100
BEST
WRECK
DIVES
And it's straight in at number 80 for the Volnay, as Kendall McDonald continues his awesome countdown of Britain's top wreck dives
80 VOLNAY
4609-ton steamship, built 1910. 385ft x 52ft. Armed. Cargo: tinned meat, butter, jam, coffee, cigarettes, peanuts, potato crisps, anti-personnel shells, timber, Montreal to Plymouth via Barry. Position: 50 04.25N; 05 04.03W (all positions are GPS). Depth: 20m.
Sunk: 14 December, 1917, by striking a mine 2 miles south-east of the Manacles and attempting to beach in Porthallow Bay.
Diving: Much broken, but two big boilers stand clear. Third, smaller boiler is close by, amid bollards, steel plates, ribs and some complete sections. Bow marked by anchor winches and chain. Stern is broken away, lies 18m to north. Much commercial salvage for brass shellcases, but many still in silt. Thousands of lead balls on site were originally packed in shells as shrapnel. Beware detonators.
Launch: Porthoustock, Lizard.
79 APOLLO
495-ton, three-masted steamship, built 1874. 182ft x 24ft. Cargo: Granite kerb stones, Aberdeen to Newport. Position: 56 16.17N; 05 41.05W. Depth: 5-25m.
Sunk: 15 August, 1900, by hitting Bono Reef, Balvicar, near Oban, in fog. All saved.
Diving: Wreck is in gullies near top of reef, which runs down to 30m. First dived by Tunbridge Wells BSAC in 1994. Ribs and plates around engine and condenser. Surrounded by kerb stones from cargo. Single screw is of iron.
Launch: RIBs at Easdale, Isle of Seil; hard boat at Balvicar, near Oban.
78 HMS FALMOUTH
5250-ton cruiser, built 1910. 450ft x 48ft. Armed with guns and torpedo tubes. Position: 53 58.93N; 00 04.50W. Depth: 16m.
Sunk: 19 August, 1916, by two torpedoes from U-63, while under tow, having been hit in starboard side in previous torpedo attack from U-66. One stoker died later, after all crew taken off.
Diving: Very broken due to salvage after war using 4 tons of gelignite. Bronze propellers removed. Mangled wreck lies north-south on sand and shingle with scour on land side. Fascinating dive for novices and rummagers.
Launch: Bridlington.
77 BASIL
3220-ton steamer, built 1895. 338ft x 44ft. Triple expansion engines. Armed. Cargo: Artillery ammunition, Southampton to Boulogne. Position: 50 35.00N; 00 41.00W. Depth: 35m.
Sunk: 11 November, 1917, by foundering after collision in fog with French steamer Margaux. 13 crew drowned.
Diving: Sits upright, bow section has parted from hull and is listing 45* to port. Stern stands 7m proud with gun pointing aft. Two decks have collapsed. Some shells remain despite salvage of cargo. Engine exposed.
Launch: Bognor, Littlehampton.
76 HMS GHURKA
880-ton destroyer, built 1907. 255ft x 25ft. Steam turbine engines. Armed. Position: 50 50.80N; 00 53.17E. Depth: 30m.
Sunk: 8 February, 1917, by hitting German mine off Dungeness and going down almost immediately. Only five crew were saved.
Diving: Despite being professionally salvaged with much use of explosives, parts of the stern are still intact and stand 8m proud above the general wreckage. Divers should remember that the heavy loss of life makes this a war grave.
Launch: Dungeness, Littlestone.
75 CITY OF WESTMINSTER
6094-ton former German steamer Rudelsburg, handed over to Britain at end of WWI as part of reparations, built 1916. 470ft x 62ft. Cargo: Maize, Belfast to Rotterdam. Position: 50 01.43N; 05 40.28W. Depth: 36m.
Sunk: 8 October, 1923, by striking the Runnel Stone rock in thick fog so hard that she broke her back and knocked the top of the stone right off. All aboard saved by Sennen and Penlee lifeboats.
Diving: Bow very broken in rock gully on eastern face of Runnel Stone at 30m. Stern lies towards south and is more intact and deeper at 50m. Some of superstructure is still in place and upright. Much wreckage nearby may be of other wrecks.
Launch: Sennen Cove, near Land's End.
74 LUIS
2484-ton British steamer, built 1916. 380ft x 53ft. Armed on stern. Cargo: 7000 tons flour, oats, timber and anti-personnel artillery shells, Halifax, Nova Scotia to Portsmouth. Position: 50 36.45N; 01 09.92W. Depth: 17m.
Sunk: 12 April, 1918, when hit in port side by two torpedoes from UC-71 near St Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight, finally sinking in Sandown Bay. Four crew died.
Diving: Popular dive site. Broken up by dispersal in 1923 and salvage in 1970, but two big boilers and parts of stern stand 4m proud of seabed wreckage. Shellcases and brass shell heads to be found north of boilers, amid hundreds of anti-personnel lead balls.
Launch: Shanklin beach.
73 QUAIL
924-ton British iron steamer, also rigged for sail, built 1870. 224ft x 28ft. Two-cylinder engine. Cargo: general including glassware, wool, potted foods, Antwerp to Glasgow. Position: 50 38.03N; 00 18.43W. Depth: 42m.
Sunk: 27 August, 1886, by collision in fog with French steamer San Martin.
Diving: Upright with bow broken off and lying port side to west. Engine clear of rest. Many wooden deadeyes. Jars of potted meat (contents stink!) and much broken glass near bow. Some intact Victorian light ale glasses, wine glasses and water jugs to be found. Bell recovered.
Launch: Goring, Shoreham.
72 HMS ELK
181-ton former Grimsby fishing trawler, built 1902. Requisitioned as minesweeper in WWI and as dan (marker buoy) layer in WWII. 108ft x 19ft. Armed. Position: 50 18.40N; 04 10.20W. Depth: 27m.
Sunk: 27 November, 1940, by hitting sea mine dropped by German aircraft near the Penlee Point entrance to Plymouth Sound. All saved.
Diving: Stands upright, 5m proud of sand, badly damaged on port side. Bows complete with winch. Entry possible to engine room. Much dived and has been stripped of brass and other fittings.
Launch: Fort Bovisand.
71 CARARE
6878-ton "banana boat" liner of Elder and Fyffes, built 1925. 425 ft x 55ft. Position: 51 17.83N; 03 44.80W. Depth: 30m.
Sunk: 28 May, 1940, by magnetic mine in Bristol Channel, in ballast, Avonmouth to Jamaica and Colombia. Seven of 97 crew and three of 29 passengers died.
Diving: Owned by Ilfracombe BSAC. Stands upright and well proud. Bow plates are collapsing inward. Teak decking still to be seen. Hull had 300 portholes, many left.
Launch: Ilfracombe, North Devon.
Appeared in DIVER - June 1999.
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