The Thistlegorm, a sunken ship

For many, the best wreck in the world

It is one of the mythical wrecks for lovers of diving. And it is no wonder, it is preserved practically intact and in its cellars there is one of the largest "museums" of World War II. Ammunition, torpedoes, jeeps, BSA and Norton motorcycles, tires, tanks, locomotives, anti-aircraft guns and a whole series of objects belonging to the supplies of the allied army are there, as if time had not passed over them, although the sea had, the fantastic Egyptian Red Sea.

A short but intense story

The Thistlegorm was built in Sunderland (England) in 1940, in the shipyards of the firm Joseph Thompson and Sunderland Sons. It was 126.5 meters long and was capable of moving 4,898 tons. From the moment it was launched, on April 9, 1940, and given the situation that Europe was going through, it was destined for war.

Captain Ellis was placed in command of the ship. He only made four trips aboard the Thistlegorm. Upon the return of the third, to the West Indies for sugar and liquor, he was sent with a whole cargo of military supplies to help in the offensive of the allied forces under the command of General Montgomery, in North Africa, against "the desert fox", General Rommel, who, at that time, was making it more than difficult for the allies.

Since the Mediterranean was completely guarded by German fighters, the safest route was around Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope, until reaching the Red Sea in the east. Just as they entered the Gulf of Suez, the ship received orders to anchor and await instructions; it was the third week of September.

It was not easy to cross the Suez Canal, the presence of enemy aircraft was constant, in addition to the flow of ships (at that time two ships had collided at its entrance and it was collapsed). This caused the Thistlegorm to wait two weeks. Even so, the captain was not worried, it was rare to see German planes so far south, but coincidence meant that German intelligence received information about a British convoy, which could include the Queen Mary, which would head towards the Channel with troops destined to North Africa.

On the night of October 5, 1941, two German Heinkels left their base in Crete with the order to "sink and destroy" that possible convoy. Helped by a moonlit night perfectly clear, they made the trip without problems and searched hard for the ships they had gone to destroy. They didn't find them.

When they were returning to the base, almost out of fuel in their tanks, they located an English ship anchored in the Gulf. They retraced their steps and launched two accurate bombs on their bridge, one of them penetrated to the holds, exploding part of the ammunition, the explosion was tremendous. It was 1:30 in the morning on October 6, 1941. Of the 49 men that made up the crew, 9 died in the attack.

The ship sank almost immediately, the crew had to abandon ship as quickly as possible in the lifeboats. The survivors were rescued by HMS Carlisle and taken to Suez from where they were repatriated.

Thistlegorm Dives

Today, the 9,000 tons of the ship rest divided into two parts on a sandy bottom located thirty meters deep. The ship is in a navigation position, with its bow facing north, as if still waiting to pass the Suez Canal.

The wreck is located about five miles northeast of Shag Rock, the southern end of the Sha'ab Ali reef, at the southern entrance to the Channel. Its exact position is latitude 27º 42'00" N longitude 34º 05'00" E. This is an area of ​​open sea outside the protection of winds and currents of any reef, which makes it necessary to enjoy good maritime conditions to be able to anchor. and immerse yourself in its remains.

Usually the entire area is at the mercy of strong northern currents, which cloud the water by removing sediment from the bottom. This means that when conditions are good, practically all cruise ships head there. Usually, more than twenty of them begin to arrive from the early hours of the day, especially in spring and summer.

The descent and ascent must always be carried out through the anchoring line. Normally the divemaster of each boat descends to tie it to the upper structures of the vessel, which are between 12 and 18 meters below the surface. The continuous movement of boats through the area makes it highly dangerous to return to the surface through open waters, and the average depth of the dive will almost certainly require a decompression stop. It will be necessary to wear gloves and a powerful spotlight to safely explore all the treasures it keeps inside.

The first dive

It is not a particularly complicated wreck, although for To wander inside it is better to have some experience and good buoyancy control, given that it has multiple sharp and pointed plates. It will be necessary to make more than one dive to observe it carefully, given its enormous interest and length. It is best to dedicate a dive to the stern half, which rests on the starboard side, to be able to visit the gigantic propeller, the two anti-aircraft guns, the crew cabins and the third hold.

This is the zone of impact of the bombs and, among the mass of iron, we can discover abundant ammunition, tracked tanks, rifles, bombs, etc. At a depth of thirty meters and at the height of the most damaged area we will find, separated about thirty meters from the starboard side, one of the two locomotives of the ship that was thrown from the deck as a result of the explosion before the sinking. We will finish the dive at the anchorage cape.

The second dive

The second dive will allow us to cover the previous half, visiting the bow located 18 meters away, with the starboard anchor anchored thirty meters in front and the port anchor still hanging on its side. This area is the most spectacular of the wreck.

On our tour of the deck we will see the wagons and tankers that it transported resting on rails and a pair of enormous surface torpedoes. After going through several compartments on the bridge we will arrive at the entrance to the first hold, of the three that the ship had. We will descend into its interior, where we will discover dozens of motorcycles perfectly stored and recognizable after 60 years.

We will advance below the deck towards the second warehouse and we will discover several motorcycles, trucks, jeeps, hundreds of tires and supplies such as boots, suits, etc. It is possible to take a look inside these vehicles, although it will be necessary to move carefully so as not to raise the sediments of mud that are on them, as we pass.

Unfortunately, time will pass much faster than ever and we will be forced to return to the surface through the anchorage line.

After visiting this tragic page of history and while we make the decompression stop, we will still have time to take one last look at this wonderful wreck, wondering when we will be able to return.