Secret Wrecks of The Gulf of Suez

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Secret Wrecks of The Gulf of Suez

PETER COLLINGS I NT ERNAT I ONAL AWARD WINNING AUTHOR, P HOTOGRAPH ER & WRECK HUNTER

Celebrating 30 years of publishing Forward by John womack

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THE SECRET WRECKS OF THE GULF OF SUEZ

THE RED SEA WRECK ACADEMEY’S HAPPY HUNTING GROUND PETER COLLINGS SSI PRO 5000

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FORWARD by JOHN WOMACK I am John Womack Snr, BSAC First Class Diver, Advanced Instructor & owner of Otter Dry suits in Yorkshire, having dived the Britannic, Prince of Wales, Repulse and the Victoria plus many more over the last 40 years I would not go anywhere in the Red Sea without one of Peter's guide books. I have been on numerous successful trips of Peter's including wreck searching in Truk Lagoon.

Peter's new book is awesome, there are so many wrecks and to give detailed descriptions of all the wrecks themselves is great, it makes you feel like you have dived them already. I remember doing a night dive on the Thistlegorm which was just fantastic it was pitch black with pin points of light from fellow divers lights.In the south, Peter, Tom and myself went looking for the wreck of the M aidan on Rocky Island, we followed the debris trail down to 65mtrs and there before us was the huge shadow of the wreck hanging over the abyss starting at 80 mtrs. We could only look down in wonder, but we had found what we were looking for after 10 years.

Peter's trips are a must and very much like his trips his books are a must read, Peter is a walking encyclopaedia on all things diving and ship wrecks. A lot of great ships were made in the North East and it comes as no surprise to me that this is where Peter came from too, we have been friends/fellow wreck divers a lot of years and hope to be sharing experiences and books for many more years to come.

John Womack MD Otter Watersports Yorkshire.March 2018 Otter Drysuits, UK

This series of guides is respectfully dedicated to this great man. I am proud to have called him friend and shared his last dive.

JOHN MICHAEL WOMACK 23 MARCH 1943- 30TH NOV.2018

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CONTENTS Introduction page 6 S.S. Zietieh page 10 Zebel el Ziet: ALMIRANTE BARROZO; S.S. FULICA, PIL WRECK;;MV THIESOVPage 11 Wrecks of Ashrafi page13 Ras Dib,M.V Elliot page 14 Tor Banks;MV Texaco Cristobal page 15 Ras Shukier; Birchwood, Laura Security page 20 Ras Gharib;QTMOS page 23 Aboudy, page 30 S.S Scalaria page 32 M.V. Bakr page 37 S.S. Shillong page 39 Domiat page 43 MV Cape Clear page 47 SS San Juan page 48 Ras Zafarana, SS Turkia page 49 Pride of al Salam page 54

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THE E BOOK CONCEPT The idea of the E BOOK series came about after seeing so many incorrect publications quoting the wrong identity of the Tile Wreck at Abu Nuhas in the Red Sea. Desp ite a plethora of undeniable facts p resented by myself and members of the Red Sea Wreck Academy, self proclaiming experts still, for reasons known only to themselves, continued to quote the MARCUS as the CHRISOULA K. It was archive photographs from Howard Rosenstien and the location of the ships bell, which added weight to Stephan Jablonski’s accounts of the sinkings’. This new material gave us enough to produce the first E book in 2008.

Being free from restrictions it soon found its way around the world and was passed on from diver to diver. It had the desired effect-Now more and more reports carry the correct identity .

Its success lead to more titles being produced and published .Initially with an Egyptian theme, the Thistlegorm, Rosalie M oller and the Russian warranted a volume to themselves. Tourist authorities have noticed the importance of their assets. Wrecks are living underwater museums, and commissions have flooded in from Leros, Egypt, Truk, Palau,Sri Lanka Subic Bay, and Busuanga, to name but a few.

Promoting tourism through shipwrecks” has become our mission statement, and by the end of 2017 we will have completed 30 titles in the series. We intend to update the guides annually-all free in readable format (72dpi) and in hi res, printable versions from the deeplens website for a small fee.

So now we have a total of 23 titles available, (and more on the way), yours to enjoy and pass on-to anyone who may be interested- with my compliments and don’t forget we run regular expeditions and safaris to all these featured Wrecks…The project has only just begun….

Safe diving!

PETER COLLINGS AKA ABU HADIDA

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INTRODUCTION Of the 30 + wrecks we have discovered, surveyed and dived in Egyptian waters, many of them lie in the Gulf of Suez, the long stretch of water running from Sha’ab Ali in the south to the Suez Canal in the north. With such a concentrated amount of shipping in this busy waterway, It was in evitable that we would not only find many of our targets, but that we would encounter wrecks we hadn’t bargained for.

To date we have completed 15 wreck hunting expeditions up as far as ZAFARANA as a group and to within the limits of the Canal itself (a solo effort on my part, with only local fishermen for cover). Several of these trips produced some amazing finds-the first netted no less than 7 wrecks in two days reaching Ras Shukier, then as we pushed further north 3 more wrecks were located in a single day. Our furthest venture as a group was to Zafarana where we made perhaps the best of all the surveys on a wreck I had found previously using only a glass bottom boat-the S.S. TURKIA. Several substantial wrecks still await our attention-one in particular defies location, the S.S. SHILLONG. Everything and every one tells us we are looking in the right place, but for 3 years she has eluded us .Its only a matter of Time.

The depths are between 10 and 35 mtrs and as you will see most are more recent sinkings (WW2 onwards) with several casualties of the other conflicts which have occurred since then., including an ex British Corvette sunk by a British Cruiser! The Texaco Cristobal is how the SSTurbo would have been like if her bow was in place.

The M arine life was an added bonus. As we went north, invertebrates such as Nudibranchs seemed to not only increase in numbers but also in size. The Turkia seemed to have attracted every juvenile barracuda for miles, and we even found an amazing new reef sy stem, about 1000mtrs long with pristine fan corals.

Although we have concentrated on the mainland side of the Gulf, The Sinai side should also produce some good finds in the near future-such as an ex American lend lease Frigate which sank in a collision .

While most of the tour operators either go round in convoys or follow the same old tourist routes, our safaris have brought back the un- expected and restored the meaning of adventure. If your reading this then you probably are interested in what we do-so why not join us, you never know it might be YOU who discovers the Shillong!

Safe Diving and enjoy this glimpse into the wrecks of the Gulf of Suez Peter Collings

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S.S.ZIETIEH THE SINKINGS On 26th August 1914,the Zietieh was along side a quay at Suez loading with sp ares for the oil fields of Ashrafi , Quisum and Ganim, when she sank. By the 21st of September she was once again in service, carrying out her duties as a general sup ply vessel. The Zietieh was at anchor close to Ras Ziet on January 29th 1915, when she caught fire during an oil burner change over. Her boiler and deck cargo shifted and she began to ship water, finally capsizing with a list to port She has a straight rake bow, and a fantail stern, typical of the 1890-1900 type of hull. .

The raised fo’c’sle is accessible with only iron framework remaining, with lamps and other artefacts lying in the chain locker. The starboard anchor chain runs out along the sand to anchor. A weather deck runs aft from the engine room to the steering quadrant and she has high running boards- almost tug like. All the wooden decking has gone, revealing iron framework, heavily encrusted with sp onge and sea fir.

Companionways run alongside the bridge and engine room, starboard accessible, port in sand.

THE SHIP The Zietieh was built at M aryport at the yard of William Walker, Shipbuilders in 1911. She was the last vessel to be launched beam on at the yard. She was a steel screw steamship, machinery aft, fitted for liquid fuel-oil burning, with a through hold and suspended bridge. She was 291 tons, 121ft long, with a 22ft beam. She was powered by a - 2 cy 15",32" 27" stroke 42hp, fed by a single scotch boiler sup plied by J RITCHIE &Co. Her owners were the EGYTIAN OIL TRUST, later the ANGLO EGYPTIAN OILFIELDS Ltd.

The Zietieh now lies on her port side on a flat sandy sea bed, in only 12 mtrs of water. Her distinctive bow and stern enabled us to guess her age to within 2 years!

she has a single hold forward served by a deck winch just behind the fo’c’le, although there are no signs of a mast. In the hold is a cargo of prefabricated narrow gauge railway track in straight lengths of 6mtrs, some of the cargo lies 20 mtrs away from wreck. A small compact bridge straddles the aft section of the hold and has a single door forward. Above this is an open navigation bridge and wheelhouse. The helm is in place but oddly facing the stern.

The engine room is completely intact with all her fittings, valves, piping and gauges The tall straight funnel, is broken off and lying on the sea bed, home to a family of snapper. One blade of the prop is missing , the rudder still in place but the keel is bent below the rudder assembly, otherwise ther is no sign of any damage to the wreck Hard corals encrust the upper port side of the hull, which is made of overlapping plates which are beginning to rot away, allowing an eerie light to filter through into her single hold. The wreck is a haven for marine life; large groupers, shoals of red sea snapper, free-swimming snowflake morays, and many 9

www.deeplens.com large pyjama nudibranchs grazing of red sp onge. Unusually there are spinney urchins out during the daytime, with fish colonies. Batfish and map of Africa Angel fish too are found patrolling the wreck. Lies on its port side 11.8 mtrs, starboard side in 4 mtrs This makers plate was located in the ships engine room by Andy Aston, who cleaned, photographed and then returned it deep inside the wreck.

Without this vital piece of evidence the identity of the wreck may never have come to light, without hours of painstaking research

Due to the fact that few divers visit this wreck hard corals have flourished and the hull has become living reef. Staghorn corals are very well established and are a haven for many schools of small reef fishes,

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ALMIRANTE BARROZO Built in 1880, described as a steam corvette, The ALM IRANTE BARROZO was on a world navigation voyage and training exercise when she experienced compass deviation and ran aground near Jebal El Ziet in the Gulf of Suez. Then a lieutenant, Admiral Botteaux and her crew were rescued by HM S Dolphin, commanded

by Lieutenant Christopher Cradock.Her Batista De Leao.

master

She was 224ft long,33 ft beam 16 ft draught.

Whitehead 70 cal, 4 Nordenfelt 25mm and 6 guns.

was

Captain

J.M .

Her armament consisted of 6 Nordenfelt 11mm machine

In 1895 a new vessel was commissioned, built on the Tyne by Armstrong Withworth and upgraded to a cruiser

In 2018 the wreck Faisel Khalaf of RedSea Exploreres, who reported that the wreck sits upright in 70 mtrs

More to follow

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S.S. FULCA The vessel's sole owner was Porteous & Senier, of London. With L. O. M oen serving as her captain thru 1878/79 . T. Young thereafter. The Mercantile Navy List ('MNL') of 1880 lists Gilbert Porteous of London as her then presumably managing owner. Built by M ounsey and Forster in 1878 at South dock Sunderland 256.3 ft. long 34 ft beam. 23 ft draught. signal letters RHWB, 170 HP, 2cy 33” x 62 “ engines by Blair & Co. Limited, of Stockton.In 1879 Fulica went aground in fog at New York & cracked her shaft. In early Feb. 1880, the vessel was en route from Penarth, Wales, to Aden with a cargo of coal.

On Feb. 11, 1880, the vessel was in collision with Eden (see below) when in the straits of Gubal, Gulf of Suez, 2 miles off the Ashrafi Lighthouse. Fulica sank as a result of the collision but fortunately no lives were lost.

Eden, badly damaged, made its way safely to Suez. As p er this contemporary newsp aper cutting. It would seem that a couple of court cases resulted. In an earlier case referred to in this decision it indicates that Fulica had been found in such case to be solely responsible for the collision. Eden? A 1446 gross (933 net) ton steamship, built by W. Gray & Co. at West Hartlepool in 1879, owned in 1880 by Robert Ropner of West Hartlepool, ON 81503. Eden had left Newp ort, Wales, on Jan 7, 1880 for Aden with a cargo of J. Cory & Son coal, under the command of captain Wilkinson. It clearly survived the encounter.

The wreck was found by Red Sea Exploreres owner Fiesel Khalaf and his team in 2018, reporting th wreck upright in 73 mtrs. With most of the hull remaining.

The loss of the S.S.FULICA “Between 4.15 and 430am on the 11th Feb, last the Fulica with a crew of 25 hands on a voyage from Cardiff to Aden with a cargo of coal was in the Red Sea off Ashrafi Light. The wind at the time was about SW blowing a light breeze. The night was fine and clear but dark. The Fulica was proceeding under steam steering a course SE by S, making 9knots an hour. At this time the Eden which for a long time had been following the Fulica was observed at a distance of half a mile bearing on the port bow, and showing her mast and green lights.

At about 4.30, the revolving lights of Ashrafi which was bearing broad on the Fulica’s bow, appearing to be somewhat too near, the helm of the Fulica was starboarded to keep her clear of the land and then her helm was steadied, and when the light was abaft the beam the helm was p orted.

The Eden overhauled the Fulica and came upon the port side of her and was then loudly hailed to starboard her helm, the helm of the Fulica being put hard a port, and her engines stopped, but the Eden with her stem and starboard bow struck the Fulica abaft the forerigging and sank her in a few minutes” The entire crew were rescued and taken on board the Eden. The court of enquiry deemed the Fulica to be solely to blame for the collision,

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THE WRECKS OF ASHRAFI This section will deal with the coastal stretch from Ras Ziet north to Ras Garib, then down the Sinai coast from Shiek Riyah Harbour to Sha’ab Rayis. It is an area crying out for research and exploration, but is an area of great shipping activity both with the oil fields and the Suez Canal. With care, common sense and the right permissions it should be possible in the future to unravel some or the secrets of this un- tapped source of wrecks.

The Ashrafi Islands rarely receive any attention from dive boats but here there are several worthwhile wrecks, including the largest in the Red Sea. It is an area which in time will yield some excellent wrecks.

There are several more wrecks reported here than those listed below. M uch of the seabed is of hard corals and the visibility is often very good. In some places oil can be seen seeping up through the coral is small plumes. There are several active oilfields close by. Again attention must be paid to the weather and a good skipper is needed when diving here.

THE S TAR OF RAWIAH. This is a small Saudi Arabian cargo steamship of 778 tons, 211ft long which lost her steering on a journey from Suez to Safaga in ballast, and ran aground in 1972.She later slipped of the reef into 25 mtrs of water, in the vicinity of the Ashrafi lighthouse Ap ril 6th 1972 and is becoming an integral part of the reef sy stem, with many fish and invertebrates living in and around her remains. Built at the Collingwood shipyards in 1943 for the Orri Navigation line.

BACCHIS .

This 270 ft Cyprian vessel was carrying a cargo of cement from Greece to Saudi Arabia when she was holed, striking the Ashrafi reefs in bad visibility. The cargo solidified and her engine room flooded. She was abandoned as a total constructive loss and later slipped into deeper water. Now known to have sunk at the northern end off SHA’AB M UKOWARAT AT 27 49 18N 33 39 18 E on August 9th 1977.2494 ton, 97m long 14.4 m beam, diesel engines. Belonging to the Bacchus Shipping CO. she was built in 1950 at Bremerhaven The Pamananaian registered general cargo vessel was THE TAMARA 11 stranded on Ashrafi reefs 10th feb 1983.Her cargo consisted of bagged cement, and she was abandoned as a total constructive loss. She sits high and dry on top of the reef to this day. There are rumours of a wreck near the Tamara11, lying on a sloping reef. This may in fact be the NAHED, a converted minesweeper, this vessel sank on Jan 3rd 1988 .

As The Red Sea narrows at its northern extreme, a long thin arm of water stretches north West towards the M editerranean. Flanked to the east by the Sinai Peninsular and to the west by the Egyptian mainland, the entrance to the Gulf of Suez is marked by a treacherous finger of reef known as Sha’ab Ali. A busy , narrow and important seaway dating back beyond the opening of the Suez Canal, it is a vital link between east and west-a vital and important trade route. It is also a hive of industry, with oilfields dotted along its length, and refineries along its banks.

Very little diving takes place-the coral reefs die away as the water becomes shallower and indeed less clear due to the presence of sand and silt. Water temperature too plays a part in the ecology, with

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www.deeplens.com temperatures plummeting to 16 degrees in winter. While it is not a viable tourist area; it is a haven for new unexplored shipwrecks-with the added bonus of some unusual marine life.

During the week of Ma y 4th 2003 Peter Collings lead the first ever expedition to explore the Gulf of Suez north of Sha’ab Ali. Afte r two years of planning and many hours of vi tal re s ea rch. A i yma n Mu s sa m , owner of Cycl one secured for the very fi rst time permission for the Cyclone team to travel n orth i n t o the a rea‘s around Ras Dib, Ras Shukier and R a s G ha ri b.The re s ul t o f th ese e xp edi ti o ns a nd t h e s ubsequent publications lead to both Ai man Musan a nd the a uthor receiving prestigious a wa rds f ro m the Governor of the Red sea Mt Mus tafa Afifi.

RAS DIB M.V. ATTIKIA A 3360 TON, 104M TRS X 16 M TRS motor vessel, built in 1966 by Imabari Zosen, Imabari, and owned by the Greek company of Lanathos Cia. Bound for Port Sudan with a with a cargo of cement, she ran aground just before midnight, Ap ril 24th 1978.with her holds and engine room flooded she was abandoned and then later caught fire

M.V ELLIOT The 100 mtr long, 2874 ton motor vessel was built in 1963, and sank 200mrs north of Ras Dib on July 11th 1984 with a cargo of 3500tons of chic peas. Owned by the Panamania company of Ugars M arine.

Previous names include ASK(1973), ZEPM ARE (1974), JULTAND (1980) The wreck sits upright from the engine room forward, her holds still full of the cement, now solidified.

The engine block is complete although the prop shaft and stern would appear to have been removed.

There is much confused metal consisting of plates pipes flanges and fittings forward of the engine block, The foc’sle is awash with her bow pointing north. The wreck lies parallel to the shore and covers an area of 100 mtrs by 30 mtrs. Fish life includes surgeon fish, lion fish, golden hatchets and founders

From the attitude of the wreck she was driven ashore at full sp eed with her rudder straight. There appears to have been no time or need to avoid the grounding. She is bow down into the reef in 10 mtrs of water her bow broken up and her starboard plates scattered around the seabed. The letters A-N-D, U, and J, easily discernable on the scattered plates were a great help in confirming her identity . The bow section was easy to access although the inside was a mass of confused and torn steel. Here a large shoal of golden hatchets has taken up residence. Her hull side plates, which formed the main structure of her holds have all collapsed and form a tangled jungle of steel with large girders, pies and flanges. Her sup erstructure, partly flooded was accessed via the aft bulkhead, allowing access into the engine room, generating plant, workshops and accommodation area. The sea bed was littered with many interesting items, such as riding lights complete with lenses, and her anchor light still stood proud on its mast.

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TOR BANKS In the middle of the Gulf of Suez, between El TOR on the Sinai coast and Ras Shukier on the mainland, lie the TOR BANKS, It is an area of oil industry activity, with several active fields; MORGAN, BADRY and RAMADAM There are several wrecks, mainly connected with the industry. Currently this area is off limits, but with the oil fields almost dry, the installations may close and the area could be opened up to diving. The well heads alone will already be substantial artificial reefs.

M .V. TEXACO CHRISTOBAL

A Panomanian motor tanker, built in 1945 for the Pan American Oil Co,as the MV TANDORA,Serving the US government for 3 years before she became the MV M ARVEL. Built by JA JONES CONSTRUCTION CO, with engines by Noedberg of M ilwalkee she was 3250 tons, 286 ft long with a 46 foot beam.(91m x 14,6 x6.6) In 1948 she became the M V CRISTOBAL and owned

by Texaco/Panama Oil Co. In 1960 she became the M .V TEXACO CRISTOBAL. She sp rang a leak while carrying oil samples off the M organ 2 Oil well, on the 23rd Feb 1967.Her engine room flooded and she sank without the loss of life. All 20 of her crew were rescued.

The wreck lies on her starboard side in 30 mtrs on a sandy bottom and is virtually intact. Her tall funnel lies on the seabed at the rear of the vessel where the engine room can be found. A pipebridge runs to the centre island and forward bridge area, navigation deck and wing bridges with another pipebridge connecting to the foc’sle. and is covered in fish life. Her foremast runs out at full length while the central mast stick out through the pipebridge a couple of meters. M ost of her portholes remain in place.

She swarms with sweepers and glassfish, while there is some evidence of soft corals she is not as well decorated as other wrecks. There are many levels to explore in her two sup erstructures, eith workshops accommodation and storage areas all accessible.

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M V TIMSFON (43151) A small Egyptian sup ply vessel of 175tons, built in 1957, the M V TIM SUFON grounded sw of the M organ oilfield. The impacted cracked the engine casing and she began to sink .She was taken in tow but later sank in 32 mtrs

M V SMIT LLOYD 10 (43154) A 784 ton Dutch sup ply tug, built in 1966 at Krimpen. She was 60 mtrs long. and displaced 784 tons. She sank in 25 mtrs after striking an oil well in September 1978 near the M organ Oilfield. Her 7 man crew were rescued.

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RAS SHUKIER M.V.BIRCHWOOD 11

With its hull breaking the surface, the Birchwood 2 lies in a sheltered bay at Ras Shukier. With a maximum depth of only 12 mtrs it offers a great introduction to wreck diving, but also has great potential for photography and supports a unique eco system.

Lying to the north of the port in a large bay with three other wrecks was a small 50 mtrs motor cargo ship on its starboard side in 12mtrs of water. Totally intact it was difficult to see why she had sunk. The early morning light streamed into the holds and bathed the entire wreck and it was easy to make out her features.

In calm weather the natural sunlight allows for some great wreck photography opportunities.

Just forward of the Superstructure, itself at the aft of the vessel was an intact crane, obviously used to serve the hold. The criss-cross gantry was covered in life as we were to find out during a night dive.

Superb swim-throughs from the weather deck into the holds were easily accomplished and here we found, like the HAM ADA in southern Egypt bags of p olythene granules hard against the port hull The foc’sle was easy to access and explore and her winch gear, like many parts of the wreck was covered in sp onge and encrusting corals. .Her bow appeared intact and a deep scour ran along her keel, becoming circular by her prop and rudder. Her starboard running light lay protruding from the sand. Rounding the 18

www.deeplens.com stern revealed two access doors at deck level into her engine room, with stair wells leading down into the lower levels- earmarked for a future visit.

LEFT; the intact wheel house when we first found her. RIGHT; Small morays are widespread in the wreckage.

The wheel house was to prove beyond a doubt that this was y et another undived wreck - the hammering hordes from Hurghada have never seen this‌.The ships wheel, and compass binnacle were still in place and the telegraph lay below on the sand clearly showing its Dutch origin. Superb back drops for the expedition photo scrapbook.

The central section of the wreck has broken up, but allows for safe exploration

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www.deeplens.com With limited time we managed one additional dive on the wreck – at night and what a gem that was.

Hundreds of nudibranchs, some sp ecies new to me despite my many years in the Red Sea, sea hares and shoals of rabbit fish huddled together everywhere 3 Snowflake morays shared a single hole although the giant version was missing. Lionfish hovered over the sand in search of small fry and there were many to choose from. Almost every surface of the wreck was alive with anemones, sp onges and small crustaceans.

The brilliant reds, oranges and greens highlighted by torch beams.

Over the years some illegal salvage has caused the wheel house to collapse and sections of the hull have been removed, presumably for scrap. However the wreck still remains a great dive-shallow yet plenty to sea and explore with the added bonus of keeping the bug hunters happy. Very happy.

Nudibranchs galore! We found more nudibranchs on this wreck in one dive that a week in the Red Sea. Why they are so wide spread diverse and common in the gulf is a question for the biologists to answer.

M.V LAURA SECURITY

At first glance the wreckage of the Laura security looks disappointing due to its lack of depth .However below the waves is a photographic studio-back ground props and shoaling fish bathed in strong sunlight await the underwater photographer.

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www.deeplens.com This small 57 mtr long coastal motor tanker was built at Karlstad in 1956, 441 ton gross was fitted with an Alpha diesel 5 cylinder oil engine built at Fredrikshaven. She had sailed under various other names; BALTICA , BALTIC (69), NIKI (81) until she became the LAURA SECURITY in 1981 when she was purchased by M alacontas S.A. registered in Pamama.

She ran aground with a cargo of gas oil in heavy weather on a voyage from Suez to Ras Shukier on Ap ril 22nd 1983 and was deemed a total constructive loss.

The vessel sits upright with its bridge out of the water. M any of the hull plates had fallen to the seabed allowing sunlight to stream through its vertical sup ports highlighting shoals of fish. The strong sunlight afforded by the shallow depths provided endless p hoto opportunities.

With the hull intact the bow and stern are very photogenic and the sup porting fish life is quite amazing. It is possible to explore the fo’c’sle and engine room-the later being the deepest part of the wreck in only 8mtrs Due to its location the wreck is blessed by the afternoon sun and the long beams of light shine through many holes in the wreck. Those who are not put off by the lack of depth are well rewarded The deck lies in only 6 mtrs, but all of her valves ,piping and other fittings are all still in situ. Shoals of fish find shelter amongst the frameworks

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RAS GHARIB This headland is surrounded with many wrecks, and to the best of my knowledge has rarely been dived; It is a long way north from Sharm El Shiekh. but despite the lack of coral and the reduced visibility there are some very interesting shipwrecks

M.V QTMO 1, OCEAN GOING ANCHOR HANDLING TUG

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M O number;7218709 Name of the ship; QTM OS 1 Type of ship; OFFSHORE SUPPLY SHIP/OCEAN GOING ANCHOR HANDLING TUG Gross tonnage; 865 tons DWT;1086 tons Dimensions ;52.76 m long, 12.5 beam, draught 3.6 mtrs Engines: 2 x Alk HP 4180 hp, Caterpillar engine for bow thruster, Speed 10 knots.

Year built ;1972 Builder; VAN DER GIESSEN DE NOORD - ALBLASSERDAM , NETHERLANDS Flag; GEORGIA Home port; BATUM I Final/Current M anager & owner; QUEEN TOWER M ARINE & OIL SERVICES - ALEXANDRIA,

EGYPT Former names; M .V. OIL SUPPLIER until 1984 (built as) M .V.M ANTARRAYA until 1990 Oct M .V.TONY BAY until 1995 Jan M .V.SEA FORCE until 2005 Dec

Twin screws directional props, in Kort nozzles, Jastrom 300hp bow thruster forward sup erstructure ,long work deck, two fire sup pression cannons. 2 x Norwich 3 ton anchor winches.

QTM OS 1 C2014

ORIGINALVESSEL OIL SUPPLIER 1972

CAREER The vessels main duties revolved around the oil industry, and her long deck, huge winches and 46 ton bollard pull, meant she could position the huge anchors needed to stabilise oil rigs. The work deck too

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www.deeplens.com could handle containers in her roll as a goffer, working between the shore and the platforms themselves.

Her two 1000 cubic mtr per hour water cannon were suitable for fire fighting duties and 2 x 8mtrs sp ray booms could deal with oil sp ills. Needless to say her bollard pull made her well equipped for towing rigs into position as well as securing them. After 35 years of service it would seem she began to show her age.

The hull bears many attemps at patching her up before she was left at anchor where she finally sank.

We had noticed the boat at anchor on our various visits to RasGharib. While diving the other wrecks in the area (Domiat, Scalaria, Aboudy ) She was innocuous, with many other vessels at anchor in the area as

the oil industry in the gulf slowly declined.

CIRCUMSTANCE OF LOSS In June 2016 I was in the area with a group of divers on board M .V SEA KING. I was on the bridge discussing our next dive with the captain and we noticed the tug starting to list over to starboard the waves were obscuring the first few letters of the name on the hull but we guessed it was Cosmos. We were wrong! We contained our excitement and watched her slowly sink below the waves. The guests were having lunch. As we left our mooring we drifted over the new wreck, clearly visible from above. There had been no one on board, no one had left the ship as she settled. There was no reaction from anyone on the nearby vessels or rigs. No one seemed to care.

Knowing me well the captain asked if I wanted to diver her, but I thought it p rudent to let her settle and come back in a couple of weeks. I had a secondary motive too. Coventry BSAC were up next.

THE DISCOVERY We departed Hurghada 15th October, with a full complement of eager divers, my trusted crew and equally enthusiastic captain. Our main objectives dive the S.STurkia and EL Domiat, celebrate the 75th anniversary of the sinking of the Thistlegorm and Rosalie M oller, and dive a virgin wreck!.

By the 12th we had dived the Thistlegorm, travelled up to Ras Zafarana and dived the Turkia Aboudy and several other wrecks .The area in which the new wreck lay was thankfully sheltered and locating the wreck was childs play. No hours of searching with the sidescan, was could see her as we approached the target area.

Any wreck has its dangers. A new wreck has even more. It was vital I ensure it was safe to dive. I briefed the guest to start getting ready-I would make a quick recce of 10 minutes and come back to brief 25

www.deeplens.com them. After A 9 minute dive, 3 minutes safety stop I climbed back on board, with the bell hanging from my weight belt. For sure the wreck was stable. A quick brief of how the wreck lay, depths main features etc and the pool was op en.

THE WRECK TODAY The wreck lies in 17 mtrs of water on her starboard side off Ras Gharib in the Gulf of Suez. The initial dive revealed many clues about her identity and indeed how she had sunk.

The hull below the water line is a living reef covered in a huge array of soft corals. Her propellers are covered too, suggesting they haven’t been used in a long while. (just like the M V SARAH at Safaga) The hull is porous and had many temporary patches along its length. Twin rudders sit aft of the directional props. The hull is worthy of a dive in its own right , The vibrant colours alone are a stark contract to the “clean” appearance of the sup erstructure and deck .As with any coral reef, its not just corals that are in residence-A full compliment of fish and invertebrates complete the eco sy stem. This in turn has attracted a lot of life to the surrounding sand. A great future projectphotograph and document the marine life here. With a maximum depth of 17 mtrs and its sheltered location, its potential for a night dive is tremendous.

The twin props themselves are interesting-Kort nozzles- rings surrounding the propeller blades offer additional cover for marine life. Its obvious they haven’t turned in a long time!

The long work deck has lost much of its wooden planking, with a huge roller at the very stern and two fire sup pression cannons-capable of pumping 1000 cubic litres per hour stand guard aft of her forward sup erstructure.

These make sup erb photo props, and currently the red paint helps them stand out.

Each has its own p latform and are located port and starboard aft of the sup erstructure Needless to say the bridge sup erstructure contains many interesting features. The bridge was found to be totally intact, down to telephones, chairs and paper work! Her comms mast and navigation lamps are still in situ.

The compass, DF Antenea, and searchlight stand proud on the bridge navigation deck and are further evidence that the vessel has not been touched. We will endeavour to keep her location a closely guarded secret and hope she remains in this unique condition for a long time to come. It will be interesting to see how long marine life takes to colonise the wreck. After all we have a start point. The compass binnacle(made by Henry Browne & Sons, Barking) stands firm on the navigation deck.

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www.deeplens.com One of the vital makers’ plates on any maritime vessel is the compass binnacle plate. Each is uniquely identifiable, and if de didn’t already have a plethora of info to hand this plate alone would have identified the vessel at its point of launching. Henry Brown and Sons of Barking have their own museum, detailing their maritime history, and the records would indeed show that compass no. 90327 was sup plied to the M V OIL SUPPLIER in 1987, although the manufacturing of these instruments has been taken over by Lillie and Gillie at North Shields. A small but invaluable artefact, which can alone identify the vessel. This info will be posted on the internet and the plate will eventually be placed in the appropriate museum.

ONE MONTH DOWN! First images of the bridge sup erstructure. By using a 10 mmm lens and the good light afforded by the shallow depths I was able to capture the entire bridge in one frame Inside the bridge nothing has been removed the throttle controls sit at neutral, her, radar telephones computer screens, and radio panels are there to investigate. Even chairs lie abandoned, having fallen down to the starboard bridge wall. The draws still contained documents relating to the vessel, and her sp ec sheet, recovered by Dave Plumb have given us some useful details. Of all the wrecks we have found over the years this one has given up her secrets without a struggle.

The biggest mystery though is in her name. I cannot find any language (even Arabic) which translates with Q T as the first letters. At first I thought it was a typo as OTM OS might have worked! The name on her hull, documents on board and her documented history confirm her as the QTM OS 1.

She has a short fore deck and the bow is very rounded sp orting a very large “ fender”. In reality a huge tractor tyre. Additional winches can be found on the foredeck.

The fish life is quite stunning. Especially the Arabian Emperor fish which are not only oversized but in larger numbers than I’ve seen anywhere in the Red sea. The hull has formed a cave for many sp ecies to use as shelter. The story begins the soft corals on the hull will colonise the “new” parts of the wreck which are now underwater. Watch this space

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The current name is quite clear on the hull, but there is evidence of her previous names on the hull under the raised plate. Definitely a “Q�

The wreck boasts two funnels each with a separate exhaust sy stem for the on deck generators The radar assembly and comms mast in the afternoon sun, waiting to be colonised by soft corals. That will be some sight!

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M.V ABOUDY Built in 1960 as the VILLE DE TENES, by Handel SCHPSB Kramer &Body originally designed to carry wine, she was 76 mtr long, 11.4 mtr beam, 490 tons, fitted with A 4sa 7 cylinder oil M .A.N. engine. In 1962 she became the CAPTAIN SAINT JEAN until 1979 when she was bought by Nakhia & Sado M arine Services (Egypt) and was finally named the ABOUDY .

The Aboudy lies in only 12 mtrs of water and is virtually intact. Visibility is often cloudy due to the sandy seabed

While carrying a general cargo, cargo 120 tons of aluminium and livestock. The ABOUDY sank off Ras Gharib in heavy weather on the 7th M ay 1988. Running aground into shallow water, she capsized onto her port side and was deemed a total constructive loss. She was located September 13th 2005 by PC and members of Bromley BSAC, inshore of the Scalaria in shallow water. The wreck lies on its p ort side in a north south attitude with the bows to the north and her keel to seaward.

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The wreck lies on its side, intact and makes a very easy long shallow dive, but calm weather will produce the best conditions to fully appreciate this shipwreck.

The bridge and sup erstructure are located aft and have collapsed. The holds which run continuously through the ship still contain some of her cargo-hundreds of 120ml bottles of cough medicine lie in the silt and the surrounding sand, and long lengths of aluminium extrusion lie in twisted heaps. Two huge, and very photogenic A -frame derricks run horizontal, flanking the holds , served by 4 sets of twin winches and a radio mast runs out from the bridge area.

The fo’c’sle has evidence of other items of cargo stored there. Handrails and flagstaffs are intact, and several bulk head lamps can still be seen. The prop and rudder are still in place in only7 mtrs of water. Because the wreck lies on its side the masts have remained intact, thus providing more “real estate” for both divers to explore and marine life to inhabit.

Several mast lamps, complete with lenses remain in their appropriate place Given the shallow depth there is plenty of time to explore this fascinating shipwreck- with the bonus of strong sunlight and varied marine life which includes shoaling yellow finned barracuda and fusiliers, emperor angle fish, crocodile fish, torpedo rays as well as encrusting corals and sp onges on the hull and fittings. The site is subject to swell as the seabed is sandy and visibility can be greatly reduced in poor weather.

Like all the other wrecks in the Gulf, an amazing variety on invertebrates were recorded during the dayNocturnal in the Red sea, but active here. Above is a small selection of nudibranchs we found on the wreck.

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S.S. SCALARIA

THE SHIP Built in 1922 for the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co at Swan Hunters, Newcastle, this 5683 ton steam tanker was 411 ft long, 55 FT beam and 30 FT draught, capable of 10 knots and fitted with triple expansion engines built by the Wallsend Slipway Engineering Co. She was requisitioned in the Admiralty services and armed with 1 4”, 1 12pnr 2 twin Lewis 4 Hotchkiss and one Breda. She had a crew of 52 including 4 navy gunners THE FINAL VOYAGE CAPTAIN J. WARING “We sailed from Hurghada at 0630 on 18th October 1942, arriving off Ras Gharib at 1530 the same day to load with crude and then proceed to anchorage “B”. I hoisted a signal to be moored without delay conditions then being favourable. At 1615 I was informed that the vessel could not be moored until the following morning.”

Next morning the Scalaria docked and started to load 7000 tons of crude oil. At 1750 Waring received an instruction to house his balloon, and not fire on any aircraft as there was to be a practise flight with lights burning between 2000 and 2200hrs.

THE S INKING CAPTAIN J WARING “At 2215 I made the rounds of the ship, saw the gunners at their posts. At 2230 I retired to my room, being awakened at 2230 by an attacking Heinkel HE 111 approaching from the land, roughly westward. The aircraft circled at approximately 100 ft, then dropped a torpedo which struck the ship on the starboard side abaft of the bridge in no. 3 tank. There was a terrific explosion which caused the ship to shudder violently and carried away the stern moorings, causing the ship to swing round from north to south. All the woodwork in my room collapsed and the iron frame twisted, jamming the two doors. By sheer force I burst one door open and on reaching the deck saw the whole of the after starboard side of the deck was ablaze, with burning oil pouring from the ships side and drifting aft.”

At this point the Heinkel lined up for another attack, this time releasing a bomb.

Some of the men were trapped aft and ran up onto the poop others on the fo’c’scle slid down ropes over the bow.

WARING “ I WAS ABOUT TO SHOUT TO THESE MEN WHEN A BOMB STRUCK THE FOREDECK WITH A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.I WAS BADLY BURNED AND INJURED BY THIS BOMB AND SAW IT WAS NO USE TRYING TO GET THE MEN TO COME AMIDSHIPS AS THE WHOLE FOREDECK WAS NOW BLAZING FURIOUSLY”.

“I could not get to the ships p apers as my cabin was completely wrecked and flames were coming up the accommodation ladder.”

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A sketch of the Scalaria from an identification log book belonging to the Captain of a German submarine, hunting for the ship.

THE DISCOVERY Armed with this detailed information and hydrographic reports three expeditions were carried out to locate the wreck. By the third trip we had located several other wrecks (Aboudy , Attiki, Bakr, Birchwood, Elliot, Gemini, laura Security ,) These finding has allowed us to eliminate several suspectsScalaria was by far a bigger ship and by the third trip we had a pretty good idea where she was.411ft and 5600 tons of l of ship on a sandy bottom a big clear target.

M embers of Brighton BSAC joined my in the search and we found her a mile north of our guesstimation”. Even before we dived her I knew this was the Scalaria-there was her bow facing south just as J Waring had stated.

The bow and fo’c’sle were found upright broken off from the main section.

Iron framework and adders helped define the section of ship. From here back to the centre island was a dispersed area of huge proportions with her valve-ing and pipe work twisted, distorted and mangled amongst sectional framing and bulkheads over an area of 200ft x 50ft.

Portholes, deck fittings and winches lay scattered in a chaotic scrapyard of metal Where the centre island had been the wreckage stood almost to the surface with more large sections of her holds standing upright. M ore evidence of the massive explosions in the form of huge sections of steel folded outwards forming overhangs for fish and encrusting sp ecies.

Three huge boilers mark the aft section of the vessel. With the engine house gone, the triple expansion engine lies bare –big ends con rods and a huge reversing wheel are easily located and recognised PROOF OF ID. It was amongst the plates, gratings and pies which had been the engine room that we found absolute proof that would keep any sceptics quite. The engine manufacturer’s plate lay upside down amongst the debris covered in concretion and half buried. Exhumed, and cleaned it was to read “WALLSEND SLIPWAY and ENGINEERING CO LTD NEWCASTLE ON TYNE 1921” “ENGINES NO 843

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The stern, like the bow is upright reaching to within a few feet of the surface- her propeller has since salvaged, but leaving no doubt as to the size of the vessel.

long

The wreck’s condition can be described as “well dispersed”but some sections of the wreck still stand several mtrs tall (picture left above).Her prop has been removed but the stren rises from the seabed almost to the surface.

Rummage dive: covering a vast area, it’s easy to miss some of her features. LEFT tools still hang in a workshop in the stern. RIGHT; Her big ends and other engine parts lie exposed in the stern of the wreck.

POSTSCRIPT

At a Board of Trade enquiry on the 12th October 1943 Captain J Waring further stated “0n finding the ship would be delayed overnight I pointed out the danger of this delay which was in my opinion quite unnecessary and in my opinion resulted in the loss of my ship as we would have sailed in safe conditions to anchorage B by 1000 on the 19th Oct. “All of my crew behaved well throughout, and carried out their duties without fear or panic.

ND I WOULD ESPECIALLY MENTION 2 OFFICER ARMATAGE FOR HIS VERY GALLANT ACTION IN ASSISTING THE BADLY WOUNDED 3 RD OFFICER THROUGH THE FLAMES TO THE FOC’SLE HEAD. HE WAS UNDOUBEDLY RESPONCIBLE FOR GETTING THIS OFFICER SAFELY AWAY FROM THE BURNING VESSEL, BUT I REGRET TO SAY THE 3RD OFFICER LATER DIED IN HOSPITAL” 34

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Unheeded warning; the telegram sent by Captain Waring to the Admiralty hours before the ship was lost

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M.V BAKR A 416 ton survey vessel, 49mtrs long she Built in Kiev by Leninskaya Kuznitza for the United Arab Republic General Petroleum Co, She was sunk at Ras Gharib by Israeli missiles on October 14th 1973 during the Yom Kippur War.

In mach 2006 the wreck was discovered sitting upright on a sandy seabed just of the headland at Ras Gaharib, in 12 mtrs of water. Except for the damage caused by the missiles the hull appears intact, and it is possible to enter the hull and investigate the interior of the vessel.

Identification of the wreck was made easy by the embossed name on her stern and her bow. Her booms are still in an outward position as if she was towing arrays at the time of her sinking. All around the wreck are the day to day artefacts of the working life of a survey vessel. Winches cable drums , generators and fittings

The bow is an impressive sight, bathed in strong sunlight in only a few mtrs of water, her anchor winch still in place. It would appear that the wreck has been swept to the waterline,

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P& O SHILLONG

Built at Vickers Armstrong’s ,Walker yard #104 Mar 1949, for the P&O LINE, The SHILLONG was 8934 tons gross,4816 nett and 522 ft long. She was fitted with three geared steam turbine engines built at Barrow in Furness which could deliver 13000shp through a single prop. She had a sp eed of 17 knots. Classified as a general cargo liner, she could carry 12 passengers and had a crew of 87 THE FINAL VOYAGE In October 1957 the P. & O. Shillong steamed down Southampton Water, Ushant under the command of Captain Spurling, she carried 6 passengers, 26 British officers and 61 crew. Passing the Queen Mary and the American aircraft—carrier Forrestal she journeyed through the Bay of Biscay, past Portugal, Spain and through the Straits of Gibratar to her first port of call, Almeria, in fine clear weather. Here she loaded grapes for the East; then headed north and east to Genoa to discharge and take on more cargo, and finally south to Port Said and the entrance to the Suez Canal.

Jan Goddard heard the siren as he went into the chart-room to collect the ‘stations’ book to note down t he helm and engine orders for later inclusion in the log-book. The Captain heard it too, and came racing up the ladder. Almost at the same time the oncoming ship altered her helm to port—she had decided to try and cross the bows of the Shillong.

The Shillong’s Second officer moved to the single engine-room telegraph in the wheelhouse and rang it over twice, “Emergency Full Astern!”

Too late. The two vessels raced towards a collision point with their helms turned in opposite directions.

Ian Goddard, standing on the helmsmans starboard side could now make out the huge wide beamed tanker approaching amidships. He grabbed onto the telegraph as the ship lurched over to port. The on coming vessel having struck only some 20 ft away-demolishing the #2 motor boat As the Tanker swung under the momentum of the Shillong, she slid astern leaving a huge gash in her port side The sea poured the Shillong’s engine—room, and the port-side deep cargo oil-tank was filling rapidly with the sea, pulling the ship down. The other empty cargo oil-tank on the starboard side, was acting as a buoyancy chamber. The Shillong sp un round and heeled over on her port side The water was now up to her boat-deck number3 hold had flooded.

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www.deeplens.com The gravity davits, had been designed to work against an adverse list of 15 degrees, but with the Shillong s list at 30 degrees they were rendered useless-and the starboard lifeboats unusable. On the port side the forward boat was smashed, and the aft boat’s davit had been bent by the collision.

Every effort was made to use inflatables, and as the engine room flooded the vessel righted itself and the starboard lifeboats were utilized. The crew and passengers abandoned ship as she settled low in the water, Capatin Spurling being the last to leave.

Shortly after a tanker, the SKOTLAND came close by, slowing and lowering her own boats, taking the survivors on board. Ironically, this was the north bound vessel which had prevented the Shillong from taking evasive action. M eanwhile the Shillong had settled, and just after midnight she went down stern first. Three lives were lost.

“The behaviour of the entire crew was magnificent, European and Asian alike . . . It was an honour to be associated with the men of the Shillong.” (Robert M iller)

To this day, despite our every efforts this ship has not been located. We are assured by the hydrographic department she is there, she has not been salvaged, just waiting to be found… Throughout 2015 we shall be running expeditions to locate and dive her and the DOM IAT. .Why join our next wreck hunting trip!

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S,.S BELMORE

Name: FLYING SCOUT Launched: 06/09/1902 Completed: 1902 Builder: JP Rennoldson & Sons, South Shields Yard 219 Number: Dimensions: 168grt, 3nrt, 106.0 x 22.0 x 9.3ft Engines: CI2cyl (20 & 42 x 27ins), 98nhp, 750ihp Engines By: JP Rennoldson & Sons, South Shields Prop ulsion: 1 x Screw Construction: Steel Reg Number: 115720 History: 1902 14/05/1908 24/06/1908

Clyde Shipping Co Ltd, Glasgow James Fenwick, Glasgow; renamed BELM ORE Registered at Sydney

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www.deeplens.com The "Belmore," Official Number 115720, was a steel screw steam yacht used for towing purposes, fo rmerly named the "Flying Scout," built at South Shields in the year 1902 by Messrs. J. P. Rennoldson & So ns, South Shields, and was of the following dimensions:”Length 106 feet, breadth 22 feet, and depth in hold 9.3 feet, and was 168.29 gross, and 3.04 registered tonnage. She was fitted with compound direct acting inverted cylinders of 98 n.h.p., her estimated speed being 12 knots, and was owned by Mr. James Fe nwick, of Sydney, New So uth Wales, The "Belmore" was on the voyage to Malta in good and seaworthy condition as regards hull and e quipments. She was surveyed and passed by the Board of Trade surveyor at Greenock before leaving that port, which she left on the 30th of May, 1908, bound for Sydney, New South Wales, with a crew of 12 hands all told (and no passengers), under the command of Mr. Charles Murchie, who held a certificate of competency as master, No. 09867.

“O n the voyage to Port Said she appeared very tender, causing her to ship water which saturated the coal stowe d in bags and bulk on the after deck. She arrived at Port Said on the 16th of June last, and after coaling, according to the evidence, the vessel was much deeper than when leaving Malta. Her Plimsoll m ark was submerged and the water up to the top of the belting, but there is no evidence given as to how this extra immersion was caused.

The "Belmore" left Port Said at or about 5.30 a.m. of the 17th June last, and proceeded through the canal into the Gulf of Suez, with fine we ather. About 10 p.m. the wind was about two points on the port quarter, and increasing with a rising sea. At midnight the watch commenced to put coal off the deck into the stokehold. This was continued until after 2 a.m. of the 18th, when Ras Gharib light was sighted.

Shortly after sighting the light, the second mate, Mr. Robertson, who was in charge and steering the ve ssel, called Gray, one of the watch, to relieve him. He then we nt down below as directed, to let the m aster know that he had sighted Ras Gharib light and how it bore, and while he and the master we re e x amining the chart, a sea came in over the port quarter, giving her a list to port, and as the vessel did not re cover, thinking something was wrong, he made for the deck, followed by the master, and finding he r on her beam ends and going further over, he and the master got over the rail on to the side of the ve ssel, and finally reached the keel as she turned bottom up, giving no time to provide themselves with life -saving appliances. The majority of the crew we nt down with the ship. The captain was last seen sta nding on her bottom near the keel. The rest, five in number, succeeded in swimming to the coal box, which floated away from the vessel as she sank. They held on to the box for about 1 1/2 hours, when it broke up and each secured a plank, by which means four of them eventually reached the shore in safety at some distance from the lighthouse. The fifth was caught by a shark while efforts we re being made to save him by those on the beach. The mutilated body was afterwards recovered and buried. “ To date the wreck has not been located.

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DOMIAT ex HMS NITH

HM S Nith was a British River Class frigate of 1460 tons displacement launched in 1942. She was built by Henry Robb Ltd. (Leith, U.K.): Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd. (Scotstoun, Scotland) HM S Nith was p owered by two Admiralty 3-drum type boilers providing a top sp eed of 20 knots. She carried a complement of 140 and was armed with two 4-inch dual-purpose guns; ten 20 mm anti-aircraft guns and one Hedgehog multiple sp igot mortar.

It was 25 September before she was launched, named H.M .S.Nith, and commissioned into service. Her duties should have been convoy escort, because her armament consisted of 2 Quick Firing 4” guns, one rocket multi launcher, known as a Hedgehog and 126 Depth charges. It was found that she was not suitable for escort duties, and in September 1943, following unsuitable sp eed trials, she was designated to be a landing craft sup port ship. In June 1944, she was chosen to be the Headquarters for the British landings in Normandy on ‘D’ Day, and after landing 231 Infantry Brigade on ‘Jig’ Green Beach, she commenced duties in controlling the routing of convoys to the assault force zones. She was especially suited for this, because prior to joining the ship, many signalmen and W.T.operators had received sp ecial training in Scotland for their chosen duties, and when the time arrived they could receive and transmit multiple signals, both visual and wireless. In their duties rerouting convoys, Nith should be easily recognised, so her funnel and bridgeworks were painted a vivid red so it was impossible to miss her It is more than likely that she was singled out for enemy attack, and on the evening of 24 June 1944, Ordinary Seaman Les Gentry was manning a radio direction finder to locate aircraft, but the set was giving trouble so he was given permission to ask a radar mechanic to look at it. A very fortunate incident for him, whose action station was on the starboard side. He soon had the set working, and immediately Les Gentry had a bearing dead astern, of an aircraft at 1300 with the range closing. His last signal to the bridge was ‘Target Overhead Sir,’ when Nith was struck on the starboard side by a M istel. This was one of the latest of the enemies weapons, and was a JU88 plane, packed with high explosive, but guided by a parent plane to its target. A terrible toll was taken of the crew, the wounded were transferred to another ship and the dead busied at sea at 0700 hours 25 June 2003, whilst Nith was under tow to Cowes, where she was dry -docked and underwent repairs.

This was one of two experimental M istell that the enemy tried out. The other one crashed on take-off at St Dizier, with the loss of two pilots. In October of that year, Nith was sailed to the Clyde and prepared for duties in the Far East, but it was the following Ap ril before she was ready, and sailed for Arakan, via 43

www.deeplens.com Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, to take part in Op eration Dracula, to re-take Rangoon. Fortunately, the Japanese Army had already evacuated and after the re-occupation was complete, Nith was again chosen to be the Headquarters of the Senior Naval Officer in Charge. The following year, she was part of Op eration Bibber, which was the re-occupation of Thailand, but the Japanese had already surrendered, so it was a bloodless coup. The following year M arch 1946, she left India and became part of the Reserve Fleet at Harwich.

In 1948, she was sold to Egypt and re-named Domiat,. She has been immortalised in a book by Robert Forsyth.

At 0130 hours on 1st November the cruiser "Newfoundland" was moving up the Gulf of Suez when she observed a darkened ship passing her in the opposite direction. "Newfoundland" turned parallel with her and identified her as an Egyptian frigate. A signal was flashed to her to "Stop or I fire." This was correctly acknowledged, and the frigate appeared to slow down. "Newfoundland" signalled to report she had stopped.

The frigate then switched off her navigation lights and trained her armament on the "Newfoundland." The latter then opened fire and the frigate opened fire immediately afterwards. After five minutes the frigate was seen to be sinking and firing ceased. Searchlights were trained on the water to assist in rescue work and 70 survivors were picked up. Rescue work continued for an hour and a half, after which a marker buoy was dropped, and the South African vessel "President Steyn" was asked to continue the search .

HM S Newfoundland November 1st During patrol intercepted darkened ship following mercantiles travelling north.

Illuminated target that identified as an Egyptian Frigate. Engaged and sank frigate DOM EAT (Ex HM S NITH) with 6in and 4in fire.Hit by return 4in fire causing slight damage and casualties. 1 killed 5 injured. 69 of Egyptian crew were escued.2ndOpened fire on targets after radar detection. No return fire.

3rd Deployed in Gulf of Suez.7th Op eration M USKETEER ended after UN intervention. Passage to Aden and remained in area.

DIVING DETAILS The wrecks lies on a flat seabed in 52 mtrs of water on her port side. The starboard rail rises up 8/10 mtrs from the seabed, putting the wreck on the very edge of scuba limits, and is best planned as a technical dive.

The upper half of her keel is covered in coral bushes, and nets and fishing lines drape down over the deck and sup erstructure making a close inspection very tricky. The bow lies flattened into the seabed, anchor evident and her 4� guns are still mounted on its pedestal.A/Amachine guns still it in their stations. The bridge is damaged, and her funnel is still in place.

The wreck is in an advanced state of decay, and great care is needed when exploring her interior. The wreck attracts large numbers of fish including a resident school of barracuda.

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Her twin props remain although draped in line and rope

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her funnel is still intact, and helps locate the engine room

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one of many gun mounts-these appear to be anti aircraft machine guns, still in situ!

M.V.CAPE CLEAR

The Cape Clear was a cargo ship of 5,085 GRT built at Lithgows Ltd. (Yard No. 906), Glasgow, Scotland, for Cape York M otorship Co., Ltd. (Lyle Shipping Co.), Glasgow, Scotland. Launched 08 M ay 1939, and completed the following August, the ship was 134.6 meters in length, 17.3 meters in beam, and 8.2 meters in draught. Prop ulsion was provided by a single diesel engine generating 599 nhp to a single screw for a speed of 12 knots. Engines built by Rowan David and Co. Glasgow.

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There isn't much available information concerning the ship's history. It is known that on 27 February 1941 the ship was damaged when she struck a mine off the M ersey. I have been unable to locate any additional information about the ship until 1944.

On 21 August 1944, while north-bound in the Gulf of Suez enroute to Hampton Roads, UK from Basra, the ship was involved in a collision with the U.S. Liberty Ship Henry Dearborn. The Cape Clear sank as a result of the collision in 55-60-meters of water between the north and south-bound shipping lanes “Off Ras Gharib�

DIVING INFORM ATION The wreck sits upright on a flat seabed, and due to the depths is a normoxic trimix dive. She is a big wreck- some 30mtrs longer than the Thistlegorm. The stern section lies over to port, with the masts sections rising up several meters and covered in soft corals. All of the wooden hatch covers, decking and bulkheads have rotted away, making penetration easier. The engine room is huge, her diesel power units untouched. Catwalks surround the main engines and there are several workshop s of to the side, in all there are 4 floors of the engine room her holds and engine room are fairly open, The bridge and accommodation sup erstructure and also reduced to framework, and are open both on vertical bulkheads and floor/ceilings. M uch of the wreck is draped in nets adding to the other problems with the depth and location of the wreck.

WRECK OF THE SS SAN JUAN

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Built in 1900 for the New York and Porto Rico Line by Harland &Hollingworth,Wilminton Del. She was a 4 hold cargo passenger ship 317 ft long 42 beam with triple expansion steam engines.

She sits upright in the middle of the shipping lane north of Ras Gharib in 64 mtrs of water .The bridge section has collapsed, otherwise she is fairly intact.The wreck is covered with line and attracts many fish, but is a difficult dive to excecute, given its proximity to the shipping lane!

Editors note; not to be confused with the MV SAN JUAN which ran aground on Abu Nu Has ,and subsequently refloated

RAS ZAFARANA 49

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Travelling north from Ras Garib, the road sp lits off towards Cairo at a check point on a large RAS or headland. A large hotel, catering for holiday makers from Cairo and Alexandria, bears the name of the headland. The climate here is very settled, seemingly sheltered from the prevailing northerly wind and fine natural beaches are the norm rather than coral. It is an area full of potential, with rumours of amphora wrecks as well as more modern casualties. The area will no doubt in years to come be a major diving location.

SS TURKIA The rumours of “a wreck north of the Thistlegorm” could well apply to this wreck. A very similar vessel sunk by explosion and indeed carrying war materials, the SS TURKIA has the potential of being the new Thistlegorm and could indeed bring prosp erity to a very run down area of Egypt’s coast line. The area has its own calm settled climate and this wreck is diveable all year round. The added bonus is the amount of marine life it attracts and its discovery must eventually open up this area to some great new discoveries.

Currently well out of the range of most safari boats based in Hurghada or Sharm, she is without doubt one of the very best wrecks found in sp ort diving depths –so far in Egyptian waters

THE SHIP Built in Hull in 1909 as the LIVORNO(11)*,she was a schooner rigged steam cargo ship of 1671 tonnes gross, 300ft long and a 42 ft beam, clinker built by Earles Shipbuilding and Engineering Co.(yard no. 562) She was fitted with a reciprocating, triple expansion, direct acting vertical steam engine producing an IHP of 1000, making 9.5 knots, made by Amos Smith, also of hull. She has 4 bulkheads and a cruiser stern, single shaft and propeller.

She was built for Thomas Wilson Sons &Co, again of Hull.

FINAL VOYAGE The Turkia’s final voyage began in New York in M ay 1941, where she loaded with a full cargo of “government stores”-she was bound for Pireus. The cargo included explosives, tyres, coils of wire, ingots, vehicles and firearms .

The ships cargo, loaded in New York is still in place; mortar shells in the stern ,tank transporters, and hundreds of tyres in the ‘tween decks.

THE SINKING 50

www.deeplens.com Two conflicting reports “Bombed off Zafarana Li ght 2 miles SE May 14 th 1941” - "Destroyed by fire and explosion near Zafarana Light Gulf of Suez, after being abandoned by her crew when on passage from New York to Pi raeus wi th general c a rg o a n d explosi ves."

“17/5/1941 she had a fire in no. 3 hold where explosives were stored (she was carrying explo sive s a nd g e ne ra l cargo) and the fire was beyond control so the vessel was abandoned. 10 minutes later there was a large explosion and the vessel sank in 12 fathoms. Nothing was being done (later that is) as no competent sal vag e se rvi ce w as available at Port Said.”-Anne Crow e Lloyds This would explain why she is not in Lloyds War Losses as it sounds like an accident rather than enemy action. Indeed the hull would appear to be intact (from initial dive)and she looks as if she has settled slowly and upright.

Due to the Straits of Gibralta being closed off by axis forces her journey entailed entering the Red Sea at its southern end. She entered the Gulf of Suez and was p roceeding north when, just off the lighthouse At Zafarana, fire broke out in number 3 hold and due to the nature of her cargo she was abandoned.10 minutes later she was rocked by an explosion and settled upright in 12 fathoms. Due to the lack of facilities at Suez no salvage was attempted. Due to the nature of her sinking she does not appear as a casualty of war, merely a wartime loss.

The saloon and ward rooms are full of evidence of her last port of call; crockery and bottles litter the floor.

THE DISCOVERY Browsing through the wartime records I came across two separate entries for the sinking. One stated she had been attacked and bombed by enemy aircraft the other stated that she had sunk due to an internal explosion. Both agreed about her postion –near Zafarana Lighthouse in the Gulf of Suez,a long way north of RAS GARIB, our most northerly exploration of the Gulf of Suez so far.

A fisherman claimed to know her position. I decided to enlist the help of my good friend Basim ……… and put together a road trip. At Zafarana the only means of putting to sea available was a disused glass bottom boat, lying on the beach at the Zafarana Hotel. A10 minute journey took us to the target area, and with the shallow seabed of sand (24 mtrs,) the shadow of the wreck was soon located, rising up to within 10 mtrs of the surface. That was July 2007

DIVING DETAILS The wreck sits upright on sand in 24 mtrs, with the bow facing towards the shore. The hull is intact, although some sections have holes appearing in the upper sections. Both masts have been cut below the water line and lie off to the side of the wreck. The surrounding seabed is littered with debris from the wreck and is patrolled by Jacks and Travellies.

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Sitting proud and straight the bow appears out of a cloud of circling fish; The fo’c’sle hatch allows easy access into the crews accommodation; The frames of the crews bunks can still be seen.

The bow sits proud bathed in sunlight and is straight raked-same vintage as the Rosalie M oller. Clouds of fairley basslets swarm over the fo’c’lse head with its access hatches, hawse pipes, panama eye, triple cleats and windlass. Three deck houses sit at the aft section of the fo’c’sle, and there are coils of wire and vehicle tyres littered around. Mussels encrust most of the raised structures.

Entry into the fo’c’sle head can also be accessed from the main deck and leads to the seamans’ quarterswhere bed frames can still be found Holds 1 and 2 have two ‘tween decks with large numbers of tyres on the upper shelves. The deeper section of the holds contain wooden crates some containing hundreds of brass detonator caps. There are also hundreds of heavy rubber bases, their purpose a s yet not defined. Winches flank the holds, and in the second hold there are several vehicles, heavily encrusted, but appear to be cabs with extended chassis, possibly tank transporters The sup erstructure has external companionways, all wood having long since gone, the rooms are easily entered. The saloon sits below the chart room, with a corridor running port- starboard. Flanking the engine house, running aft on the starboard side are the 1st mates room, bathroom, 2nd & 3rd mates accommodation, chief engineers quarters and finally the cooks quarters.

On the port side are the stewards quarters followed by the pantry , galley 2nd & 3rd engineers quarters. All are easy to enter and explore. The accommodation areas are littered with crockery and bottles; various inscriptions help to confirm her last port of call “FLORIDA WATER, M URRAY & LANM AN, DRUGISTS, NEW YORK” “SLOANS LINIM ENT M ADE IN THE USA” “POISON VERGIF 8oz TALANA They flank the engine room, and her triple expansion steam engine is easy to explore although the lower levels are filling with dead mussel shells and sand. The repeater telegraph is still in place. A p latform of grating walkways forms a gallery around the cylinder head, with an auxiliary boiler aft.

The engine room, located amidships is easy to access through several openings, the skylight above allowing natural light to filter down into the interior. Experienced divers can descend two flights of stairs, passed the triple cylinder heads.

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In the deepest part of the engine room (24mtrs) are the repeater telegraphs and gauges, their dials obscured by years of concretion. Silt is slowly building up covering the floor in a layer over a foot thick.

Behind the engine house there is access into the no. 3 cargo hold, again with 2 ‘tween decks with more of her general cargo in view. Number 4 hold is totally full of mortar shells, which have totally concreted into the hold, still in their cases, the outlines of which can still be made out. Behind this hold is a narrow hold giving access to the stern store rooms, and steering house. The steering quadrant is located on the poop deck-and nearby a coral encrusted compass binnacle stands proud.

The cruiser/ fantailed stern leads down to her rudder and prop-shrouded with a fishing net at the time of writing-the blades are covered with soft corals.

The wreck is covered in a unique eco sy stem of soft fan corals, nudibranchs and schooling reef fishes.

Large schools of juvinille yellow tailed barracuda swarm over the wreck, cascading in an endless waterfall over the sides of the ship, down to the sea bed and back over the deck, often blotting out the sunlight.

To date we have made 8 expeds to the wreck and the marine seems to get better each time .During our 2013 trips we could not see the wreck for dense schools of Barracuda-which not only cascaded down the side of the wreck but also filled the holds.

The invertebrate life is indeed unique. We found two 9” seahorses on our last visit.

GERM AN DISCOVERY. You really have to laugh. It would seem that a recent German operator has announce that she has found the Turkia (September 2013) 7 years too late.

HIENKEL HE 111.

A STAFFEL OF Hienkel 11 bombers based in Crete, attacked the AIDA, which was at anchor off Zafarana Lighthouse. and although the Aida was damaged she was not sunk. One of the attacking aircraft had flown so low as to hit Aida’s mast and severely damaged crashed into the sea. To date (Nov 2013) she has not been located. The area is sandy ands less than 30mtrs so could prove to be an easy search and a great find.

Lloyds Losses “S .S . AIDA was sunk at Zafarana Anchorage be HE.111 which crashed at the same time after hitting Aida’s mast. Aida can be salved” 53

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In response to our clients needs we have produced, with the help of MIKE FENNEY at DIVE-LOGS.COM, a full set off log book stickers covering all 40 of the wrecks we feature over 7 different itineraries in Egyptian waters. These are the ONLY accurate and universal system available to enhance you log book, after a memorable trip. Available from DEEPLENS or DIVE LOGS COM

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PRIDE OF AL SALAM 95 In January 2009 I went on another “road trip�, this time to Suez, where for a couple of days I lived on a faluka- a small Egyptian ( and very smelly) fishing boat. With he help of the fishermen I located several interesting shipwrecks, including the PRIDE OF AL SALAM , formally the FREE ENTERPRISE V She lies on her side in 35mtrs of water. Her port lifeboats have not y et made it to the surface-but they are trying!

An eerie site-a row of lifeboats, still attached float vertically above the wreck

Undived until now-both wing compasses are still in place

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PETER COLLINGS. Peter began diving in 1970.In 1983 he wrote the first of 27 diving related books, and has won several international awards for his publications and underwater photography. His articles and photographs have appeared consistently thought the international diving press, Including DIVE SPORT DIVER , SCOTTISH DIVER and H20.

A BSAC Advanced instructor, ( Red Sea Wreck Academy) SSI PRO 5000 DIVER and TDI Advance Trimix diver, Peter has lead over 500 wreck and photo safaris around the world, logging over 6600 dives, and along with his regular team of experts has located and identified many of the shipwrecks in Egyptian waters. To date Peter has written and published 27 diving related guide books.

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DEEP LENS.COM UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY & WORLDWIDE SAFARIS AQUATIC IMAGERY SINCE 1985 07518161970

Email: deeplens@AOL.COM; WWW.deeplens.com

For over 20 years we have been successfully organizing and leading photographic and shipwreck safaris around the world, using the very best livaboards and dive centres. Our destinations include :

Palau -Truk Lagoon – Maldives- Egypt- Sudan WE SPECIALISE IN WRECK HUNTING EXPEDITIONS and ASSOCIATED TRAINING

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PETER COLLINGS-BIBLIOGRAPHY-PUBLICATIONS 1986- 2012

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COMING SOON

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OTHER FREE EBOOKS TO DOWN LOAD THE TILE WRECK ;HER TRUE STORY EGYPTIAN SHIPWRECKS –A PREVIEW SUEZ SHIPWRECKS THE RUSSIAN SPY SHIP SHIPWRECKS OF THE MALDIVES SHIPWRECKS OF TRUK LAGOON SHIPWRECKS OF MALTA & GOZO PACIFIC SHIPWRECKS SCAPA WRECKS THEY NEVER CAME BACK SAFAGA SHIPWRECKS SHIPWRECKS OF TIRAN THE ROSALIE MOLLER EGYPTS TOP 20 WRECKS SHIPWRECKS OF SOUTHERN EGYPT LEROS SHIPWRECKS 75 YEARS UNDERWATER DIVE PALAU D’PEARL BAY SHIPWRECKS Available free to down load from deeplens@aol.com.

CONTACT # 07518161970

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