Of all types of technical diving, nothing probably excites more than deep diving to the wreck of a famous ship, particularly a ship that has been turned into a deep sea war grave. For many technical divers, there’s nothing that can replace the thrill of deep diving to inspect an old shipwreck.
During World War II, the SS Thistlegorm was an armed British Merchant Navy ship that brought troops, supplies, and equipment from England to the British Eighth Army in Egypt, through Alexandria. On October 6, 1941, the ship was sunk by two German Heinkel HE-111 bombers off the coast of Ras Muhammad in the Red Sea.
The site of the SS Thistlegorm today is a popular technical diving site for technical divers. Normally technical divers use nitrox for two 30-minute deep dives to the war wreck. Aside from the usual OC back mounted rebreather cylinders used by technical divers, each diver had at least one dive computer, though most technical divers always have a spare dive computer. Also carried were side slung EAN 32 and EAN 50 bailout cylinders for emergencies.
Descending to the shipwreck across the bow first will never fail to impress and was always breathtaking. Even as a war wreck, the Thistlegorm seemed to stand proud on the sea bottom. After swimming the length of the hull and inspecting some debris, it’s always great to visit the Stanier 8F locomotives standing upright some 30 meters off each side of the ship. These locomotives were placed on the upper decks but the force of the explosion from the German plane’s bombs blew the 126 ton trains high off the ship.
Diving near the fourth hold reveals the extensive damage caused by the bombs from the German bombers. The stern also reveals the 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun and the four-blade propeller. Visiting the supply holds with all the Bren Gun Carriers, trucks, jeeps, motorcycles, and other equipment, as well as the ship’s boilers and the captain’s cabin proved equally fascinating.
During World War II, the SS Thistlegorm was an armed British Merchant Navy ship that brought troops, supplies, and equipment from England to the British Eighth Army in Egypt, through Alexandria. On October 6, 1941, the ship was sunk by two German Heinkel HE-111 bombers off the coast of Ras Muhammad in the Red Sea.
The site of the SS Thistlegorm today is a popular technical diving site for technical divers. Normally technical divers use nitrox for two 30-minute deep dives to the war wreck. Aside from the usual OC back mounted rebreather cylinders used by technical divers, each diver had at least one dive computer, though most technical divers always have a spare dive computer. Also carried were side slung EAN 32 and EAN 50 bailout cylinders for emergencies.
Descending to the shipwreck across the bow first will never fail to impress and was always breathtaking. Even as a war wreck, the Thistlegorm seemed to stand proud on the sea bottom. After swimming the length of the hull and inspecting some debris, it’s always great to visit the Stanier 8F locomotives standing upright some 30 meters off each side of the ship. These locomotives were placed on the upper decks but the force of the explosion from the German plane’s bombs blew the 126 ton trains high off the ship.
Diving near the fourth hold reveals the extensive damage caused by the bombs from the German bombers. The stern also reveals the 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun and the four-blade propeller. Visiting the supply holds with all the Bren Gun Carriers, trucks, jeeps, motorcycles, and other equipment, as well as the ship’s boilers and the captain’s cabin proved equally fascinating.