SS Thistlegorm, wreck dive videos

[pop larkin]

For those of you that don't know the SS Thistlegorm was a 415 foot Steamship, built January 1940. She was anchored at Safe Anchorage 'F' in the Straits of Gubal when at 0120 on 6th October 1941 she was bombed by a Heinkell bomber. The resulting explosion ripped a large hole in her side and sent her to the bottom with the loss of 9 crew, and all of her cargo.

 

This ship was full of supplies for the North Africa campaign and included BSA motorbikes, munitions of all kinds, Bren gun carriers, various supply trucks including fuel bowsers and 2 steam locomotives.

 

Whilst on a diving holiday in March I was able to go and dive the wreck 3 times and took my video camera with me. here are the resulting videos from those dives... Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some other videos from the trip are all on Youtube and can be found here http://www.youtube.com/BrixhamBSAC

[Guest catweazle (Banned Member)]

:tup:: cw

[Markheliops]

Excellent footage Paul - better than some pro-videos made.

 

I wanted to visit the Thistlegorm when I visited Sharm but didn't have a PADI ticket. Would really like to dive on it still.

 

Unfortunately, the Thistlegorm and it's cargo has suffered at the hands of many light-fingered divers who want to remove items for their personal collection.

 

A shame really.

 

Markheliops

[N.O.S.]

Wonderful footage there Well done!

 

The good state of preservation of the bikes is surprising, the Matador cabs more so, but what on earth has happened to the locomotive boiler?

 

Surely the Stanier Preservation Group hasn't been down and half-inched it? :confused: Perhaps the scrapmen dived on it for the copper firebox :cool2:

[pop larkin]

The Locomotives were sat near where the explosion happened. As a result the boiler sections became separated from the rest of the engine and are now sat on the seabed, with the rest of the loco on the deck still.

 

Thanks for your comments on the videos :thumbsup:

[N.O.S.]

The Locomotives were sat near where the explosion happened. As a result the boiler sections became separated from the rest of the engine and are now sat on the seabed, with the rest of the loco on the deck still.

 

How amazing - it looks such a calm and peaceful scene, as if nothing has been disturbed or damaged. Thanks for the info.

[6 X 6]

Thanks for your comments on the videos :thumbsup:

 

 

No, thank you, for your enterprise and skill in capturing these amazing images for us. Just one ship but what a loss. One thinks of

the families of the crew members who perished being told the sad news and, also, all the wasted effort in producing the lost equipment. All those holes to be drilled, threads to be tapped and so on. And this, as I've already said, was just one of thousands

ships on all sides lost during the same conflict.