Local dive boat trips

 

Aeolian Sky (‘The Sky’)

Aeolian Sky (‘The Sky’) image

The Aeolian Sky was a 10,700 tonne general cargo carrier. In 1979, following a collision with a coaster 'Anna Knuepell' near Guernsey she tried to make Portland Harbour. Just...

Alex Van Opstal (‘The Alex’)

Alex Van Opstal (‘The Alex’) image

This Belgian vessel has the distinction of being the first casualty of WW2 when she struck a mine on 15th September 1939 - just two weeks after the war started. She was en route from Antwerp when...

Bennendijk, SS (‘The Benny’)

Bennendijk, SS (‘The Benny’) image

In September 1939 the Bennendijk, better known as the "Benny", was steaming from New York to Amsterdam. When she entered UK waters she was requested by the Royal Navy to stop at...

Betsy Anna (‘The Betsy’)

Betsy Anna (‘The Betsy’) image

The Betsy Anna was an 880 ton steel steamer built in 1892 on the river Tyne.   On a foggy day early in October 1926, the Betsy Anna struck Prawle Point in Devon. The salvers blocked the holes...

Black Hawk

Black Hawk image

The Black Hawk was a 7100 ton Liberty Ship which was, unfortunately, torpedoed by U772 on 29th December 1944. The entire stern section was blown off and sank in 47m. The forward section was towed...

Boxer, HMS

Boxer, HMS image

The 260 ton HMS Boxer was one of the Royal Navy’s ‘A’ class torpedo boat destroyers. Build in 1895, her coal powered triple expansion engines could achieve a top speed of over...

British Inventor

British Inventor after striking the mine in 1940

Built in 1926 by Palmer & Co of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the British Inventor was a 7101 ton Oil Tanker. On the 13th of June 1940 she was fully loaded and on route from Abadan (Iran) to the Hamble...

Ceres, SS

Ceres, SS image

On 23 November 1898, the 38 ton British steam barge Ceres was engaged in loading shingle from the beach at Hurst. Caught out by a South West force 7 gale, the vessel ran aground and became a total...

Countess of Erne, The

Countess of Erne, The image

The Countess or Erne was Iron hulled Paddle Steamer built in Dublin in 1868. After many years service, she was finally sold for scrap in 1890, but somehow survived another 45 years as a Coal...

Eleanor / Elena R

Eleanor / Elena R image

ELENA R, cargo steamer. BUILT 1917, SUNK 1939 ANYONE SEEING THAT the 4526-ton Greek merchant steamer Elena R had been mined and sunk on 22 November 1939, near the Shambles Light Vessel off...

Fenna

Fenna image

The Fenna was a two-masted Dutch schooner of 172 tons constructed of timber in 1863. On March 11th, 1881 the Fenna was on route to Italy from the Netherlands but bad weather had caused the 18yr...

Fleur de Lys (‘The Fleur’)

Fleur de Lys (‘The Fleur’) image

The Fleur de Lys was originally a French trawler built in Brittany in 1969. The Oak built trawler was purchased by a British fisherman in 1989 and subsequently based in Brixham. On 16th April...

James Fennell, HMAT

The James Fennell aground in 1920

The small 123ft 215 ton British armed trawler,  James Fennell, was built in 1918 by Fullerton & Co of Paisley. In thick fog on January 16th, 1920, she drove straight onto the...

Kimmeridge Reef

Kimmeridge Reef image

Kimmeridge is a great dive site with a boat, or equally a lovely snorkel in the bay can be had on a  sunny day. Heading out of the bay and turning right soon brings you to some amazing...

Luis, The

Luis, The image

The Louis was a Merchant Steamship en route from Halifax, Nova Scotia to St. Helen's Roads with a mixed cargo of flour, oats, timber and 18lb (8.16 kg) artillery shells (destined for...

M2 (Submarine), HMS

M2 Submarine and Parnall Peta Seaplane

HMS M2 was one of three 'M' class submarines ordered by the Royal Navy at the end of the first world war. She was build by  Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness, and launched in 1919. All...

Margaret Smith (‘The Maggie’)

Margaret Smith (‘The Maggie’) image

Launched in 1943 as the 300 ton Empire Reaper and renamed Margaret Smith in 1972 the Maggie is a modern wreck. On 28th June 1978, while heading for Cowes loaded with gravel...

Pomeranian

SS Pomeranian

The Pomeranian was a British 381ft, 4,300 ton passenger and general cargo vessel built in 1882 by Earle´s Shipbuilding Co, Hull. She was originally named the "Grecian...

Salsette, SS

Salsette, SS image

The Salsette was the pride of the P&O line, being their fastest ship in the fleet at one point with her 10,000h.p. quadruple expansion engines gave her a speed of 20 knots. The 5842 ton...

Serrana, SS

Serrana, SS image

The Serrana was a defensively armed British steamer of 3,677 tons heading from London to Barbados. She was torpedoed by Oberleutnant zur Zee Karl Stoeter of UB-35 on the 22nd of January...

Sidon, HMS

Sidon, HMS image

HMS Sidon (P259) was a British S-Class Submarine built in 1944. 16th June 1955: While moored and loading an experimental torpedo in Portland Harbour a massive explosion blew out the watertight...

St. Dunstan

St. Dunstan image

The 730 ton St. Dunstan was built by Lobnitz & Co of Renfrew in 1894. She was put into  service as a mine sweeper during the first world war, which seems an odd idea for a 200ft long...

Sunderland Flying Boat – G-AGKY

Sunderland Flying Boat – G-AGKY image

G-AGKY 'Hungerford' of Aquila Airlines started life as ML789, a Mk III Sunderland that operated with RAF Transport Command. It was sold off to the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC...

Sunderland Flying Boat – ML883

Sunderland Flying Boat – ML883 image

ML883 was a Mk IIIa Sunderland Flying Boat which makes it fascinating and equally confusing. Nowhere in the world can you see a Mk IIIa, in fact finding exactly what constitutes a Mk IIIa is almost...

Sunderland Flying Boat – PP118

Sunderland Flying Boat – PP118 image

Where do we start! We'd never heard of PP118 until we started looking for something "New" in 2010 and noticed a small (wk) mark on the chart at Calshot.   Built 1945 at Short...

The Clan Macvey

The Clan Macvey image

The Clan Macvey was an armed British merchant steamship, measuring 400ft long by 53ft wide.  She was torpedoed and sunk on her maiden voyage by the German submarine UB-57 in August...

The Pin Wreck

The Pin Wreck image

This unidentified wreck out of Kimmeridge was  discovered in 1990. Divers have named it the "pin wreck" due to the large pins holding the copper hull to the wooden frame...

U-1195, Submarine (U-Boat)

U-1195, Submarine (U-Boat) image

U-1195 was one of the last Type VIIC Submarines built by the Germans in WWII. She was built in Danzin and commissioned on 4th November 1943. This is the restored U-995 (Type VIIC...

Unidentified Flying Boat

Unidentified Flying Boat image

Talking to the locals recently revealed that the Sunderland is in about 20 metres of water in a very busy area. The lifeboat mooring is nearby and the actual lifeboat often swings over the...

Valentine Tanks

Valentine Tanks image

Poole bay contains a number of Valentine Tanks from 1943. This site has two tanks very close together and joined by a distance line making it possible to visit two tanks on the same dive.  ...

War Knight, SS

War Knight, SS image

The War Knight is probably the most famous (infamous?) Isle of Wight wreck of WWI.   The story of the OB Jennings and the War Knight sounds almost unbelievable. Imagine a 16 ship convoy, one...

Warwick Deeping, HMS

Warwick Deeping, HMS image

HMS Warwick Deeping was 545 ton WWII Anti-Submarine Steam Trawler armed with depth charge catapults, anti-aircraft and 4.7" gun.  On October 11th, 1940 she was on patrol with another...