SS Thistlegorm

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The SS Thistlegorm was a British armed Merchant Navy ship built in 1940 by Joseph Thompson & Son in Sunderland, England. She was sunk on 5 October 1941 near Ras Muhammad in the Red Sea and is now a well known dive site.

Construction

The vessel was privately owned and therefore not classified as a naval vessel. She was armed with a 4-inch (102 mm) anti-aircraft gun and a heavy calibre machine gun attached after construction for war duty. She was one of a number of "Thistle" ships owned and operated by the Albyn Line. With her construction being in part funded by the British Government, however, she was destined for "War" duties from the moment she was launched.

Last voyage

The Thistlegorm set sail on her last voyage from Glasgow on 2 June 1941 destined for Alexandria. She was carrying supplies to relieve the 8th Army in preparation for Operation Crusader. As Germany controlled the Mediterranean sea during this period, the ship had to sail in a convoy around the Cape to the Red Sea. In September, Captain Ellis anchored north of the Straits of Gubal at what is now known as Shag Rock near Ras Muhammad National Park.

The Suez Canal at that time was closed as a result of a ship collision. For two weeks the ship stood moored at this supposedly safe position awaiting instructions to proceed through the canal. The Thistlegorm was a sitting target for two German bombers returning from Crete. Allegedly they were searching for a large troop carrier, believed to be the Queen Mary when they ran low on fuel, turned home, and stumbled upon the Thistlegorm. They dropped two 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombs directly onto the ship. The bombs penetrated No 4 Hold detonating much ammunition. The explosion killed nine crew members and was so forceful that it launched two railway locomotives stacked on deck into the air. They currently stand upright alongside the wreck at a depth of 33 m (108 ft).

Thistlegorm sank immediately, leaving no time for the crew to operate the lifeboats. Instead, they jumped into the water and were later rescued by HMS Carlisle, another British ship moored nearby.

Discovery by Cousteau

In the early fifties Jacques-Yves Cousteau discovered her by using information from local fishermen. He raised several items from the wreck, including a motorcycle, the Captain’s safe, and the ship’s bell. The February 1956 edition of "National Geographic" clearly shows the ship’s bell in place and Cousteau's divers in the ship’s "Lantern Room".

Rediscovery and recreational dive site

In the early 1990s the ship was rediscovered by an Israeli skipper and has become a well-known and often-dived wreck. The massive explosion blew much of her midships superstructure away and makes the wreck very accessible to divers. The depth of around 30 m (100 feet) is ideal for diving without the need for specialist equipment and training.

When she sank she was carrying a wide range of supplies ranging from rubber boots to an armoured Rolls Royce. Bedford trucks, Universal Carrier armoured vehicles, BSA & Norton motorcycles, Bren guns, cases of ammunition, and 0.303 rifles laid muzzle to butt as well as radio equipment, aircraft parts, and LMS Stanier Class 8F steam locomotives can still be seen. Currently, the wreck is rapidly disintegrating due to natural rusting. Years of divers plundering the wreck for souvenirs have stripped the Thistlegorm of many of its artefacts; for example, most of the trucks have lost their steering wheels. The dive boats that rely on the wreck for their livelihood are also tearing the wreck apart by mooring the boats to weak parts of the wreck leading to parts of the wreck collapsing. In December 2007 the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) began work on installing permanent mooring buoys and drilling holes in the wreck to allow trapped air to escape. The aim of this conservation work is to prevent further damage to the wreck.

External links

• Scuba Diving on the Thistlegorm in the Red Sea

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Last updated on Sunday February 17, 2008 at 23:23:30 PST (GMT -0800)
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