Shipwrecks

[Vurley]

OK a bit off track for most of you but they are the classic derelict site.

I am a partner for a website compiling data on all of the worlds shipwrecks. You can find it here if you need to look further into the topic.

https://www.wrecksite.eu/wrecksite.aspx

The wreck site is the world largest online wreck database, we have 178.810 wrecks and 157.880 positions, 56.920 images, 2282 maritime charts, 30.140 ship owners and builders and a lot more...

I spent 25 years diving on wrecks to find their identity and history. We lost a few divers along the way as mixed gas deep wreck diving is dangerous.Still I got to see hundreds of derelict sites few others had seen and in some cases I was the first there.( Working closely with the Admiralty ).

Here are a few images.

Me kitted up for deep diving.



The quicker trip home.



The sort of things we like to recover.



Back from a deep dive on a virgin wreck.



Not all wrecks are underwater.



Up at Scapa Flow on the German High Seas Fleet.



Running the gauntlet in the shipping lanes.



When the plan goes wrong.




In marine terms a "Derelict " is an uncrewed vessel left abandoned at sea.

Anyway I hope I have not strayed too far from the remit of the forum.

 

[krela]

We've had quite a few wrecks posted on here over the years, including scapa and bikini atoll!

Always good to see something a bit different.

 

[HughieD]

Not at all sir. Right on course. And very interesting...

 

[Vurley]

Oh that's good.

This was our deep technical group diving tidal wrecks West of Lundy. We Found the " Balvenie " carrying railway locomotives and rolling stock. A fantastic sight. We also dived a big Hospital ship " The Glenart Castle ".



Signal canon from " Edam II " . One I discovered. She is now a National Monument .



My mate Alan. Master of the heavy lift. Died on "Warrior II"



Sonar image of an intact wreck.



"The Flying Enterprise" a fantastic wreck in over 80 metres some 50 miles out.



Montgomery. Wreck in the Thames Estuary stuffed full of dangerous ordnance. If she goes she will take a lot with her.



A big on shore wreck at Salcombe a few years ago. Lots of stuff on her. Demolished now.



Another bent diver pick up. Some survived. Some didn't.

 

[Brewtal]

Great post. Very sorry to hear of your lost friends. Some great pics there, love the sonar images.

 

[BikinGlynn]

Jees, am surprised any of u get back up again with all that kit!
Sounds like a fascinating hobby, but I think it would completely terrify me! Thanks for sharing!

 

[oldscrote]

Fascinating stuff,especially liked the Richard Montgomery picture.I have a special interest in that wreck as I was born on the Isle Of Sheppey and spent the first 20 years of my life knowing that that there could be a very large bang happen about a mile and a half off shore,and the fact that my school was literally right on the coast and we could see the wreck from the classroom windows.

This link might be of interest to you

SS Richard Montgomery

 

[Sam Haltin]

That's quite a post. But diving has always been an interest to me, we know what's on land but there's a whole new world down below. Looking at the picture of you in your deep diving kit I'm surprised that you can move underwater. Three clocks on your left arm, another one on your right and not a big torch but five of them on your helmet. But for safety's sake I assume all that items are needful. Diving for wrecks is interesting and I hope you'll put up some pictures of the wrecks you explore and maybe a video.

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

Nice to see the old 'Flying Enterprise' again - Remember that saga very well.

 

[smiler]

Looks an expensive hobby, the Coldrose diving club took me out a few times but even basic kit would have meant having to give up something else and l was much happier underground than underwear, enjoyed the experience though,

 

[SlimJim]

I do enjoy seeing wrecks when they're posted here. That's a hell of a lot of gucci kit needed to dive though!

The Montgomery is great. The rags love hyping it up saying it could go at any minute, but I think it would take a lot to set it off.

 

[Vurley]

To be honest I was an open circuit kit idiot. Kitted up for solo stuff there as at 50m plus you really are on your own. Now deep divers use very sophisticated rebreathers and carry just bail out.Scuba diving was the best hobby I ever had and can be open to most folk.Horses for courses. Some people just like pretty stuff in warm water but wrecks always fascinated me. After 60 I was just getting so many bends and feeling so bad I could barely drive home after deep diving. I fell asleep once and wrote the car off. Not all of the dangers were at sea. I guess we lost about 10 of our deep wreck group over the years. Some never got found. Finding an un named wreck and learning its name and history was the best bit for me.

 

[Vurley]

The easiest way to identify a wreck. The ship's bell. Roger in the photo died diving a submarine off Plymouth.



My very close friend Steve. We were writing a wreck book together.
Steve died on a wreck I found off Portland.



Minimalist kit with a rebreather. Both still diving !



Ship's bell and lifting bags off The Isle of Wight.All items have to be reported to The Receiver of Wreck. Normally ownership passes to the finder.The biggest bag we used could lift a tonne.



%100 oxygen treatment at sea to alleviate the bends.



Stern lift to get you back in. Can nearly rip your arms off in a big sea.



Ship's telemotor lifted on a one tonne bag.



Fast kitted up diving boat.



These guys are superb. They can get to a metre above the boat.I had one ride but remember nothing as I was too ill.





Me jumping in with my green teddy. ( never dive alone ). Teddy looked after me for many years and now travels in the car.



Waiting to go.
The skipper " shots " the wreck with a line and grapnel then drops a buoy on it. We go down the line.
The first sight of the wreck is the most exciting specially when we dont know what to expect.We decompress on a floating station that the last man up detaches from the line at 30 metres.



A dry wreck.



Capt Carlson on The Flying Enterprise would not leave the ship until it sank under him.He was called a very brave man but I can see no point in it. The ship was too far over.
She is so far off shore some divers wait years to get out there.You need good tides and calm weather but she lies in the Western Approaches a vey exposed area.I missed a gas change and ended up on air at around 80m sat on a mast.Well gone on with narcosis until I sobered up to make the change to my usual Heliair bottom gas.(%14 oxygen %33 Heium.).



Anyway glad a few have enjoyed the diversion.

Like I said nearly anyone can learn to dive. Go for it 1

 

[Sam Haltin]

Thanks for the photos. I just remembered that Scuba Diving is far different to Deep Diving, you are using re-breathers and using 14% Oxygen mixed with 33% Helium. Phew. I think I'll stick to Scuba Diving.

 

[Vurley]

You have to get gas mixtures spot on. Heliair cannot be breathed on the surface as it is hypoxic.We travel down on air then gas switch to Trimix or Heliair. Air is toxic below 60m as the Oxygen in it becomes poisonous then. (Its about partial pressures ). Also high partial pressures of nitrogen will lead to narcosis.That means you no longer actually know what you are doing. I tried putting a porthole in a bag when "narked" but gave up and threw it away.Coming up you gas awitch back to the travel gas then decompress on high %O2. Normally %80 0r %60 . If you mix them up and put the 80 in too deep you will have a convulsion As the partial pressure od the O2 is more than the body can handle.If you loose control on ascent and fly up the nitrogen in your blood with gas out. ( Same as taking the top off a pop bottle ).This can turn the blood in your heart to froth or give you an immediate brain hemorrhage.I have survived a rapid ascent from 60m missing an hour of decompression. I do not know of anyone else to survive this. My doctor friend reckons my brain is near mush which might explain a few things.This is all totally different to air Scuba Diving with no decompression penalty so dont be put off from learning a wonderful sport.Just felt it useful to explain this.

 

[prettyvacant71]

My god how much clobber have you got on in that first shot! I bet that Twatt sign gets a lot of visitors lol

What an interesting, exciting and pretty risky lifestyle! It must be fantastic discovering and visiting these wrecks Sorry you have lost pals doin this, I guess its rather addictive and dangerous like a lot of enjoyable things we do! Thanks really enjoyed this

 

[Vurley]

The ultimate derelict wreck. The Mary Rose. Unmissable.













The " Vasa " in Sweden is far more complete.

 

[Vurley]

The Vasa.

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

Quote. Capt Carlson on The Flying Enterprise would not leave the ship until it sank under him. He was called a very brave man but I can see no point in it. The ship was too far over. Quote.

It is all to do with Maritime Law. Stay on the ship and nobody can claim salvage rights or the cargo - as the Captain is the sole representative of the ship owners and owners of the cargo. Any tugboat skipper appearing at the scene would only have the option of offering a 'No successful outcome. No fee' contract'. The fee payable in the event of a successful salvage would be calculated on a percentage basis - using the value of the cargo and of the vessel. As long as the vessel was floating, there was a lot of money up for grabs by various parties. Captain Carlson had been contracted by both the vessel's and cargo's owners to take care of ship and cargo until it docked in destination Port. One also has to take into consideration when this happened - just a few years prior to this, it is quite possible that Captain and crew were participating in the Atlantic Convoys of WW2 and saw equally dire wrecks struggling to make landfall. As a youngster I grew up with a number of 'Uncles' who had been in the Merchant Navy during WW2 and it wasn't until many, many years later I realised how courageous those young men had been!

 

[Sam Haltin]

I'm amazed at how the Mary Rose was constructed in them days and those ship-building construction techniques are more or less still used today. What also amazes me that the wood is original. The Vasa is in better condition.