THE A-Z OF RED SEA WRECKS

INDEX: A B C D E F G H I K J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

(with special thanks to Richard Larne & Ali baba  and the Red Sea Wreck Academy)

RICHARD LARN is one of Britain's leading authorities on shipwrecks and has recently completed  the magnificent work "Shipwreck index of the British Isles  for Lloyds. Richard has been an invaluable source of information and I am eternally grateful for his help

ALIBABA.  Being born profoundly deaf did not stop Ali baba becoming one of the most popular figures in Red Sea Diving and exploration. He has become a noted instructor and can lip read in several languages. DIVER honored him with a feature "prince of instructors" and rightly so. Sharing our passion for wrecks we have worked on many projects together for the last 10 years, dispelling all doubts as to the identity of several disputed wrecks (aided by Richard). Between us we have logged over 10,000 dives on Egyptian shipwrecks. Who better then to right an authorative guide. Usurpers beware!

THE RED SEA WRECK ACADEMY. Made up of wreck enthusiasts, archive historians, technical divers, and oceanographers, all who have a common interest, collectively a wealth of knowledge and experience , at the forefront of wreck exploration in the Red sea. www.RedSeawa.com

This is an ongoing project and when completed will contain the most comprehensive list of Red Sea shipwrecks ever published; it will set the records straight as to the identity of many miss named shipwrecks and detail many wrecks  other " armchair experts " claim don't exist.

TO BE CONTINUALLY UPDATED.........

watch this space........................

LATEST UPDATES december 2007;ATLAS/TURBO, EL ARISH, MARCUS, AL KHAFAIN
 
A

THE AL KAFHAIN 

SHIPS HISTORY

FINAL VOYAGE

On the 22d nov 2005 the Al Khafain left Hurghada bound for Jeddah. Fire broke out in the engine room and swept through the superstructure. The 58 crew abandoned ship, some by life boats others by passing vessels. One crewman was injured. The ship was taken undertow but capsized and drifted onto Sha’ab Sheer near Port Safaga. Peter Collings was in the area with members of Scarborough Sub Aqua Club and surveyed the wreck

“The sound of the ship’s death throws reminded me of the Giannis D’s sinking back in 1983.The sound of metal twisting and grinding could be heard long before the wreck came into view. It’s a sound you never forget-the haunting death those of a once proud ship.

The bow section-gleaming white in the strong sunlight  seemed to be buoyant-possible because of trapped air, and could be seen rising and falling in the swell-an incredible sight- 6000 tons of steel, this huge bow rising to the surface and falling back to the reef-pounding the coral. Both names “ULSTER QUEEN” and “AL KAFHAIN” were easy to read-even upside down! No one can dispute this identification!

A helicopter pad could be seen just forward of the bridge a circled H painted on her foredeck.

Amidships the gleaming white hull gives way to a scorched superstructure-evidence of her fire-windowless and dangerously beckoning-it would have been foolhardy to enter with the ship in such an unstable condition-already there are signs of the superstructure collapsing the smooth walls folding inwards.

Her funnel appears to be digging into the seabed and appears to be all that is preventing her from tumbling down the reef. Life boat davits are all swung out their pulley systems dangling down towards the seabed. Towards the stern are her registration details-Panama- and her IMO number. The stern was a cloud of milky water, perhaps some cargo dissolving and seeping out from the car deck. Brief moments of clarity allowed for some impressive images of her twin screws and rudders. She rests on a narrow ledge at 20 mtrs-should she not dig in and roll away from the reef she could end up in deep waster over the ledge. If the ship settles on the ledge she will add to the growing list of wrecks in the area; Tor el Arish, Karen Vitis, Maldive Transport and the haunting  Salem express

December update Lowestoft BSAC  joined me and she's still there!! still rockin but becoming a steady part of the reef, water has cleared and she's looking good, both helms although upside down are still there.Bridge is totally gutted but stern and focle look brand new! more pickies to follow shortly.

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ATTIKI

A 3360 TON,  104MTRS X 16 MTRS 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, April 24^th 1978.with her holds and engine room flooded she was abandoned and then later caught fire

 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

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M.V.ABOUDY

 built 1960, 76 mtr long, 11.4 mtr beam, 490 ton Egyptian motor vessel, cargo120 tons of alluminium, livestock and general. Foundered off Ras Gharib in heavy weather on the 7^th May 1988.  Located  September 13^th 2005 by PC and members of Bromley BSAC, inshore of the Scalaria in shallow water. The wreck lies  on its port side in a north south attitude with the bows to the north and her keel to seaward. The bridge and superstructure are located aft and have collapsed. The holds which run continuously through the ship still hold 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 heaps. Two huge, and very photogenic A -frame derricks run horizontal and a radio mast runs out from the bridge area. The fo’c’sle has evidence of other items of cargo stored there. 4 sets of twin winches flank the holds. Handrails and flagstaffs are intact, and several bulk head lamps can still be seen.

Prop and rudder still in situ. No sign of any salvage- several mast lamps, complete with lenses remain.

Marine life includes shoaling barracuda and fusiliers, emperor angle fish , crocodile fish, torpedo rays  and encrusting corals and sponges. 

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ADAMANTIA K

The remains of the is 64mtrs. 1250 ton German freighter, lies in the Abu Galawa system in the Fury Shoals and is not the wreck at Ras Banas as as been suggested elsewhere!( by an armchair wreck researcher) The wreck is very broken up, having sat on the reef for many years, the hull has totally collapsed and lies around its engine block, which is in only 4 mtrs of water! It is possible to identify the bow and stern of the ship, which lie in 8 mtrs amongst some superb hard coral formations

THIS HAS BEEN WRONGLY SITED AS THE TANKER WRECK (IE THE ATLAS BY MIDDLETON IN HIS LETTER TO DIVER mAGAZINE)

An ideal 3rd dive and featured exclusively in our Southern wreck safari's

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AIDA

(SEE ALSO DIVE JANUARY 2003)

HISTORY

The Aida was built in France and launched in 1911. She was a much smaller vessel than the Numidia, at only 75mtrs displacing 1,428gross tonnes and was powered by a single 3 Cylinder triple    expansion engine providing a top speed of 9 Knots. Originally intended for the Egyptian Ports and Lighthouses Administration, she was later transferred to Egyptian Marina and used to ferry troops. Her first sinking occurred during world war two when she was bombed by Heinkel 111, however she was salvaged and put back into service, and this is one possible reason she is often called AIDA 11

THE SINKING

On the south-east facing coast of Big Brothers Island, is an old jetty used by the Egyptians stationed on the island for up to two months at a time. Naturally, they require a constant supply of provisions in addition to a changeover of personnel.      On 15 September 1957, during heavy seas the Aida attempted to unload her cargo on the jetty and in doing so struck the rocks and quickly began to sink and the Captain had little option but to abandon ship. A Tugboat responded quickly and took off 77 personnel time, the Aïda drifted a few hundred meters northwest before her bows finally embedded themselves into the reef. As the stern sank, it came to rest at an extremely steep angle on the reef, the bow section breaking off and eventually breaking up on the reef top. Part of her engine also ended up on the reef.

DIVING THE WRECK

Although smaller than the Numidia, this wreck is more difficult to dive, not because of currents but because  it starts at 28 mtrs and goes down to her stern and prop in 52 meters. Again this wreck lies at a  very steep angle and it is amazing that it hasn’t slid any further down the reef, out of reach of normal sport divers.

The first sight of the wreck is that she has sheered of at her foc'sle back as far as her superstructure. This gives easy access to her engine room with its large shoal of glassy sweepers. Cobalt blue light filters down through her 4 skylights, once providing light and air, now a great backdrop for some amazing photo images. The engine room with gauges and pipe work still in place plummets down to 36 mtrs where access to her rear cargo hold is gained. Deck beams criss-cross the hold and again light filters through. The beams are covered in soft coral growth and form a frill around the edges.

Emerging at the aft is the amazing sight of the steering binnacle covered in marine growth, yet still clearly discernable. Lionfish glide effortlessly by, complimenting the staggering vista above as the true beauty of the wreck comes into view. Her entire metal frame structure is adorned in lush soft coral growths of reds, purples and every hew between. Anthea’s add a splash of orange to the scene as the ascending route leads to companionways flanking the ship. Doorways beckon, often blocked by the wrecks resident groupers, un- perturbed by visiting divers. The accommodation area and bridge above are easily   accessible ~ portholes still in place, albeit covered in soft corals. With all the wooden structures gone, again only the steel framework remains affording easy access and an ideal substrate for marine growths which seen to increase in density in the shallower regions of the wreck. The wreck abruptly ends where her for section should be. 

Leaving the wreck at 28 mtrs does not signify the end of the dive as a superb reef; running under the pier awaits the diver. An ideal place to off-gas and let the computers do their work!

AGIA VARVARA

A Greek motor vessel which caught fire in the Jeddah Roads and capsized on Dec  12TH 1966. She is not the wreck at NABQ in the Straits of Tiran , this is the AYIA VARVARA

ANTHIOS 3

ALASKA(THE FRIDGE WRECK)

full story to follow. A small Egyptian coaster bound for Saudi with fresh meat, lies in 8 mtrs north of the Carina, but overlooked for years because of surrounding coral heads.Thought we would never identify this on , but when stuck i thr foscle Ilay on my back , looked up and there was a life belt ALASKA11.

AL MONTASER 

AL FATEMAH

ATLAS

. When we were first shown the HALF WRECK at  SATAYA EL BARA, we found inside the engine room a plate with R.C. CRAGGS embossed and a works number would if fact prove to be something of a red herring in her identification., but without this knowledge to hand we set about looking for the missing section of the ship; the other half in fact. We were to search in vain…the bow lies in deep water somewhere to the north.

Initial research from the makers plate pointed to the ATLAS, which had been built by Craggs, and although this ship was reported to have been torpedoed off the Yemen.

Further initial research into the ATLAS listed her as a British built, 4000ton 345 ft long steam tanker, under Greek registration at the time of her sinking, the ATLAS. Built in 1909 by R C CRAGGS, Smiths Dock, Middlesborough, she was torpedoed on Sept 6^th 1940. by the Italian submarine Guglielmotti off the Yemen.  The ensuing explosion broke the ships back and as she settled by the bow she broke in two. With war materials at a premium a daring salvage attempt was made and the stern section made watertight and the long journey to north to Alexandria began.  Massawa was still in the hands of the Italians, from where their submarines could still pose a limited threat, made less potent by the poor line of supply and the lack of will of the Italians to engage in a fight.

The salvage operation was directed by non other than Jim Devellyn a naval salvage operator during the Second World War, who have successful salvaged the bow section of the Inverlane, another tanker, IN 1939. I had interviewed Jim as he lived locally and had also been involved in salving many north east England wrecks. His notes and diaries were to be a great help in filling in some of the missing questions about the Atlas.

The two tugs which Jim described as “liberated rusting tubs” were christened Hercules and Golliath.”. (Hercules was eventually to find here back in north eastern waters where she ended up sinking off the Tyne), and it would seem they were borrowed or as Jim put it “requisitioned for the greater good of the war effort.” Where they came from Jim would never elaborate, but I suspect that tale would make a great story!

Jim went on to recall that the project went well until in Jims works “they reached RAS BANAS” .At this point the prevailing winds whipped up the sea from the north and the ungainly hull was caught a –beam of the waves the towage was broken and the stern section foundered and sank.

With these two pieces of evidence to hand it seemed that we had identified the “half wreck”. However several new pieces of evidence came to hand. Firstly, after Jims death I was given an insight into more details of the salvage. Jims diary stated that the foundering took place “AS THEY NEARED RAS BANAS.” Then, while exploring the “half wreck” we found another manufacturers plate this one was inscribed “JOHN DICKINSON  LTD, SUNDERLAND” 1912 and inscribed with a yard number.

After many years of searching, tracing lost records and the invaluable help of the TYNE/WEAR ARCHIVES and the GUILDHALL LIBRARY the “half wreck” has now been positively identified as the SS TURBO.

What remains of the ATLAS now is a section of pipebridge, some plating and small pieces of hull lying in 4-6mtrs in a sandy bay within the Ras Banas headland.. Salvage and a build up of sand  over the years  have reduced the wreckage

to something of a snorkelling scrapyard.

. 

The diaries of Jim Develyn who was involved in many salvage opperations during the second worls war(Inverlane. Oslofjord, Atlas) have revealed a fascinatining insight into the attemped recovery of the Atlas.A full story will appear soon.

for details of the HALF WRECK PLEASE SEE THE SS TURBO

ATHINA LIVANOS work in progress

AYIA VARVARA see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA

B

BACCHIS work in progress

BAFRA

BAKR

see DIVE JUNE 2006  

SURVEY VESSEL SURVEYED 

On APRIL 3^RD 2006, Brighton BSAC joined the BLUE FIN WRECK EXPEDITION TO RAS GHARIB, led by DIVE cossespondent Peter Collings.The group successfully located, surveyed and identified the Russian built 147ft,416 ton survey vessel BAKR The motor survey vessel belonged to the United Arab Republic General Petroleum Co, when she was sunk at Ras Gharib by Israeli missiles on October 14^th 1973 during the Yom Kippur.

 The wreck was located during a series of searches for several known casualties in the vicinity of RAS GHARIB.

 “The wreck sits upright on a clean sandy bed, and although the hull is fairly intact the damage from the missile attack is fairly evident. Most of the surveying equipment remains- large cable reels used in conjunction with towed arrays  cover the aft deck and two booms are still swung out aft of the control centre. The lower decks are accsssable ,but cables hang everywhere.in the control centre.

 Marine life includes juvenile barracuda and an assortment of larger than life  nudibrancks

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BERTRAND RICKMERS work in progress

BLUE BELT work in progress

BIRCHWOOD 11

 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

A shoal of juvenile barracuda circled her mast complete with radar array and aerials.

 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 HAMADA in southern Egypt bags of polythene 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 sponge 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 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.

 The wheel house was to prove beyond a doubt that this was yet 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

 With limited time we managed one additional dive on the wreck – at night and what a gem that was. Hundreds of nudibranchs, some species 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, sponges and small crustaceans. The brilliant reds, oranges and greens highlighted by torch beams.

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C

CAPE CLEAR see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA

CARINA see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA

Built on the Tyne in the late 1890's, we have only just located her plans after many years of searching the local archives-14k of shelves storing unlisted maritime history means even more details will come to life from an area steeped in ship building. Her full story is now to hand and will be published in due course. The wreck is still giving up its secrets to this day. Not often dived ,strong currents, clear water and in site of the Thistlegorm

CARNATIC see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA

CEDAR PRIDE

HISTORY

Launched in 1964 at the S.A. Juliana Constructora in Gijon , Spain as the MONE DOS this 74 MTR long general cargo vessel of 1,161 tons  served the Naviera  Anzar Shipping Company of Bilboa, until 1969 when she became the PUERTO DE PASAJES, with a further name change in 1978 to the ST. BRUNO. .She was then purchased by the Lebanese Cedar Pride shipping company, taking on the company name~ her 4^th and last.  .

In July of 1982 she arrived at the Jordanian port of Aqaba, and on the 2^nd August while at anchor and in ballast a fire spread rapidly through her engine room and accommodation area’s. Two of the crew lost their livesThe damage from the ensuing blaze left the ship as a total constructive loss, although her hull was still intact and she was still afloat. For the next three years she  remained a floating hulk, no one accepting the responsibility for her mooring and harbour  fees.

The King of Jordan himself, a keen diver, took an interest in the vessel and a plan was hatched to sink the ship, in the hope it would become a part of the reef, and a habitat for the rich marine life living in this quiet little backwater of the Red Sea.

It was 1985 interest in the Red Sea as a diving destination was growing daily. Airports at Hurghada and Sharm were now major gateways to diving area’s which had until then been very difficult to get to. Jordan already had a good tourist industry with attractions like the Dead Sea and Petra, the famous Rose city, hewn out of stone. It was time for diving to become a major part of that tourist attraction. What better than a wreck? 

The ship itself was prepared by the port, pumping off oil, removing any hazards and so on, they did a very good job indeed, so divers would not have any problems in the future. Next a suitable site had to be found ,now this posed a bit of a problem, as their was no text book available on how to sink a ship in the red sea or any other sea ,on a coral reef causing as little damage to the reef as possible, with the ship in one piece and in the upright position, horizontal to the shore, with a dive ceiling of 20 to 30 meters from the resting area, 

During my research for this feature I was able to interview      JAMES FLAN who was given the task of sinking the ship.

“A meeting was called at my office at the Royal Palace, and was attended by the Captain of the royal yachts and the Jordanian coast guard commander, after a lot of deliberation we finally came up with a feasible plan that would work, provided sods law, gravity, or any other law would not intervene in the likely outcome.

Finding the site was not to big of a problem, coral their was plenty of, but a piece or stag of coral big enough and strong enough to stop a fully grown ship sliding off into the abyss was, as every red sea diver knows Ababa gulf is like a valley, I couldn’t help wondering how did Moses do that red sea trick of his, it would be very handy if he was a site consultant now. After about a week I selected 3 sites, which I figured would hold the ship in place, but bearing in mind that any one of them could snap under the weight and loose the ship for ever, it had been decided that the impact point on the sea floor, was to be somewhere between 10m to 20m in the sand  above the coral stag, now in theory what should happen is when the keel of the ship hits the sand the sheer weight of it should embed itself, to what depth was anybodies guess” 

“.The next phase was the sand should start to give on the slope pushing ahead of it a large mound of sand on the port side of the ship acting as a brake as it approached the stag of coral reducing the impact on it ,and coming to rest”

H.R.H.Prince Abdullah was the patron for this project, and arrived about a week before the sinking, to survey and pick one of the sites, as a very keen diver HRH was very aware of what lay ahead and its requirements, so we suited up and visited the sites it took a while and some discussion after the dive to decide on the site I now know it was worth it”.

The date set for the sinking, midday 16^th November 1985 ,and just by chance this was my birthday, I figured not a lot of people have ships sunk on their birthday.

(pick 1)

Cedar pride being towed out of port, by 2 tugs one forward and one aft to steer through other ships at anchor, it must be noted this was by no means easy, as this was at the height of the Iran Iraq war, so all munitions etc went through this port to Iraq, so a lot of skill, communications, and horse sense had to be applied by the port authorities and their people to weave around other ships at anchor to get to the site.

(pic)2

View of stern and starboard side, with steel rope from tug no2 this had to be kept short so tug no2 could act as the rudder, the H frame on the skyline shows from portside, Crows nest, Gps, Antenna array rigging, and Radar head.  

(pic)3

This gives an idea how large this ship was, with aqaba in the background

pic)4

The Jordanian coast guard at the ready with the charges,3 charges placed on the hull one forward one aft and one mid ships on the cargo bays below the water line, during its time at the port modifications were made to ensure that the flood water would transmit itself throughout the ship as evenly as could be judged.
A telescopic mobile crane and a large truck were anchored on the beach on the starboard side, aft and on the portside was a very large pontoon from the port, normally used for offloading ships at anchor, this was also anchored in a static position. Now phase one began to get the ship over the site, with the two tugs a lot of pulling and dragging ensued until everybody was happy.

(pic)6 With the ship firmly in place over the site it looked like a turkey, all trussed up and ready for the oven. It was time now to lay the charges,  the lads moved in and spent about thirty minutes carefully placing each charge on a pre determined location, the time was set at thirty second intervals, starting on the bow, mid, aft, this gave sufficient time for the displacement of water and to try and balance the ship, now all the theories would be put to the test.

The Royal command was given for all systems go, I think every body had a vision of the ship being blown out of the water, what followed was 3 very muffled thuds and a few bubbles at the preset time, now all we had to do was wait, and wait we did.

About twenty minutes passed and things did not look good the ship had not moved one inch, so the lads were sent to have a look see and report back. The report was very good everything going to plan, its very reluctant to sink for the second time so give the lady a chance.en we started to notice a list at the stern, this was anticipated because of the weight of the engine room and the super structure, 

Their was a lot of chatter now going on between all the craft about when to slack or let go of lines, pic 17 shows swimming to the ship with the standby rescue diver to make sure all lines cables were not snagged on anything .

 
Well the rest speaks for itself all went according to plan as can be seen from pics 21 to 27 the ship landed perfectly where it was supposed to after a lot of groaning , creaking and all sorts of other noises the job was over and we had a new man made reef in the gulf of Aqaba.”

Her new life as a living reef was about to begin….

THE WRECK TODAY

The wreck settled on her port starboard side with her keel towards the shore, lying on two raised reefs, the hull forming a  swim through., a sandy road flanked on either side by eel grass leads the way down to the wreck making navigation easy. Her masts running horizontal and seaward. A beautiful array of soft corals drape down from the hull, almost forming a curtain of reds and oranges against the blue background of the sea beyond. The photographer would be forgiven for not getting any further than this.

However ,swimming  under the hull, and looking back and up reveals a magnificent sight: There lying on her side in full view is the intact ship, her masts and rigging covered in 15 years of coral growth, reaching out to seaward, the crows nest smothered in coral and surrounded with clouds of fish. A vibrant living reef ~just as the King had imagined. Again this feature alone demands a reel of film Abundant subject matter from the basket shape of the crows nest to tiny delicate nudibranchs, some of which are rare in other parts of the Red Sea, ensure that whatever lens is used there are subjects to be shot!

At 75 mtrs long, it is possible to swim the wreck in one dive, but this will give only a general overview. It takes several more dives to truly appreciate its full potential.

For the more advanced diver there are many  interior sections of the wreck to explore, and it is possible to enter the foc’sle, bridge and engine room although this should not be done without a local guide. Companionways and corridors make great swim- throughs and photo opportunities and there would seem to be an endless choice of diver/ wreck images to capture on film.

The bow section still retains the deck fittings, anchor winches, and machinery, forming a playground for  blue sailfin tangs, surgeon fish and  the odd grouper. There is also a curious air pocket, with its mirrored interface, formed by divers bubbles becoming trapped on their journey to liberation 12 mtrs above.

The entire wreck has become home to many of the indigenous species or the Red Sea: giant moray eels, clown fish and their anemone hosts; inquisitive batfish, parrot fish, antheas, and every nook and cranny seems to be a habitat for one creature or another. Gobies utilizing small pipes and octopus using just about any small tight space they can squeeze into. Even the hawsers are full of surprises. Adorned with sponge and corals , a well disguised frogfish often sits perched like a bird on a branch, easy to miss but a great photographic subject  for the observant.

Large shoals of fish hover by the masts and these now include snapper, double bar  bream and fusiliers, which seem to be on the increase, due to restrictions in fishing. Some of the whip corals growing from the masts hold another surprise;  the ornate ghost pipe fish hover inverted and almost hidden from view  ~ rare treat indeed     

It’s hard to believe that a rusting hulk could become such an object of natural beauty in such a short space of time. All eyes are now set on 4 Iraqi ships lying at anchor.. rusting away…... derelict…..I’ll keep you posted!!!!!!!!!1

Rod Abbotson  runs Seastar  Water sports and has a vast  knowledge of the  wreck, marine life and the area.

CEDAR STAR

CESARE BATTISTI work in progress

CHRISOULA K

Often wrongly quoted as the tile wreck (see MARCUS) at Abu Nuhas, which sank several years before the Chrisoula arrived! her bow lies dispersed next to the tile wreck, while her main section, minus her bow lies in over 60 mtrs north of Abu Nu Has. For the full story and photographic details  see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA 

see also A SURVIVORS TALE and MARCUS  

CHRISTIBAL see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA

COASTER EXPRESS

D

DOMIAT

DUNRAVEN see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA

E

 (MS)EL ARISH (TOR EL ARISH).

RESEARCH THANKS TO MR ALAN MONK, RED SEA WRECK ACADEMY

MS El-Tor

Built 1981 A/S Bergens, Norway

Dimensions 105 x 17.3 x 4.12

12 Cyl Diesel - 6620 kW

19 Knots

1025 Passengers, 328 berths, 150 cars

IMO:   7719820

1981 - Delivered to Misr EDCO Shipping, Alexandria, Egypt

1991 - Renamed El-ARISH-EL-TOR

1999 - Sold to Sayed Nasr Navigation Lines, Cairo, Egypt.Renamed EL-ARISH

THIS WRECK HAS BEEN DIVED AND SURVEYED BY THE RED SEA WRECK ACADEMY.

Lies on her port side in 34 mtrs of water, covered in the largest soft corals in the Red Sea.

A FULL FEATURE ON THIS WRECK WILL APPEAR IN DIVE and EGYPTIAN SHIPWRECKS

EDENMOOR

ELLIOT

G

GIANNIS D

See Sport Diver, Jan 2003 and SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA

H

HADIA see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA 

HAMADA see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA

HASSANIEN (thanks to JACK JACKSON &ROSIE HAMILTON)

April 10th 2003; a new wreck in the making at Port Sudan the abandoned freighter HASSANIEN was towed out of the harbour at Port Sudan and anchored near to Wingate Reef and the Umbria on April 6th. She later settled in 24 mtrs. Registered in Belise, she is about 70 mtrs long and described as a small coastal freighter. It is likely that the sea cocks were opened in order to dispose of the obstruction and at the same time create a new wreck. Our team further reports that she is upright , intact and still boasts her bridge instrumentation. Watch out for further details as they come in PC 10/5/03 

We shall be diving her during September/October 2007

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  HEBAT ALLAH

HEBA ALLAH (HEBETA ALLAH, HEBBAT ALLAH)

A 51mtr, 300-ton motor vessel, the Hebbat Allah stood abandoned in the   Hurghada region. Donated by its current owner Mohamedi  HOEIDEK, the vessel has been sunk as the first artificial wreck/reef in the area. At the moment the vessel lies bol upright on a flat sandy seabed in 45 mtrs between Gota Abu Ramada and  GIFTUN. The ship is intact and the accommodation area is easy to explore. Marine life has yet to invade the wreck although a shoal of Fusiliers patrol the wreck and huge travelies can be seen around the prop.The bow is in 46 mtrs, prop in 45m deck is in 40 mtrs. Her masts are still in place and rise up some 15 mtrs towards the surface. Coral bushes are now beginning to appear around the wreck, shoals of fusiliers patrol the perimeter and groupers hang around the forecastle.

The wreck is now officially open for qualified divers under the following conditions

1-       Divers must have a minimum of 100 logged dives and be certified as CMAS 3 star divers or equivalent e.g. Dive master with PADI,NAUI,SDI / BSAC sport diver / SSI dive control specialist

2-       Only one dive per day is allowed on the wreck as diving the Hebat Allah will inevitably require staged decompression.

3-       A maximum of three boats are allowed to moor on the site at any one time, this is very important to adhere to ensure the sustained integrity of the wreck and for the enjoyment of the divers.

4-       It is strongly recommended that dive centres and dive guides do not allow full penetration of the Hebat Allah except for divers who are certified to do that( such as full cave and advanced wreck qualifications).

The association in cooperation with HEPCA and the EEAA  will be installing three mooring buoys for dive boats and also put in place three shot lines to assist divers complete their decompression stops safely and comfortably (these shot line ARE NOT TO BE USED FOR MOORING OF BOATS).

HEY DAROMA see MILLION HOPE

HONG KONG  work in progress

I

INDIAN ENTERPRISE full story will appear in  EGYPTIAN SHIPWRECKSork in progress

K

KHARTOUM  work in progress 

KIMON M see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA

KINGSTON see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA

L

LARA see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA 

LEVANZIO work in progress

M

MADIMAR

MARCUS (aka THE TILE WRECK)

.Over the past 10 years the Tile wreck issue has been the centre of much discussion. I have to admit that at first I  accepted what had been published before  ,but as I started  to dive the tile wreck weekly, I began to doubt  what was written before. Since 1991 I had conducted over 500 (conservative estimate) safaris in the northern Reed Sea. Every trip offers guest the opportunity to view all the facts –and they are challenged to prove me wrong. Experts from all over the world have agreed with my finding. In November of 2005 a similar group were on board and the full facts including Jablonski’s account of both sinkings were presented, along with a mass of visual evidence backed up with a visit to the wreck. The group were once again asked if they could disagree with any of the findings. No one came forward, as usual they were all in agreement with the facts. NOT EVEN MR JOHN BANTIN, expert in all things diving had any comments! Ithink the folllwing facts will put this issue to bed once and for all

1)A group of North East divers visited Sharm in 1978, their fisherman skipper wanted to show them a new wreck and retrieve some cargo. He took them to Sha’ab abu Nuhas-there they found a wreck partially submerged-her cargo Italian tiles. Not only did the skipper get the tiles he wanted but he “acquired” the ships bell, inscribed with her original name, date and place of birth.(her full history therefore unfolded and has indeed been published!)

2) In 1981 the Chrisoula K ran aground almost in the same spot, her bow section standing proud until dispersed  in 1985/6(unconfirmed) by the Navy  as reported in Diver by Lawson Wood.

3) In 1983 I took several photographs from the bridge of the Giannis D as she sank-it shows clearly 3 bows KIMON  N MARCUS, CHRISOULA K

4)MIDDLETON in his article in SPORT DIVER on the “TILE WRECK”

“Being severely damaged, however she broke into two separate parts, with the much larger rear section falling back and sinking”. “ Curiously ,with its port anchor deployed the bow remained on top of the reef”, and off course he was absolutely correct!

SO WHERE IS THE BREAK IN THE FORE SECTION OF THE WRECK????????

Another report tells of how the safe from the Chrisoula K was found lying upright on the seabed 50 mtrs away-it had been unbolted from the floor. Why? Surly any valuables could have been removed –or was it to ensure the wreck was positively identified

Anyone diving the tile wreck while this bow was on the reef could be forgiven for not noticing the wreck below still had  (and still has to this day) her bow attached!

6)Now anyone visiting the tile wreck will be confused because her bow is still in place attached to the main body of the hull, WITH THE STARBOARD ANCHOR OUT! and it is plain to see the derricks from the Chrisoula K lying on top of those from the tile wreck or the M.V MARCUS to give her real name.

Despite all the undeniable evidence including the dispersed bows lying to the side of the Marcus’s bow I continued to research the activities of a Greek shipping company connected to these two vessels  and two more  supposed wrecking came to light-that of the M.V ELPHINKI and  M.V . VIKKI K. The former supposedly sinking in the Med, while the later, the Vikki K sinks in the Red Sea. Three months later the Vikki K is seen discharging cargo at Suez by insurance investigators and her owner is later found guilty in his absence in a Greek court of insurance fraud and sentenced to 3 years in prison. He has never been caught.

6)My research also lead to a very unfortunate seaman-Stephan Jablonski-he was on board all four vessels when they sank!- and living proof of two tile wrecks! A trip to Poland proved very fruitful-Stephans story was quite incredible- and a good reason to retire.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes seeing that island (Shadwan)and reef (Abu nuhas) again”

Stranded there twice in three years” . If you want to read these facts in more detail get a copy of H20 “A survivors tale”

7) the fore dekkiks of the Chrisoula K lie on top of the Marcus

 

·         8)The engines in the tile wreck differ from those fitted to the Chrisoula K.

 

·         9)In the year 2000 Ali Baba, Mohammed Farouk joined Peter Collings and successfully located the main body of the Chrosoula K some 600 mtrs. out from the reef in deep water.

A SURVIVORS TALE

Now he gives us this bizarre tale from a first hand account of a lucky sailor:

One of the most popular diving areas in the world has to be ABU NUHAS. Its proximity to Hurghada, El Gouna and Sharm has ensured its claim to fame. For years there has been utter confusion over the identity of two of the wrecks; the “Kimon M” (lentil wreck) and the very popular "Tile wreck".
Despite the undisputable facts published back in 1996, there are still publications emerging with the incorrect identity of the tile wreck at ABU NUHAS. Guide books, dive maps and even a CD ROM, still wrongly quote the tile wreck as the CHRISOULA K. This only goes to increase the confusion.

A quick look at some of the wrecks in Egyptian waters which have a familiar ring to them: "Greek vessel changes name, owner, reinsured, runs aground". Giannis D, Chrisoula K, Kimon M,

Million Hope, Zingara, Hamada, etc, etc, all have suffered this fate, bad seamanship, co-incidence or some thing else?


 

For those who are not yet convinced that the tile wreck is indeed the MARCUS (not MARKOS which was a previous name of the Giannis D), I enclose below a letter from a Polish seaman who had the misfortune to have been shipwrecked 4 times in two years in the Red Sea.

 

"My name is Stephan Jablonski and I understand that some of my experiences as a ships engineer are of interest to sports divers and shipwreck historians such as Peter Collings. I understand that there has been much debate over the identity of some ships which I had worked on between 1971 and 1981. I hope that my story will help solve some of the mysteries.

I am retired now and have been for some 20 years but still recall the events of those years. It is difficult to forget being shipwrecked 4 times! Indeed in one year I had to abandon ship 3 times. It was then I decided to retire.

I had worked on many ships from the early 50's, moving from one to another as ship owners sold vessels and shipping companies came and went. Some times it would be the same employer but trading under a different name and in some cases ships names would change during a working period. I worked on all kinds of vessels mainly very old steamships, usually general cargo vessels, which sometimes carried passengers. Most were Polish and Greek and many of my fellow Poles worked on these ships too, as there was much poverty back home in Poland. We were very much at the mercy of the employers and wages were not good but the sea was a better option than some of the jobs
available back home.

In 1978 I was employed by the Vikki Shipping Line. They were a Greek merchant fleet, made up of very old ships. Most ships had a supply of photos of the vessel which could be used as postcards, and these were used by the crew to keep families back home informed of our travels. I have collected and kept one when ever I could.

Quite often the ship would have a different name on the postcard. (I have previously sent one of these to Peter because of his interest in the ships). It was on my third voyage for this company that I had my first experience of being shipwrecked, although I had been on board ships during many groundings and collisions. Hardly a voyage went by with out seeing or being involved in an incident.
In May of ‘78 I had been moved to a newly purchased vessel - a 4 hold freighter with 4 big offset generators. She was a real rust bucket (as my English crew mates would say) but the engines were well maintained.  Seeing Peters underwater shots of the engine room brought back memories. It was the only ship I ever worked on with this kind of layout. It would be very eerie to go back - if I were fit and brave enough!

She was called the Marcus, I remember arriving and seeing her old name being painted out - only the last letters remained... SKY.Names seemed to change weekly on some vessels I don't recall the K being fitted to her funnel, but they certainly were on the next three ships. There seemed to be some urgency in leaving. We were in ballast and heading for Italy - a regular run - to pick up floor tiles - stacked on pallets - bound for Saudi Arabia, some Sheiks palace no doubt! I always looked forward to this run because it took two days to load the cargo and there were some nice Italian ladies we had become friendly with!

We headed south through the Canal and with my shift over I went to bed. I was awakened in the early hours by a tremendous noise of screeching metal, utter panic and crew running everywhere. We had run aground on a reef. For the next 6 hours we tried to stop the water flooding into the ship. The engine room was in 6 ft of water and it was rising. The ship was settling by the stern and the accommodation block was soon underwater. By now several ships had stopped and had sent their boats to help. We abandoned the ship - I could not get back to retrieve my personal things and lost all my tools, but I had always carried my passport and important papers everywhere - vital for a Pole outside his country in those days. The Egyptians and Israelis were always suspicious and I didn't fancy being shot as a spy. There was a big swell running and one of the life boats was washed onto the reef, although no one was badly hurt the coral was very sharp and the men had lots of cuts.

I didn't know exactly where we were but it was near a big island to the west of the shipping lane. We were taken on board one of the vessels heading back for Suez. I was told that the ship had run out of control - a steering problem and caught in the swell had ran onto the reef.

After a month or so I got a new birth, and then in 1981 while working on the Elphinki I was again shipwrecked this time in the Mediterranean. Then in August I was on another cargo ship the Chrisoula and found myself reliving the journey of my first shipwreck. Off to Italy, although after taking on the cargo of tiles, we had to make an" emergency" stop. Syracuse I was later told.

The bridge reported warning lights on the instrument panels and although we found no faults on the engines we were ordered to make a full overhaul of the engines. That was a hard 18hr shift. Then we were given the all clear and the engines re started and we continued south through the Suez Canal, but we were much higher in the water. I was puzzled at this but now realize we had discharged the cargo. During my next shift I was working in the generator room when suddenly the ship ground to a halt and there was that now familiar sound of twisting screaming metal. I ran up onto deck and thought I was dreaming there was that island and again there was the same reef in front of us. We were still afloat but held fast by the bow and the swell was pushing the ship deeper into the reef. Although it didn't seem as though we were sinking we were ordered into the boats. As we left I noticed the bow of my old ship the Marcus, sticking out of the water close by. I was later told that we had ran aground on Abu Nuhas. I decided at this point that I should retire and after being landed at Alexandria I returned home to Poland".

The final piece of the puzzle was solved by a skipper onboard one of the safari boats I had worked on. As he watched my presentation of the wrecks at Abu Nu has he recalled seeing two tugs attempting to pull the Chrisoula K off the reef? The main section of the ship broke off, leaving the bow behind, and as the tugs surged forward the ship began to sink almost taking the tugs with it, it was this clue which prompted Ali Baba and me to go and look for the final piece of the puzzle. A bowless, tile-less wreck lying north of Abu Nuhas!

As for the larger section of the wreck It has been dived on several occasions by technical divers –We (myself ALI BABA and MOUHAMMED EL FAROUK) dived it several years ago. I will be diving her again in 2007 now I have a digital system rated to 100 mtrs, we intend to photo graph the engine room plate in situ  and like all the other evidence ,will be made freely available on the web

MARCOS

A former name of the Giannis D not to be confused with the tile wreck near by.

MAIDAN

WRECK OF THE MAIDAN

One of the wrecks to cause the most interest since the discovery of the Rosalie Moller is the MAIDAN; official reports put her on ROCKY ISLAND, in Southern Egypt, near the Sudanese border.

Built at Glasgow by W. Hamilton & Co , the Maidan was launched in March 1902 .At 8,205 tons ,and 500 long,58 x 32 ft 747 nhp, she was one of the biggest ships of her day. In 1919, she under went  a major refit, and a  new 4 cylinder quadruple expansion engine, built by  Messrs D. Rowan of Glasgow. This gave her an increased speed of 14 knots. The Maidan was owned by T & J Brocklebank based  in Liverpool, and earned a reputation plying the eastern Trade routes, sailing  between European Ports and India.

THE FINAL VOYAGE

.On 21st May she left Calcutta with a full cargo, 7 passengers  and crew of 100, Bound for Europe Captain Breen at the helm. Six days later, on 27th May they docked in what was then called Ceylon and, the on to Bombay by June 5th. Travelling through the  Gulf of Aden  into the Red Sea. On June 7th, the Maidan made what was to be her final port of call to rebunker and take on more cargo in Port Sudan Two days later she set sail on the final leg of her last voyage.  Steaming north, the captain failed to take into consideration the effect of currents pushing the vessel to the west. Slowly, as night approached they closed on an unlit island. In the early hours of the 10^th, an island loomed dead ahead and a course correction was made .There seems to be some discepency in the official records and it would appear that Rocky Island was confused with “St Johns Island”. Although evasive action was taken the ship struck coral reef and grounded. Despite several attempt to refloat the vessel, the passengers and crew were safely disembarked onto the island and finally taken on board another ship , the Warickshire. By 9am the Maidan has slipped of the reef into deeper water with her full cargo still on board.    

The ensueing enquiry did nothing to help with the relocation of the vessel. To the contrary, it suggested that the wreck lay off Rocky Island, in which case she would almost certainly be beyond reach.

The reference to ST Johns Island was the vital clue in the puzzle. The charts today shows an area known as ST. Johns Reef a few miles to the south. The Island of St Johns is in fact ZABARGAD.

  THE DISCOVERY

JUNE 6^TH 2003. Tipped off by a report by the DM of Excel, Grant  SEARANCKE, I organised a deep air dive to identify the wreckage. My buddy was to be non other than Mr John Womack, of Otter Dry suit fame, and no stranger to wreck discoveries himself.

Our plunge down the reef face to 65mtrs found the tell tale sign that we were right on target. Hawse wires stretched across the reef base and out beyond lay huge  I –beams cross members from a ships hold of immense size some 50ft across., Several lay strewn on the sea bed and a huge mast ran out into the shadowy gloom-and the shadow of a vessel beyond.

With bottom time over in minutes we left with a certainty we had found the Maidan- no other vessel could fit these dimensions

  In October 2003 Grant Searancke made several solo dives armed with the information we had uncovered. At  a depth of 80 mtrs Grant found the main body of the wreck, her stern upright  with her hull sloping into deeper water the bow hanging over a precipice the general depth of the wreck being in 100mtrs.Grants friend, Kimo Hagman joined Grant in a deep exploratory dive, taking some detailed photographs. He reported that the bridge and companionways had collapsed.

Having seen the exclusive video footage I am convinced that we have indeed found the Maidan, although she is well beyond the range of sport divers, a deep exploration of the wreck has been arranged for February 2004.

A FULL REPORT WILL APPEAR IN THESE PAGES.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE IMAGES CURRENTLY POSTED ON THE SPORTEXTREME WEBSITE ARE INCORRECT-THEY ARE FROM THE WRECK OF THE ROSALIE MOLLER AND I HAVE ASKED THE EDITOR TO UPDATE HIS PAGE. SORRY FOR ANY CONFUSION.

This discovery now poses an interesting question; what is the identity of the deep wreck lying off Zagagad, we once thought was the Maidan…..

MALDIVE TRANSPORT

MARIA SHRODER see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA 

MATAURA Hadia's name at launch.

MILLION HOPE see SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA

MUHANSA see 2004 supplement

NAZARIO SAURO WORK INPROGRESS

NIMOS

NUMIDIA  see DIVE JAN 2002 &  SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA

SACR AL JAZIRAH

SALEM EXPRESS

On December 15th 1991 one of the greatest maritime disasters of recent times occurred a few miles from the Port of Safaga on Hyndman Reef. The  100m long passenger ferry, SALEM EXPRESS was returning with her decks crowded with pilgrims from Mecca. Official numbers quote 690 passengers but there are reports that as many as 1600 people were on board.

The ship struck the reef, ripping a great hole in the forward section of the hull. The sudden in rush of water caused the stern doors to burst open allowing more water to enter the already stricken ship. Within 10 minutes she rolled over onto her starboard side and sank in 30 mtrs of water. Only 180 survived

Built in1964 at La Seyne in France the vessel had sailed under the names of FRED SCAMARONI, NUITS ST. GEORGES, LORD SINAI and  AL TARA .She was registered to the SAMATOUR LINE at the time of her sinking.

I first visited the wreck shortly after the sinking; the images of personal belongings; open suitcases, radio/ cassette players and indeed the un- used lifeboats were a poignant reminder of this tragedy. I never returned, never included the wreck in my itinerary, until July of this year (2001), almost 10 years after the sinking.

The wreck lies on her starboard side at the base of the reef, with the deepest part in 30 mtrs, her port side in only 10 mtrs. Both props can be seen, the deeper being covered in a carpet of soft corals, a stark contrast to the port propeller. She is virtually intact and even her lifeboats still sit upright on the seabed. There are two large funnels embossed with the letter S and Laurel leaves on both sides.

The bow door is a ghostly sight fully open, but with the ramp still in place, preventing any access at this point. The hinged bow continues to move slowly opening and closing.The promenade decks still bear seats; facing towards the surface and the seabed, another reminder that this was a passenger vessel. The bridge is easily accessible and still has her instrument panels in place; It would seem that the trophy hunters have left her alone; for now.

Marine life on the wreck is very sparse, although reef fishes such as lionfish, surgeons and masked butterfly fish can be seen, adding just a hint of colour to an otherwise depressing wreck.

Many of the guests on this visit had mixed feeling about diving this wreck; some simply would not dive her, others left their cameras behind, non would penetrate the wreck. After the dive there was a very solemn mood on the dive deck, not the usual après dive banter one would expect

There are various view points as to whether this wreck should be dived at all; It is a part of maritime history, and can be dived with no more disrespect than walking through a graveyard; The Egyptian authorities have not prevented safari boats visiting the wreck; it has been left to individual skippers to make the final decision.