TALES FROM THE DEEP
These are the backstories of some of the best-loved wreck dives on the planet, from the Red Sea to the Caribbean, Hawaii and Australia, from tragedies that cost dozens of lives to the glamorous world of a sailing ship and its Hollywood casting call. Knowing their histories will surely tempt you to plan some dives, but it also might influence how you go about making those plans, if you’re lucky enough to submerge on any or all. So sit back, soak up these stories and dive tips, and get ready to plan the wreck dives of your life.
THE SHIP THISTLEGORM
Red Sea
DEPTH
52 to 105 feet
VISIBILITY
30 to 90 feet
WATER TEMP
68 degrees F in winter; lower 80s in the summer
DIVE TIP
The wreck is in a remote area where strong currents are common.
Heralded as the most popular wreck in the world, 415-foot steamship Thistlegorm was launched in June 1940. When called to war, a 4.7-inch antiaircraft gun and a heavy-caliber machine gun were added to its stern.
Its fourth and final voyage was a delivery from Scotland to British soldiers in North Africa — every inch filled with boots, rifles, motorcycles, locomotives and more.
According to online shipwreck database Wrecksite, instead of journeying through the Mediterranean and attracting German U-boats, the ship’s convoy took a route around Africa.
When they finally reached the Suez Canal, a collision had closed the entrance. For two weeks, the ships waited at a spot designated as safe —as it turned out, Thistlegorm would be waiting 77 years and counting.
THE SINKING
On October 5, 1941, the Luftwaffe dispatched planes to bomb a transport vessel (probably the ) but were unable to find it. On return, one plane spotted the anchorage and targeted the largest ship it saw: . The Part of enduring appeal is the vast array of material still to be examined in its holds. plane dropped two bombs, their impact magnified by the ammunition on board, which resulted in an explosion that ripped the ship in half and sent two locomotives flying. sank quickly and suffered nine casualties out of 42 men aboard.
