Exploring the Mark One

 Ocean diving, Wrecks  1 Response »
Nov 032016
 
Exploring the Mark One

The highlight of our trip to Malta was diving the Mark One. I’d like to give you a background on the ship – launch date, history, nationality, circumstances in which she sank – but that’s all unknown. The Mark One is an unidentified shipwreck that was first dived by the Shadow Technical guys in 2015. They have completed four dives on her to date. She sits on the bottom in 120m of water with her deck coming up to 108m. Completely upright, the Mark One is nearly 150m long and has four large open cargo holds. On the first dive we dropped down the shot to arrive on the stern of the ship. Blue water and great vis showed the [read more…]

Guns on the HMS Russell

 Ocean diving, rEvo, Wrecks  No Responses »
Oct 182016
 
Guns on the HMS Russell

The HMS Russell was a WWI pre-dreadnought. Unlike the WWII wrecks that we dived first in Malta, the Schnellboot and the HMS Southwold, the Russell has been on the bottom for a century. She was launched in February 1902 as one of six Duncan-class ships with the new four cylinder triple-expanision engines. During the Great War the Russell spent time at Scapa Flow and on the Northern Patrol. After a stint in the English Channel, a refit in Ireland and supporting the Gallipoli campaign up to evacuation of troops in early 1916, she was waiting to enter the Grand Harbour in Malta in April 2016 when she struck two mines. Two mines laid by the German U-boat U-73 the night [read more…]