rd August 1918, 3 miles WNW off St Anthony. There is little information available about what happened, or whether there were any casualties. The wreck has never been found. We do have a possible target area, a debris field spotted by an Olex system, half a mile from the collision location.
During WWII, there were five trawlers lost in the Falmouth area. The most confusing of these are the Sevra and AN2, it turns out they were sunk a hundred metres apart, two days apart. They both hit mines and the wreckage possibly ended up being mixed up. The Rinovia sank after hitting a mine too, it has become a popular deeper dive, lying around 50m. Lord Snowden sank in deep water after a collision with a Glasgow steamer, the Felspar. The Lord Snowden does get dived but is quite deep. The Almond hit a mine and sank in deep water in 1941, the bow and stern now lie around 200m apart. The Almond is rarely dived as it is quite deep and the two parts are so far apart.
So, in the main, the WWII trawler wrecks are in known locations. The wrecks from the Great War, are not. The trouble with the information we have is even more confusing, once we add in a discussion with a now ex diver. Within the bay there is a large oil tanker from WWII, the Caroni Rivers. Within the Caroni Rivers are the remains of a small steam vessel, thought to be a steam trawler, it could be any trawler.
The ex diver stated that in 1966, he was part of a group of divers, that removed a bronze deck gun from the trawler within the Caroni Rivers. Trawlers were not armed, except during the wars. The Caroni Rivers is around 1.5 miles from the last recorded positions of the St Ives and the Tulip II, around half way between them. There are no other trawlers missing, so what is the trawler within the Caroni Rivers? It has to be the St Ives or the Tulip II. The St Ives blew to pieces, so it is unlikely to be that. That leaves the Tulip II as the only possibility. One of the reasons I feel cautious about the Tulip II is not just the distance but the direction. Knowing the area, it is highly unlikely for the Tulip II to be blown in that direction. There is always the possibility that it tried to make it back to port, but without any confirmation of that it will remain a mystery.
Find out more about Mark and Atlantic Scuba at www.atlanticscuba.co.uk
Gear News
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Blogs
Northern Red Sea Reefs and Wrecks Trip Report, Part 3: The Mighty Thistlegorm
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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