75 YEARS UNDERWATER-THE COMPLETE STORY OF THE THISTLEGORM

75 YEARS UNDER WATER The story of the

S.S.THISTLEGORM

PETER COLLINGS INTERNATIONAL AWARD WINNING AUTHOR, PHOTOGRAPHER & WRECK HUNTER

Celebrating 30 years of publishing Forward by John Womack 1

75 YEARS UNDERWATER The story of the

THISTLEGORM by PETER COLLINGS 2

CONTENTS FORWARD INTRODUCTION THE ALBYN LINE R L THOMPSON HUMBLE BEGINNINGS THE CARGO FINAL VOYAGE THE SINKING THE WRECK TODAY DIVING THE WRECK TOURS NIGHT DIVE, MARINE LIFE BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDIX 1 APPENDIX 2

PAGE 4 PAGE 6 PAGE 9 PAGE 10 PAGE 12 PAGE 20 PAGE 40 PAGE 52 PAGE 60 PAGE 66 PAGE 78 PAGE 104 PAGE 122 PAGE 123 PAGE124 3

FORWARD BY HOWARD ROSENSTEIN Find me a wreck!! The first real Red Sea Wreck for Divers.

It was the early 1970’s and I was on my first promotional trip to the States trying to sell Red Sea Diving Tourism and promoting our fledgling Red Sea Divers centre in Sharm el Sheikh, one of the pioneering operations in the Red Sea. I was meeting with Paul Tzimoulis, publisher of Skin Diver Magazine, the most prestigious diving magazine of the period, trying to enlist his sup port of our efforts to bring diving tourists to the Red Sea. One of his first questions was do we have any sunken ships to dive? He related that he had just returned from the first diving expedition to the Truk lagoon, and was very excited about wreck diving. He turned to me and said “Find me a wreck” and I will come over and do a story about it!”

I sighed to myself, realizing that after 5 intensive years of exploring the Red Sea reefs of the Aqua and Suez Gulfs we were bone dry in the Shipwreck dept. M icronesia was hot as one of the top Exotic Dive travel destinations due to the recently discovered sunken Japanese fleet at Truk lagoon As soon as I was back in Sharm I gathered my diving team together and told them of my trip and told them we needed to find a real shipwreck so we could get our tiny corner of diving paradise on the world diving tourism map.

In the meantime we were diving our brains off desperately looking for any signs of a wreck, enlisting our friends in the navy and air force and sp eaking to any Bedouin fisherman who might give us a clue where a shipwreck could be found. It took another year or more to hit p ay dirt. The tip came from an old Bedouin fisherman friend who said they had been fishing a spot with many, many big fish and sometimes they could see what looked like the outline of a ship below the surface. When I asked him for directions I was told to head into the sunset after turning the corner of Ras M ohammed, smoke 2 cigarettes (estimate one hour) and I would see the waves breaking on a off shore reef. Go to the outside tip of the reef (towards Africa) and start to look!!

Well hard to believe but we got a group together and at the first possible opportunity we headed off to follow his directions. It is the God’s honest truth that we did exactly what he said and when we reached the point he described I put my tanks on, jumped in and directly below me was the Dunraven Shipwreck, the first real wreck that was found in the Sinai area for sp ort divers, the rest is history, had we known then, the present and future was not very far away, as you will learn and see in this remarkable book.

Howard Rosenstein Red Sea Divers – Fantasea Cruises Sharm el Sheik 1971-1997

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FORWARD by JOHN WOMACK Snr I am John Womack Snr, BSAC First Class Diver, Advanced Instructor & owner of Otter Dry suits in Yorkshire, having dived the Britannic, Prince of Wales, Repulse and the Victoria plus many more over the last 40 years I would not go anywhere in the Red Sea without one of Peter's guide books. I have been on numerous successful trips of Peter's including wreck searching in Truk Lagoon.

Peter's new book is awesome, there are so many wrecks and to give detailed descriptions of all the wrecks themselves is great, it makes you feel like you have dived them already. I remember doing a night dive on the Thistlegorm which was just fantastic it was p itch black with pin points of light from fellow divers lights.In the south, Peter, Tom and myself went looking for the wreck of the Maidan on Rocky Island, we followed the debris trail down to 65mtrs and there before us was the huge shadow of the wreck hanging over the abyss starting at 80 mtrs. We could only look down in wonder, but we had found what we were looking for after 10 years.

Peter's trips are a must and very much like his trips his books are a must read, Peter is a walking encyclopaedia on all things diving and ship wrecks. A lot of great ships were made in the North East and it comes as no surp rise to me that this is where Peter came from too, we have been friends/fellow wreck divers a lot of years and hope to be sharing experiences and books for many more years to come.

John Womack MD Otter Watersports Yorkshire.March 2018 Otter Drysuits, UK

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INTRODUCTION The THISTLEGORM , more than any other accessible shipwreck has evoked a tremendous reputation as a world class diving site. M any consider it Egypt’s number one tourist attraction and thousands of divers revel in its treasures, its history and its accessibility , not forgetting its marine life.It is true that the wreck is a victim of its own success. Its has endured a constant barrage of damage from the thoughtless actions of some divemasters using steel wires to tie onto weak metal which has been submerged for more than seventy years. The handrails have all but been ripped off, one water bowser was lifted and dropped onto the only remaining intact p aravane; twice by the same dive master! Thieves and vandals too have degraded the wreck, one Russian diver was caught ripping off a headlight from a truck, his excuse was he was checking the voltage of the lamp!!! All but a few of the portholes have gone, battery caps and even the coal has not escaped these light fingered goons.

For y ears guests asked “Why is the wreck not buoyed?” For y ears we tried to get something done. In 1996 Chris Scott (Discover Scuba) and myself offered to fund and install a sy stem and were told that officially the wreck was off limits so nothing could be done. The first real attempt at stemming the flow of destruction and overcrowding was a ban on single-engined boats being limited to Sha’ab M ahmoud. This had a dramatic and immediate effect. Instead of 30 boats over the wreck, the traffic and the divers became more sensible. The effect was also dramatic in terms of financial income for local dive centres. Within a month it was business as usual. HEPCA stepped in closing the wreck for 3 months while a hair brained mooring sy stem was installed. In less time than it took to install, 16 piles of chains added to the metal on the seabed. These wrecks are the future history of a nation whose very survival depends on its history and its tourism more so now than ever. Wrecks play a major part of that income.

Nevertheless, despite the deterioration of the wreck, diving the Thistlegorm is still a thrilling and thought provoking experience, an experience which many repeat time and time again. Even after hundreds of dives, there is still something new to find, examine, explore. The wreck changes with the time of day, from sunrise over the guns to a stunning night dive, and indeed with the change in current flow, the attitude of the resident marine life varies. No two dives are alike. M any return to the wreck year on year and will continue to do so for many years to come.

It would be hard to imagine that such an ordinary ship, built like many others with great skill and pride, would become such a “celebrity ”. Her story is perhaps no different to many other maritime casualties of war, millions of tons of merchant ships just like the Thistlegorm, lie at the bottom of the sea; watery graves of brave men who gave their lives in the name of freedom, unsung heroes, ordinary men on ordinary ships. Were it not for diving perhaps she would have been forgotten and her crew’s bravery gone unnoticed. Hop efully this book will tell their story as well as giving the visiting diver a thorough insight of the wreck, her cargo and her marine life, a culmination of many hundreds of dives on the wreck over the last 20 years and an equal amount of time spent researching her story. A story which began in SUNDERLAND and ended in the Gulf of SUEZ. 6

This book really began back in 1996, and developed into the award winning “Shipwrecks of the Egyptian Red Sea.” Over the years, thanks to the work of archivists around the country , new information surrounding the building of the ship, her management, her final voyage, the sinking and subsequent salvage, I have been able to gather together new information and images which not only correct a few myths but also ask new questions.

Images from the PARRY Collection have given a new insight into her construction and for the first time, her Captain recounts that fatal night when the bombs struck, and her managers have given a new insight into her cargo. M any stories from that period have been passed on from the various captains I have worked with, some from Bedouin origins, first hand accounts passed down from father to son. They shed light on some unanswered questions, but also p rovide the potential for new discoveries. The Thistlegorm it would seem was not the only casualty that night.

Few wrecks around the world have attracted so much attention and indeed number of visitors. Enthusiasts have delved into the history and fine details of her cargo from the Locomotives to the ammunition, and more recently into the exact types of vehicles loaded into her holds. She will continue to give up her secrets for many more years to come. Even our discovery of the original manifest, while revealing many new facts still leaves many questions un- answered M any divers investigate her holds, marvel in her cargo, not realising that more secrets lie deeper down out of reach. Within the pages of “75 Years Underwater” I have provided the visiting diver with some thought provoking information, so when re-visiting the wreck they too will find new aspects of her history previously overlooked.

One thing is for sure. The Thistlegorm will continue to excite thrill and satisfy divers the world over, whether it’s their first wreck experience, or the seasoned diver ticking another “ must do” box.

I sincerely hope that you, the reader will find this work a fascinating insight into the wreck and that it enhances your diving pleasure and helps reveal more of her secrets.

PETER COLLINGS

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Since its conception 18 years ago, there have been a great many people involved in the making of this book and their help and sup port is most welcomed and appreciated. Travel; Amanda Levick, Chris Scott, Tony Backhurst, Kirk Green, Lynda Teasedale. Boats; Ay man M usan,Yassa Tahar. Dive teamAlan & Karen M onk, Bob Needham, Colin M urphy, Tim Weeldon, M ike & Sue Rowntree, Dave Owen, Ali Baba, M ohammed Al Farouk, Sidescan; Tritec, Dr Fiona Stewart. Diving equipment; John Womack (Otter), M artin Parker (AP Valves), Chris Denny (Ralphtech).Peter Greenwell (Ap ex) I.T; Lyndon Wright, Russel Goodwin. Gas, land based logistics and general support; Chad “on the rocks” Clark. Inspiration and encouragement Simon Rogerson (DIVE/SCUBA ), Karim Helal (Red Sea Association, H20), Jack Jackson. Photography; Howard Rosenstein (Fantasea) Vic Bonifante (Sea & Sea). Peter Rowlands (Ocean Op tics), Lawson Wood.

The historical research would not have been possible without the help of those who perhaps will never see a shipwreck, whose work goes on behind the scenes and are happy to give their expertise and time most willingly; Colin Boyd, Carolyn Durkin (TWAS) Ian Whitehead (Tyne Wear M useums) Lynn M organ (Mitchell Library),Penny Rudkin (Southampton Libraries),Valerie Hart (Guildhall Libraries) Anne Crowe (Lloyds register) Alma Toren (Glasgow University Archives), Lt Commander Arnold Hague RNR (Convoy s) The staff at Kew. Our sponsors; AP VALVES, APEX M ARINE, CAM ERAS UNDERWATER, M YFLEX HOSES,OTTER WATERSPORTS, SEA & SEA Finally I would like to thank all the ex merchant seaman, and ex servicemen, shipyard workers, dockyard workers and the families thereof for an insight into those dark days of World War Two and for bringing the Thistlegorm’s last voyage to life.

PHOTOGRAPHS . Every effort has been made to accredit the original photographer, or indeed owner of copyright where ever possible; we regret that in some cases we were unable to do so. All underwater images by Peter Collings. M y thanks to the models, I’m sure they will know who they are!

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THE ALBYN LINE - The Thistle boats In 1900, Sunderland was one of the major shipbuilding centres of Great Britain, and had enjoyed a huge population explosion and a great reputation, along with the Tyne for its ship building prowess. M any of the major owners at the time including Sir James Joicey, William Black and James Beattie, joined forces with Sir Christopher Furness, and the ALBYN LINE was born. Alba being Gaelic for Scotland, Allans influence, being a Scott, extended to the adoption of the thistle as the fleets emblem and the word Thistle being used as a prefix for the ships names. (There was already a Thistleship Co Ltd). On October 29 1901 the first vessel THISTLEDHU was launched, at a cost of £4300.00, followed the next year by the THISTLEROY. THISTLETOR and THISTLEGLEN were later to replace them, the THISLEROY being wrecked off North Carolina, and the THISTLEDHU torpedoed during the First World War. The next vessel the THISTLEMOR built in 1906. She had a short career, foundering near Lundy in 1909. THISTLETOR, THISTLELEARD and THISTLEBEN were in service by 1912. By 1932 the fleet consisted of 4 modern steamers; THISTLEBRAE, THISTLEFORD, THISTLEGARTH, THISTLEGLEN. Surviving the depression of the thirties, and with the impeding threat of war, the company took advantage of shipping grants and in Ap ril 1939 an order was placed with R.L THOM PSON of Sunderland for the THISTLEGORM, at a cost of £115,000.The Albyn Line went into voluntary liquidation in 1966.

THE ALBYN LINE-WORLD WAR ONE LOS S ES THISTLEBANK; 29TH JUNE 1915 SUNK BY SUBM ARINE, 25 M ILES SW FASTNET THISTLEBAN ; 23rd DECEMBER 1916 BY SUBM ARINE OFF ALEXANDRIA. THISTLEARD ; 24TH APRIL 1917 BY SUBM ARINE 55 10 N, 12 W THISTLEDHU ; 18TH JUNE 1917 BY SUBM ARINE 62 17 N 15 18 W WORLD WAR 2 LOS S ES THISTLEBRAE (renamed INSTER when captured by the Germans); SUNK IN 1945 BY ALLIED AIRCRAFT. THISTLEGARTH; OCTOBER 15TH 1940 SUNK BY U103 IN CONVOY OB 227 THISTLEGLEN; SEPTEMBER 1941 SUNK BY U 85 IN CONVOY SC 42 THISTLEGORM ; OCTOBER 6TH 1941 BOM BED SHAAB ALI……………………………………………..

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R L THOMPSON & SONS

A rare view of the THISTLEGORM after completion, berthed at Southwick in 1940.Depicted in this promotional poster (courtesy Tyne & Wear archives).

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For centuries the three mighty rivers of the Ty ne, Tees and Wear were at the centre of shipbuilding, sup plying customers as far away as Brazil, Japan and Russia with ships of all types, including dreadnoughts, battleships and ocean going liners. As wood turned to iron and sail turned to steam, one family stood out amongst the many companies prosp ering from the building of 1000’s of ships and the export of coal iron and steel. The Thompson story sp ans more than 100 years;

1846 Robert Thompson and his 3 sons went into business building wooden ships.

1854 Robert Junior left to form his own shipbuilding company.

1860 Robert Thompson, founder, dies.

1870 renamed Joseph L Thompson.

1871 the first iron ship BLACK SEA, Yard #105 was launched.

1877 Robert, son of Joseph takes over.

1894 becomes a limited company.

1901 James Mater becomes managing director.

1940-45 produced 40 vessels, 277697 tons of shipping.

1946 took over John Cook and Sons.

1954 became a subsidiary of Sunderland Shipbuilding and Dry Dock & Engineering Co. 1961 Acquired by Doxford & Sunderland Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. 1986 North Sands yard reopened to build one final vessel, the floating crane Challenger.

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HUMBLE BEGINNINGS The Thistlegorm story starts at the Yards of J.L. Thompson and sons at Sunderland. It was here that the 4898 ton 415ft cargo ship was built in 1940.She was driven by a triple expansion stream engine, built by North East M arine Engineering, which could deliver some 1850 hp driving her along at 10knots.

Her construction was that of a typical 5 hold freighter, with raised fo’c’sle and aft weather deck. With her bridge and officers accommodation and engine house central the holds were two forward and two aft, with the third hold situated aft of the bridge structure, forward of the Engine house. ’tween decks ran around the holds-huge shelves for cargo to be placed on using derricks sited between the holds on deck. The coal shoot for her bunker was situated in front of the engine room skylight. Aft of the skylight, above the engineer’s quarters was the wireless house, with the radio room behind the ward room. The main sup erstructure had 3 levels SALOON, CAPTAINS HOUSE, CHART ROOM WHEELHOUSE, with the pantry and cold store directly below. The aft structure is classed as the STEERING GEAR HOUSE, above which was the weather/gun deck.

The plans clearly show the holds to within 4 ft of the keel, her double skin accommodating ballast tanks and this sp ace would be maximised by craning in cargo under and up to the ‘tween decks, then planks of wood (or bailey bridges in times of war) would cover over creating second floor for more cargo to be carried (typical with vehicles and unusual shaped items). The plans show deck hatch covers at both deck level and ‘tween deck level.

Cargo hatches were fitted both at deck level and at ‘tween deck level.

As with most centre island cargo ships or tramp’s as they were affectionately known the twin boilers were positioned forward of her engine and the fuel (coal) forward of the boilers. The engine room was separated from the aft holds and coal bunker by water tight doors. The engineer’s quarters were positioned flanking the engine room. The wireless house was mounted above this accommodation block, behind the engine room sky light. The raised forecastle (f’o’c’sle) housed the chain locker, carpenters store (port) and the lamp and cable centre (starboard).Anchor winches were fixed centrally on top of the fo’c’sle. Steam winches serviced the cargo holds. There were three main decks up per and no. 2 with ‘tweens fore and aft, the aft holds being slightly shallower due to the propeller shaft access tunnel. An escape shaft runs from the tunnel exits forward of the steering gear house. Fore and after peak ballast tanks were fitted.

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The profile plans of the S.S. THISTLEGORM . A great deal of information of the ships construction has been obtained from this highly detailed document.

It clearly shows cargo hatches both at deck level and at ‘tween deck level, and the depth of the holds in the fore section to within 3 ft of her keel (Authors note; at the time of writing we have not been able to explore deeper than 26mtrs in holds number 1 and 2 Given that her keel is in 30 metres and allowing 1 meter for her double bottom water ballast etc. there is still 3mtrs of hold un accounted for or explored .Indeed in the deck house between these holds a narrow vertical access tunnel has been explored down to 28 metres, but access could not be gained into the holds .This leads to speculate on what is in these lower sections of the ship. Wamnes list records Lysander aircraft bodies packed in crates been placed here. The plans describe the decks as second and upper, and there refer to the decks which are accessible to divers. The bottom, well or lower deck is in depths from 29 metres to 26mtrs. An idea of this construction can be seen at the stern section, aft of the bomb blast).

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APRIL 9TH, 1940 at a cost of £115,000, the Thistlegorm is successfully launched. Captain George Whitfield is to commission her, before handing her over to Captain William Ellis, three months before her loss. This highly detailed original image was taken by L.PARRY, a local professional photographer

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SPECIFICATIONS YARD #; 599 BUILT; M ANOR QUAY WORKS, NORTH SANDS. SUNDERLAND LAUNCHED; APRIL 9TH 1940 CLAS S IFICATION; AI Lloyds, British Steamship DIMENS IONS ; 415ft x 58 ft x 24 ft

TONNAGE; 4890tons ENGINES ; Triple expansion steam by North East M arine Engineers OUTPUT; 365nhp (sp eed at trials 12.5 knots) 14

Very few images of the Thistlegorm afloat have been located. This is one of a set of six taken by L Parry at her launch. Here tugs are positioning her alongside M anor Quay North Sands, Sunderland, to be fitted out. The main structure of the ship is complete but as y et she has not received her boilers or engine and is sitting very high in the water.

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Here, during the fitting out after her launch, the bride wings or navigation bridges can clearly be seen .The wheelhouse and chart room have been fitted and are metal rather than wood. BELOW; engineer’s accommodation, wireless house, aft deck house and steering house are in place.

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Triple expansion stream engine built by North East M arine Engineering co., as fitted to the Thistlegorm. Its 1850 hp output gave the ship a sp eed of 10 knots. The cylinders were 23” 38” 65” with a stroke of 42”These type of engines were fitted in vessels from the late 1890’s through to the 1950’s, mainly in cargo vessels where economy was more essential than speed.

Particulars of measurement & tonnage for the Thistlegorm, courtesy of Tyne &Wear archives

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By September of the next year she had completed her trials and had undertaken three voyages under the command of Captain George Whinfield.

On the 1st July 1940 she left M ethil for Southend in convoy FS209, arriving on the 2nd and on the 5th returned to M ethil in convoy FN24.Next day, in convoy OA179 she departed for Panama in ballast. The 16th August found her departing Halifax for Liverpool in Convoy HX66 with a cargo of iron rails and aircraft parts, arriving Liverpool 31st August.

On November 5th 1940 she departed M ethil for Oban in convoy EN19/1 in ballast leaving Liverpool 2 days later in convoy OB242. The 10TH February 1941 found her heading back to Liverpool from Freemantle, with a cargo of cereal in convoy M SK65, arriving Liverpool on the 4th M arch.

During this voyage Captain Whinfield organised the first and only gun practice, deeming the guns safer if not used! By the end of that month she was heading for Georgetown in Convoy OB303 in Ballast. Having loaded with a cargo of sugar, she joined convoy BHX128 out of Bermuda for Halifax, joining convoy HX128 on the 20th and after discharging her cargo at Liverpool in early June, she departed for the Clyde She was laid up at the “Tail o’ the Bank “on the Clyde for almost two months with boiler trouble, eventually arriving at berth QD14 on June 25th.1941 The ship’s command was then handed over to Captain William Ellis. The ships superintendent’s M .Wawns and Sons sent Dominic Wawn and Walter Beatie to Grenock to organise a Port Relief team. The purpose of this team was to allow the ships’ crew a break between the voyages. Thus began the loading for that final voyage.

HER CAPTAIN William Ellis OBE was born in December 1891.In 1907 he went to sea for the first time as a cook/seaman, at the age of 15 working on schooners. By August 1911 he had worked his way up to able bodied seamen, having sailed on many long voyages. His first position as an officer was on board the S.S. M anchester Engineer as a third mate, progressing to second mate on the S.S. Potiac in 1914. Due to a tragedy on board the SS Cheviot Range a year later, while off Newfoundland, he was promoted to Chief Officer.

During World War One he was employed by the Albyn Line, and saw action off Alexandria, when his berth, the S.S.Thistleban, on a return voyage from Karachi to Hull, with a cargo of linseed, peas and rape seed, was torpedoed “4 miles north of number 4 beacon, Alexandria, by a German submarine on the 23rd December 1916. He then studied and attained his M asters Certificate and in1917 took his first command for Furness, Withy & Co on board the S.S. Waterland.

In 1924, he re-joined the Albyn Line as second officer on the S.S. Thistelben, Progressing in chief officer 3 years later. In 1928 he took charge of the S.S. Thistleford. In July 1941 he was transferred to the S.S. Thistlegorm. This was to be his only voyage on the ship. In 1942 he was awarded an O.B.E .He stayed with the Albyn Line until he retired in December 1947.

He died in June 1955 at the age of 63.

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THE CARGO The loading for that fatal final voyage began weeks before the Thistlegorm set sail at berth QD14. The cargo was a varied one and a ship of her size could carry a tremendous amount of much need sup plies. Although the Captain oversaw her loading, the port relief team were responsible for the task. There was a great deal of organising required to ensure the cargo was not only loaded in a logical order but that no sp ace was wasted. Every vehicle was itself loaded with cargo. From eyewitness accounts and indeed the records of W. Wamns it would seem that many of the crated aircraft p arts were loaded into the well decks of numbers one and two holds including wing sections fuselages and engine covers. These are the deeper sections and with a uniform shape the crates containing fuselages and wings could be tightly packed into these lower areas. Balley bridges were often used to create false floors and it was onto these that many of the trucks were placed, themselves full of crates of medical sup plies, which included morphine, camphorated oil, Lysolats antiseptic tablets, salt tablets and water purifying tablets. Lee Enfield rifles, generators and N.A.F.F.I equipment, Wellington boots were then loaded into available sp aces. The correct loading was also essential for the stability and trim of the vessel. A more detailed list of the cargo appears in appendix 1 As the cargo filled to the tween decks, these shelves were then loaded with more trucks, the deeper less accessible areas loaded first, and more false decks p laced over the lips of the ‘tween deck, creating layers of planking between sections of cargo. The well deck eventually being completely filled to the top and then deck hatches fitted over, themselves becoming sp ace for the cargo to be offloaded on route. Finally the coal tenders and water bowsers were craned onto the deck and wires welding to the deck to secure them. Even the coal tenders were used for storage, the Stanier locomotive’s con-rods can still be found inside the tender’s top section.

WAWN’S LIST (LOAD LIST According to the excellent “THISTLE BOATS” by D.C.E. Burrell, Dominic Wawn himself went to Glasgow to oversee the loading of what was to be Thistlegorm’s final voyage. Perhaps in their archives the documents detailing the cargo (manifest or load list) could be found. If so, much more information about her cargo would come to light. It is not uncommon for companies to keep records dating back beyond the required 7 years.

The address I had in Wallsend failed to produce a result, then thanks again to the internet I got hold of a new address in Collingwood Street, Newcastle, in the same building as Lloyds Registry.

Collingwood Chambers is a magnificent Victorian building, 5 floors running the entire length of the street and in the heart of the city . The main entrance features a magnificent hall and staircase. An information board showed me I was in the right place after 10 years; it would seem I had found the people who might help provide the final pieces of information about the cargo’s details. I took the lift up to the 4th floor, stepped out into a deserted corridor 20

and noted that every office was deserted, including Bushell, Nicol and Wawn. Not only deserted but the office appeared ransacked; papers and files lying everywhere. Another dead end? I went back to the lift, there were no call buttons, a sign said “do not use in case of fire�. I headed for the stairwell only to find it was barred off with metal grills. I was trapped, alone in a deserted building, no phone signal and no one knew I was there! I could imagine what the propaganda machine would make of this!

Wamnes load list-the document that took years to track down, was to reveal many new and interesting aspects of the cargo, and loading. In a very faded 21

condition we were, with the use of photoshop, able to enhance the hand writing to reveal much more vital information.

After several hours I caught the attention of a caretaker. Explaining my situation and quest, he informed me that the company was long gone and the offices were to be cleared out. He kindly gave me access to the office and we searched though mounds of files, lists and papers sp anning 50 years or more. I left with a large bin bag of hopeful material.

M uch of the older material had been hand written and the ink’s had faded, but there, amongst some wartime accounts were several sets of cargo listings for 1941 including that of the Thistlegorm. Although very faint, and probably incomplete we were able enhance several of the pages thanks to photoshop.

They revealed some thitherto unknown facts about the Thistlegorm’s cargo, just as I had hoped. M y persistence had paid off. We could now confirm the type of aircraft she was carrying and indeed where they were loaded.

And so with all the material now in place the book was finally finished in 2008, 13 years after it began. Of course there will always be rumour, speculation and hearsay surrounding the wreck, but for the first time many new and interesting facts have come to light. Given that the Thistlegorm is one of the most dived wrecks in the world, interest in the ship will continue for many years to come.

While the list is incomplete it gives us a fascinating insight into what was loaded and where. While we cannot confirm final numbers we can certainly calculate minimum amounts. For instance 14 Universal Carriers were loaded, three have been accounted for on the wreck, a further 8 have been located elsewhere, now underwater too, but from a different war, and proof indeed of salvage work.

SALVAGE OPERATIONS The cargo on board was very valuable, and every effort would be made to salvage any and everything possible. M y previous research with Jim Devlyn* gave me an insight into the amazing work these guys could do. You need only to read “The M an Who Bought a Navy” or “Under A Red Sea Sun” to realise the potential of the Thistlegorm’s cargo even submerged in salt water. Cousteau’s footage of their first dives when the “discovered” her show the cargo holds half empty. On her bridge were two ambulances full of medical sup plies; these would be easy to remove, indeed there are reports of illegal drug sales shortly after the sinking.

The cargo remaining on the forward open deck would be removed, irrelevant of its value to give access to the hatch comings and access into the upper cargo hold. From Wamn’s list we know that the universal carriers were in this section, thus removed they were put back into service, and used by the occupying allied forces, then passed on to the Egyptians, only to be dumped back into the sea when the Israelis invaded!

Just what else was removed we will never know.

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Then during the Israeli occupation other nonferrous metals, such as the control cabs (full of brass) of the locos would have been salvaged. Then in the early 90’s when her location was betrayed by an egotistical journalist, the “Hammering Hoards from Hurghada” arrived and took anything that classed as a souvenir even battery caps.

Of course a more recent salvage threat came and went when a salvage crane “fell” off the end of a barge while removing sections of the Million Hop e.

(See SHIPWRECKS OF TIRAN).

*My first research encounters

with Jim were aimed at shipwrecks off the North East Coast of England back in ’86. Jim was to come back into my research many years later, involving the SS ATLAS and the SS TURBO, in the true tradition of Cox & Danks and Commander Eidleberg, Jims accounts into their salvage work proves fact stranger than fiction. Not only were ships raised but restored and put back into action-so any vehicles underwater for a short time could be put back into service-the vehicles at “Ras Peter”(no, not named after yours truly) prove that!

AIRCRAFT SPARES There are many aircraft wings scattered around the forward holds. These were originally in crates and listed in Wamn’s p articulars of loading as fuselages, and wings for Westland Lysanders and engine parts (possibly for the Lysanders or Bristol Blenhiems), plus starter trolleys (sometimes called accumulators) as a well as many sp are engine covers. These were all originally crated, and like the wooded parts of the wings the crates have all rotted away. Thus today only the aluminium sections remain, and it is difficult to say which is which. The starter trolleys can be found near the bikes on the tween deck, starboard side. The manifest states they were packed in the forward holds but no sign of the fuselages has ever been found. Whether they were salvaged or lie deep inside the lower holds is to this day unconfirmed. A detailed look at Wamn’s list would indicate they still remain in the forward well deck hold.

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Spare parts; left to right. The Bristol Mercury engine as fitted to Westland Lysanders were also fitted to Blenheim Bombers, both planes serving in NORTH Africa. (Centre) .The fixed undercarriage of the Lysander may have been mistaken for motor bike side cars! (right) the engine cowlings, originally transported in crates now litter the forward holds of the wreck. (photos; M artin Waligoski).

The forward holds are littered with aircraft wings and other aircraft parts for the large air force operating in North Africa. M any of these parts were according to Wamn’s loading lists for Westland Lysanders., with 8 fuselages loaded in crates. While many aircraft were flown out to the various theatres of wars with refuelling stops, aircraft like the Lysander with a short range and lightweight construction were often shipped out. Some of the aircraft p arts have been identified as exhaust manifolds and outer cowlings. The fixed undercarriages may be resp onsible for reports of “sidecars” seen in the wreck, especially as the casing hosed a landing light. The Bristol Mercury Engines used to power the Lysanders were also used in Bristol Blenheims, which served as bombers and recognisance craft in the desert campaign.

Unsung heroes; although not as famous as the Spitfire, The Westland Lysander and the Bristol Blenheim played vital roles in the desert campaign. Entire Lysanders and parts for the Blenhiems were loaded into the Thistlegorm’s holds.

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LOADING TIM E; Left-2-8-0 steam loco, being prepared for loading, the con rods removed .Weighing some 80 tons, huge cranes were needed to load the loco’s onto the deck. Floating cranes were often employed for this task.

BELOW; Austin K2Y heavy duty ambulances are being craned on board-themselves packed with vital medical sup plies for the field hospitals treating the wounded. Here the ships own derricks are loading the vehicles on board.

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AUSTIN K2Y 4X2 Heavy Duty Ambulance In the latter stages of the loading, several of these heavy duty ambulances, built on the Austin K2 chassis were loaded on board. They were packed full of medical sup plies.

Thousands of these were produced and were used by the RAF, USAF and indeed the British Army throughout the Second World War. No trace of these vehicles can be found today.

They may have been removed when the upper sections of the ship were cleared.

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THE LOCOMOTIVES

STANIER 8F 2 - 8 - 0 LOCOMOTIVE

The Stanier 8F steam locomotive was perhaps the work horse of the rail network in the 30’s and 40’s and indeed over 200 of the 852 made, were exported to the M iddle East and used extensively throughout the Quena Line. Of the 52 built in 1941 for the war effort in the Middle East a total of 10 were lost on the way. As the Allies p ushed the Axis forces further west, the rail network which was vital to the supply lines, reached to within 15 miles of Tobruk.

The network is still running today. These engines were to p rove themselves during the conflict and indeed many were given a coat of armour-concret e slabs 4 inches thick. Designed by Sir William Stanier, her 2-8-0 numbering refers to her wheel/axel layout; one front bogie and 4 drive axels. Two such locomotives were loaded onto the Thistlegorm, flanking her number 4 hold. Thanks to highly detailed records of this locomotive, the two locos on the seabed are works numbers 370 and 371, built at Springburn, Glasgow. With every other loco accounted for, there is little doubt that the rumour of a third engine is simply one of the many myths surrounding the wrecks in the Red Sea. It is testimony to the tremendous force of the explosion that 70 tons of locomotive could be propelled through the air and end up where they are today, some 30mtrs off the port and starboard sides of the wreck. In both cases only the smoke box and the first two p airs of wheels remain in place. As the boilers were only attached on sliding bolts to allow for expansion they separated from the main chassis and lie flattened off the stern of the wreck. Wheels and axels lie scattered around the seabed, and indeed make a good 27

photo prop in their own right. The coal tenders and water tank cars made up the locomotive, the water tank cars extending the engines range by providing an extra sup ply of water for desert op erations. They were loaded and remain flanking number 2 and number 1 hold resp ectively.

Profile of the Stanier 2-8-0 Locomotive with its tender attached, showing the overall dimensions. The unshaded area shows the section of both engines which still remain. The tenders are on the deck of the Thistlegorm, and the smoke box and first two axels sit upright on the seabed. The boiler sections are almost unrecognisable and the drive wheels are scattered around the perimeter of the wreck. The control cabs have never been located, and are thought to have been salvaged due to their high brass content. Rumours of a third loco being sighted by a dive guide tying onto the wreck have been dispelled; he saw the third water railcar off the stern. However that didn’t stop a group of Russian divers looking for the phantom loco. As quoted above we have the loco yard numbers, and as all other 8F’s have been accounted for the debate is closed, rumour disp elled.

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THE MOTOR BIKES BSA M 20 MOTORBIKE A staggering 126,000 of these motorbikes were produced during WW2 and were used by despatch riders. Like the other motorbikes in the holds they were assigned to Field M arshall Auchinleck, whom was in charge of the British troops fighting the desert fox, Rommel. The motorbikes loaded neatly into the back of the trucks have suffered greatly from pillage; gone are the tool kits, handle bars and even the badges

MATCHLESS G3L MOTORBIKE The Matchless G3L was a two-seater single cylinder motorbike, with a 4-sp eed foot change gearbox. Designed for desert use, it was later to become a domestic vehicle in the form of the G3Clubman.

NORTON 16 H MOTORBIKE The Norton 16 h was very similar to the BSA motorbikes, and was again sp ecially designed for despatch riders in the desert campaign. So successful was the design that 100,000 were manufactured during World War 2 alone.

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THE TRUCKS ALBION AM463 6 of these refuelling vehicles can be found in number 1 hold. The unusual valving arrangement at the rear fed fuel through delivery pipes which protruded in front of the cab. From here rubber hoses fed the fuel to the aircraft. The rubber of the hoses has now p erished leaving only the spring formers.

.

ALBION BY 3/ BY5 8 of these variants are to be found in number 1 hold on the upper deck

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BEDFORD MW Built on a 15cwt chassis, with a 6 cylinder Bedford engine, delivering72hp, they had a top sp eed of 65km /h and a range of 380 km. 66,000 of these versatile lightweight trucks were produced by Vauxhall during the Second World War. In its most common form it had a universal wooden tray and canvas cover, but many variants from radio cars to gun tractors were developed. Although listed in Wamns list a recent survey carried out by underwater photographer Alex M ustard failed to identify or finds any of these. The detail of his study would suggest that the vehicles listed may have been in the upper holds along with the Universal carriers, and salvaged shortly after the sinking. Our research team is still looking for any reports of the salvage work carried out.

BEDFORD OYC With almost double the payload of the MW, the Bedford OY 3 ton truck was the mainstay of the British Army, with some 72.000 produced during the war. Again the chassis construction leads to a variety of versions and uses. Situated at the rear of number 2 hold on the ‘tween deck, just forward of the bunker, are five of these variants fitted with water tanks From the information gathered on this manufacturers plate, the purpose of these trucks has been identified. Each carried a type SW2 water filter and pumping sy stem made by The Patterson Engineering Company of London in 1941.Water tankers, supplying drinking water.

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CROSSLEY Q FWD or Four Wheel Drive, had an 11 foot wheelbase and used a conventional suspension, the drive train of the 2 axle IGL and the proven 30/70 engine.

The name often used for these, the Quad or "Q" type, is not strictly correct as "Q" was the specification title used by the War Office and so could be applied to vehicles from several manufacturers of differing designs. There are 8 of these vehicles located in the forward section of Number 2 hold on the second level.

LEYLAND RETRIEVER The Leyland Retriever was a 6 x 4 truck produced by Leyland M otors for the British Army between 1939 to 1945. It had a 6 litre, 4 cylinder overhead camshaft petrol engine. General M ontgomery used one as his caravan during WWII. Two of these can still be found on the wreck, with a further two half buried, these have pylons sticking upright and are possibly bridging vehicles.

MORRIS COMMERCIAL CS 8 Easily recognisable by its distinctive bonnet, these trucks were fitted with Ford 8 cylinder engines and were widely used by British forces. Its versatile design and reliability found it in use in many theatres of war including North Africa. 4 are still found on the wreck two each side of the upper deck in hold number 1 close to the ships sides.

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MORRIS CS 11 12 of these can be found on the tween deck in hold number 1 on both the port and starboard sides.

FORD WOT 1 The largest of the vehicles in the wreck, this double axel truck was used for heavy payloads and was over 20ft long. Fitted with 8 cylinder Ford engines , delivering 85hp. An example can be found in the starboard fore section, the rear wheels perched on the edge of the ‘tween deck. The chassis would appear to be fitted with a pulley system, perhaps some kind of tilting sy stem. Only a small number of these vehicles were produced for the army.

FORD WOT 2 One of the most commonly used trucks, some 60,000 being produced; the 15cwt vehicle was generally fitted with a planked tray and canvas top, and powered by a Ford 8 cylinder 60hp engine. It had a range of 400km.and while all the wood has now gone the chassis and canvas framework are still discernible within the wreck. The tyres are still in remarkable condition.

FORD WOT 3 Larger than the WOT 2, this truck was fit ted with a ford V8 engine 85hp ,with some 18,00 seeing military service in WW11.12 of these can be found in t wo rows facing forward in hold number 2, facing forward, loaded with motor bikes in the wooden trays.

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LEE ENFIELD RIFLE MK IV

The Lee Enfield IV was the result of over 30 years of refinement in bolt-action rifle performance. This rifle’s genesis was the Lee M odel 1895 rifle, developed by James Lee The Model 1895 fired a high-velocity 6-millimeter (0.236-inch) round; however, its straight-pull bolt proved to be difficult to operate in combat conditions. In 1907, the short-magazine Lee Enfield (SM LE) M ark II was introduced; the SM LE M ark III followed a few years later.

These rifles used a rotating (rather than straight) bolt action and were the standard British infantry rifles during World War I. This smoothly operating bolt enabled a trained soldier to fire up to 15 aimed shots p er minute. Further simplification of the SM LE design resulted in the Lee Enfield No. 4.

Developed in 1928, it was not produced in quantity until 1941 when it became the standard British infantry rifle. Large numbers of these rifles and their ammunition were packed into the holds. Crated in packs of 6 “butt to muzzle”, most of the examples still seen on the wreck have fused together, the wooden packing long since rotted away.

ORDINANCE The aft section of the ship was packed with a huge amount of ordinance. It is testimony to how quickly the ship sank, that so much remains, otherwise the secondary explosions would have certainly destroyed the entire stern section of the ship.

It has been impossible to calculate the exact amount of munitions on board, even with the help of Wamn’s loading list, which although listing sizes of shells, only quantifies in terms of “cases”. Two entries alone list; 400 cases of 3.7” shells, 200 cases of 4.5”shells. There are two side holds with cases of 4 shells p er case and we lost count at 100 of these!

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Not all the cargo was for the RAF. Two of the remaining battle ships were operating out of Alexandria Harbour. At one point these battleships were damaged by Italian charioteers, however their draught was such that they were resting on the seabed, still above the water and could be used as a very effective firing platforms, before being patched up and towed to America for repairs. H.M .S. BARHAM was not so lucky. We know from Wamn’s load list that a huge amount of ordinance was loaded into her aft holds. The list quantifies these shells as “cases of”. In some instances we know the shells were packed in sets of six and this gives us an idea of the numbers for a single entry in the list. The final number will never be known. M any of these were 4” and 4.7”, armoured piercing, plus the huge 15” shells used by the heavy cruisers and battleships.

H.M .S QUEEN ELIZABETH. One of 3 battleships of this class was operating along the M editerranean coast and the large shells on Thistlegorm were destined for these warships. These shells can be found on the high point of the stern section just after the bomb damage area. Beware a very feisty damselfish!

Again an Italian publication claims most of the ammunition was destroyed, however there are still several holds still full of cases of shells. In one survey we estimated over 300 metal cases each containing 6 shells and that was only one ‘tween deck area.

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LIGHT PUNDITS Two of these unusual looking vehicles can be found side by side on the port side tween, just aft of the collapsed water tanker. They are basically airfields identification beacons and consist of a generator, switch gear, lantern and trolley. During transit the lantern is stowed. Tesla coils drove 8 x 400 watts neon tubes flashing two letters in M orse code. These codes were set by ground staff. They have been described elsewhere as armoured cars on Rolls Royce chassis. At night, the base's Pundit Beacon was employed to flash the airfield's Pundit Code in Morse in red light. Due to the risk of detection and observation by enemy aircraft the beacon was positioned a few miles from the airfield and periodically relocated. Part of crews' pre-mission briefings would include notification of the beacon position in relation to the airfield .When night flying started the duty electrician would have to walk out to it and switch in on, which could take several minutes to do this and then start transmitting the M orse letters for the station. Each airfield typically had three locations and alternate codes which were employed during WW2. The beacon was powered by a Coventry -Climax 16.9hp engine.

TROLLEY ACCUMULATORS. M isleadingly described as motor bike side cars in some accounts, these trolley accumulators were used on airfields to start aircraft engines. Basically a box of batteries on wheels, consisting of 6 2 volt batteries, producing 12 volts. When not in use they were recharged via the main circuit. Several of these can be found in the second level of number 1 & 2 holds. The top covers have rotted away revealing the batteries inside.

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UNIVERSAL CARRIER. Three of these small multi purpose tracked vehicles can be seen in the debris field between the two sections of the wreck. Developed from the Light Dragon, an artillery tractor designed by Carden Loyd, the Universal carrier first appeared in three guises, the Bren, Scout and Cavalry by Vickers Armstrong. These were developed into the Universal Carrier, with Vickers producing 43 examples. The production then went out to Thoneycroft, Morris, Aveling-Bedford and Sentinel Wagons for war time production. They were used mainly for infantry sup port, and were often fitted with a 303 Bren light machine gun. They were powered by Ford V8 engines and could reach sp eeds of 48km/h. They could carry up to 5 persons and appeared in many roles including ambulances, flame throwing vehicles, gun tractors and demolition vehicles. They were highly successful in the Desert Campaign. Production carried on well after the end of WW2.

At least eight of these vehicles had been salvaged from the wreck and utilized by local military services. They were still in use when the Israeli’s invaded the Sinai in Operation Kadesh, October 1956. Rather than let them fall into the hands of the enemy, the Egyptians dumped them into the sea near Sharm El M aya.

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5

FINAL VOYAGE Her final journey started from the Clyde. The port record book has her departing on the 17th July 1941 and this concurs with the ships movement card and indeed the convoy records. Our initial research based on crew reports put the departure as late as September, but the recently acquired records put that fact straight. The ship was crammed with cargo and even stored on top of the deck hatches. All were desperately needed by the British Army in North Africa (UK DESRET FORCE) under the command of General Percival Wavell and later General Sir Claude Auchinleck).The 700 strong air force also needed to be constantly re supplied, and this convoy augmented the “Winston Specials� convoys.

Tobruk had been besieged since Early 1941. A huge army was amassing; the purpose to drive Rommel westwards back towards Tripoli. (Rommel was to take Tobruk less than a year later and push forward towards Alexandria, only to be stopped at EL ALAM IEN).

The Eight Army was just being formed under the command of Lt Com M ontgomery, and it first saw action against Romel in November 1941.

DESERT GENERALS; CLAUDE AUCHINLECK; PERCIVAL WAVELL; ERWIN ROMMEL. The

voyage to what was to be her final resting place was a long one.

Germany had control of virtually all the M editerranean, so the vital sup plies she was carrying for the British Army had to transported via the Cape and up through the Red Sea. According to the Clyde Shipping report book, she left the Clyde on the 17th July 1941 (although some reports put it as early as M ay and others as late as September 24th. ) with a short stop at Birkenhead before leaving M ilford Haven in convoy OG69 on the 19th. Eyewitness reports tell of how her holds were fully laden and some cargo was even stacked on top of the cargo hatches. The latter were subsequently unloaded at her first port of call, Cape Town some 37 days later.

The convoy consisted of some 28 merchant ships and 17 escort vessels. Sections of the convoy broke off heading west for America and east for M alta, passing Gibraltar on the 1st August. The remaining vessels consisted of the steamships ARABISTAN, CITY OF LYONS, EMPRE DAWN, EMPIRE VOICE, LARCHBANK and YORKWOOD, all of which reached Cape Town. The steamships ASITOEBOUNDO, and SHARISTAN were lost and 40

KELLWYN and ERATO became victims of U126, and NORITA sunk by U203 convoy. The route down the coast of Africa was in the main uneventful for the Thistlegorm, with the exception of the odd encounter with long range Condor Bombers. .

After a three day stop, at Cape Town she proceeded around the Horn, passed M adagascar, through the M ozambique channel, until she reached Aden where she bunkered for two days. From here she was escorted north on the final leg of the journey towards Suez by H.M .S Carlisle (although one report quotes the escort as HM S Cairo,) along with some 12 other vessels. Orders arrived that she should wait at an anchorage in Sha’ab Ali. Considered safe the Thistlegorm dropped anchor well away from other vessels due to her cargo of munitions, to await further orders. H.M .S Carlisle alternated with HM S Cairo protecting the cargo ships. Here she was delayed for 10 days due to the wreck of the Tynefield blocking the entrance to the Suez Canal. Amongst the vessels at anchor in the area was the Rosalie M oller. Here fate was to deliver divers two of the most fascinating shipwrecks outside of Truk Lagoon. Speculation, rumour and some evidence has fuelled rumours of other casualties being sunk in the area at that time. Steamships Steel Seafarer, Cape Clear and Turkia are noted. (the latter two found by the RSWA).

Travelling companion; SS ARABISTAN sailed in convoy OG69 with the Thistlegorm and also completed the voyage to Cape Town..

The anchorage, along with several others was situated at the north of the Red Sea, where the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba meet, near the Sinai Peninsular.

The Sinai coast along with the islands of Gobal, Tawilla, Ashrafi and Qeisum formed a sheltered, shallow area, aided by the massive reef of Sha’ab Ali. The practice of a single anchor (starboard) meant that the vessels would sit with their bow into the prevailing wind from the north. There in a body of water known as the Inner Channel, the Thistlegorm sat at anchor awaiting her fate.

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PROTECTING THISTLEGORM These slow moving cargo ships were very vulnerable to attack, but with materials at a premium, improvisation was the order of the day, and to that end the bridge wheelhouse and radio room were given some protection in the form of concrete slabs, forming a protective casing around the “heart” of the ship. Strafing runs would be aimed at the centre of command, thus taking out the chain of command and rendering the vessel an easy target for the bombing and torp edo runs.

The Thistlegorm was described as a defensively equipped merchant ship as opposed to an Armed Merchant ship, and as such her guns had to point aft not forward. Her defense was in the hands of a compliment of 9 DEM S Gunners. With a shortage of war materials these merchant ships were given whatever guns were available at the time. During her second voyage, to the River Plate, Captain Whitfield held gunnery practice. The traversing mechanism of the 4.7” gun was worn and could not be replaced, so the barrel had to be moved by hand. At the second firing the breech jammed and when the round eventually was fired it landed in the sea 50 yards astern. The gun was never used again. M ounted on the weather deck at the stern are two guns, a 4.5 “ cannon and a 40mm A/A gun. In addition several machine guns were carried, mainly Lewis and Hotchkiss.

“The ship was fitted out with what we called a 12 pounder with fixed ammunition. I always remember reading a name plate on that so called anti aircraft weapon-the date was 1897”

ROYAL NAVY GUNNER GLYNN OWEN

Due to a severe shortage of equipment, guns use during W W1 were fitted to the aft decks or weather decks of Allied merchant ships, and often provided little or no protection.

After a practice session, it was deemed safer not to use the guns on board Thistlegorm. .

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The Hotchkiss machine gun was originally a French design, developed and built by Hotchkiss et Cie. It was also known as the "Hotchkiss M ark I" and "M 1909 BenetM ercie". Used by the French army as the Hotchkiss M 1909 (or M le 1909) in 1909, firing the 8 mm shell. A variant to use the .303 round was produced in Britain as the "Hotchkiss M ark I" and manufactured by Enfield. It was gas operated, with a range of 3.8Km and a magazine held 30 rounds. Some versions were belt fed.

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The Lewis M achine Gun was developed before the Ist world War in America in 1911 by Samuel M c Clean and Colonel Isaac Newton Lewis and widely used by the British and Belgium forces, and continued in service all the way through WWII. Bullets were fed from a top mounted pan magazine. An enlarged cooling barrel gave the gun its distinctive shape. Using the .303cartridge it had a firing rate of 550 rounds per minute, although the drum cartridges held 97 rounds.

Both the Lewis and the Hochkiss guns were issued to the DEMS gunnery crew, and were used in action on the journey south when the Thistlegorm was attacked by a long range Condor Bomber. Although they inflicted no damage they had the effect of discouraging a more determined attack from the German warplanes.

.

ESCORT DUTY. Convoy OG 69, comprising of 27 merchant vessels had a total of 17 convoy escort ships to guard them. These were mainly made up of Corvettes, fast, smaller than a destroyer and very effective against U boats. They operated a very effective screen around the convoys .While some would be “shepherds� for the whole voyage others would join in areas where U-boats were know to be more active.

Convoy screen; H.M .S Begonia, H.M .S. Black Swan, H.M .S. Jasmine, H.M .S. Rhododendron, H.M .S. Sunflower

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THE DANGERS Although the journey down to the African coast was uneventful the ship was in constant danger of submarine attack from the sea and from long distance German Bombers which shadowed the convoys, circling high above, reporting convoy movements to their command centres, which in turn was p assed on to the U boats .Often the FOLKE WULF FW200 CONDORS would attack ships directly, accounting for many tonnes of lost shipping.

THE FOLKE WULF FW200 was powered by four 1200hp BM W – Bramo 232R-2 Fafnir radials. They had a range of 2212 miles (3659Km) and a sp eed of 224mph and a ceiling of 1900ft. They had an operational payload of 4630lbs (2100kg). Heavily armed they were used extensively in anti-shipping roles and recognisance. 276 were built.

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U-BOATS were a constant threat to any vessels in the North Sea and North Atlantic. Even with protection from fast anti-submarine patrols, merchant ships were easy pickings for these grey wolves. Their effectiveness meant that merchant seamen were in constant danger throughout these often very long sea voyages. The average sp eed of a convoy was 8 knots, making it easy for U boats to home in.

U.126 which had attacked the convoy was a 1XC class, and was sunk by aircraft of RAF squadron 172, 3/7/43. U203 was a V111C class and was sunk

by RAF 811sqn and H.M .S PATHFINDER 25/4/43.

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Glasgow, 17th July 1941, Thistlegorm is loaded with cargo destined for North Africa

Birkenhead. Short stop to pick up additional cargo and crew. Joins Convoy OG69 at M ethil Sha’ab Ali, October 14th 1941.Thistlegorm is sunk by German bombers while at anchor.

Africa

Atlantic Ocean

Two day stopover at Aden, to re bunker. H.M .S. CARLISLE escorts Thistlegorm and 12 other vessels north.

Indian Ocean

After a voyage of 37 days, Thistlegorm arrives at Cape Town, for 5 days where she re-bunkers and off loads some deck cargo

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H.M.S. CARLISLE Built by Fairfields of Govan, Scotland she was 451 ft long, 43 ft beam , 15 ft draught and displaced 4290 tons.

Fitted with 2 shaft geared Parson turbines and Yarrow boilers she produced 40,000 shp giving her a speed of 29knts.Armam net consisted of; five 6”45 cal BL Mk X11, two 3” 20cwt. Mk1 AA, four 3 pndr, 8 212 torpedo tubes. She had a crew of 432.

H.M.S. CARLISLE, Convoy Escort cruiser took the survivors of the Thistlegorm on board.

Completed at the end of the First World War as a “Cape town Class light cruiser”, one of her first duties was to lead the captured German fleet into Scapa Flow. She joined the Harwich Force and served with the China Station until 1923, and then served on the Africa Station with the 6th Cruiser Squadron.

In February 1930, Carlisle was docked in the Selborne dry dock at Simonstown, South Africa, prior to becoming a unit of the 2nd cruiser squadron Atlantic (home fleet). On 16 M arch 1937, after being relieved by the cruiser Neptune, Carlisle returned to the U.K. and was reduced to reserve. In June 48

1939 Carlisle started a conversion to an A/A cruiser 8-4" QF M K16 and 1 quadruple 2 pdr Pom-Pom being fitted. This conversion was completed in January 1940.

At the outbreak of WW2 she was converted to an anti aircraft cruiser and during the Norwegian campaign, Ap ril 1940 she carried troops to M olde and Aandalses. In M ay 1940 Carlisle received a direct hit which killed her Commanding Officer Capt. Thomas Cloud Hampton, RN. The British destroyer HM S Kingston immediately went alongside to give assistance, but the fire now raging and continuous air attacks prompted the cruiser`s Senior Officer to refuse the destroyer`s offer. Carlisle continued to engage the enemy.

In August 1940 Carlisle was serving in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden area when she assisted in the evacuation of British troops, civilians and the sick from Berber in British Somali to Aden before it was occupied by Italian troop s. She was then stationed in the Mediterranean and took part in the Battle of Crete. Further duties involved more convoy escorts to Aden and Tobruk.

In M arch 1941 she was in the Mediterranean deployed on escort duties as an A/A vessel of the 15th cruiser squadron for convoys from Alexandria to Greece (Op eration "Lustre"). During Ap ril she assisted in the evacuation of troops from Greece to Crete and Egypt.

On the 7th Feb, 1942 she joined HM S Heythrop (see chapter 10 of Egyptian Shipwrecks) HM S Avondale, HM S Lance and HM S Eridge escorting merchant ships to the besieged Torbruk. On 20 M arch 1942, Carlisle was employed as convoy escort to HM S Breconshire loaded with 5,000 tons of fuel, the Clan Campbell,, the Pampas and the Talbot, fully loaded with ammunition to M alta.

In July 1943, she provided escort for the support force for the Allied landings in Sicily. During September-October, during the German counter attack in the Aegean, HM S Carlisle (Capt. Harold Fielding Nalder, RN) made a sortie into the area south of Piraeus with the destroyers HM S Panther and HM S Rockwood in order to intercept German convoys in the Scarpanto Strait. Greece when they were attacked by a large number of JU 88 Bombers.

Shewas hit, disabled and despite being taken in tow to Alexandria she was declared a total loss. She was scrapped after the war.

DENNIS GRAY (Royal M arine), Gunner on H M S CARLISLE “ The role of the C-CLASS Cruisers was

to patrol the perimeter of the convoy with its range and direction finders keeping watch for enemy aircraft. As an anti aircraft ship we carried 24 guns. I was on number 3 gun�

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THE ASSASSINS & THE FAILED MISSION

Designed by Ernest Heinkel, this twin engine heavy bomber was the back bone of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Over 3500 were built serving in the Spanish civil war and all campaigns over Europe. The HE 111 was p owered by twin Junkers Jumo12 cylinder engines of 1300 hp each giving the aeroplane a top sp eed of 300miles per hour. With a wingsp an of almost 70ft, it could deliver a substantial payload of 2.5 tons, as well as torpedoes and rockets. Although an easy target for fighters it took on many roles including troop transport, pathfinder and bombing missions. It had a range of 1500 miles. Crew numbered 5 with guns mounted in her belly, dorsal and cockpit.

A flight of Heinkel HE 111s of the Kampf geschwader KG26 based in Crete had been assigned a mission to locate, intercept and sink the Queen M ary which had been travelling north to Suez from Australia with a large number of Australian troops bound for North Africa. The intel was out of date and she was in fact heading south, back to Australia Some reports cite that only 2 planes were used on the mission but most records state that 4 .planes took part Hitler had offered the iron cross and $250,000 to the officer responsible for sinking the “Grey Ghost�, such was the importance of the ship The latter would seem more likely for such an important mission-and 4 bombs would not guarantee success. Furthermore there are reports of 2 planes being shot down and the other two returning to base and attacking the Rosalie M oller two days later.

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The Queen M ary had run the gauntlet of U boats and Enemy bombers. Having left Sydney in Ap ril 1941 with the Queen Elizabeth and M auritania, she would be on her return journey back to Australia, having off loaded the troops (5500) at Suez. The Heinkels having failed to locate her were returning to their base in Crete when they sp otted the Thistlegorm at anchor.

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THE SINKING The Bombers having failed in their mission to find and sink the Queen Mary, running low on fuel turned back towards Crete. With a full and bright moon they easily found a secondary target. Several vessels lay at anchor and the Thistlegorm presented a large stationary target. After strafing the ship, the circling Heinkel 111 dropped two 2 ton bombs which hit the aft holds which were carrying the ordinance. The initial and secondary explosions almost ripped the ship in two and sent both steam locos hurtling through the air. Her fate was sealed and as she sank the crew abandoned ship and were taken on board the “S.S. Salamanua” and “HM S Carlisle” The explosion also caught the fleeing bomber, which eventually crashed a few miles to the north.

Nine of the crew were killed. One Egyptian seamen Kahil Sokando and 8 British seamen; Joseph Rolfe, Alfred Kean, Neil Watt, Donald M asterson, Thomas Wooliaghan, Christopher Todds, Archibald Giffin, and Arthur Kain.

SURVIVORS ACCOUNTS On the 10th December 1941 an inquest into the deaths of those on board the Thistlegorm was held at Sunderland, being the ships p ort of registry. The inquest lasted 5 days. Here are edited first hand accounts into those deaths.

CAPTAIN WILLIAM ELLIS “On 6th October 1941 at about 2am, while the vessel was at anchorage F in the straits of Jubal (Gobal) with other vessels under Naval Control, awaiting passage up the Gulf of Suez, I was awakened by the sound of explosions. I immediately went on deck and found the vessel had received a direct hit from an enemy bomber between numbers 4 and 5 holds. The after part of the ship was enveloped in fierce flames and I realized right away there was no hope of saving the ship which was loaded with high explosives” “Orders to abandon ship were given but as the crews quarters were aft the sailors and firemen off watch were cut off from the boats Two boats were launched and the men on watch and whose quarters were amidships were safely got away with the exception of Sokando, donkeyman. My boat drifted aft and was successful in picking up three or four men who had jumped overboard” 52

“We were joined in the search by Naval craft until long after vessel blew up and sank .When later assembled on HMS Carlisle it was found that the nine men listed above, of whom 5 were naval gunners had all died in the explosion” NORMAN ELAND DUNN th “On 6 October 1941 at about 2 am I was awakened by the thudding on the deck above our quarters aft, which I afterwards found to be machine gun bullets. This was followed by and the sound of two heavy explosions. The ship began shuddering and I and my room mates ran up on deck, where we found all the afterdeck in flames. It seemed impossible to get forward to the boat deck, so I returned below for my life jacket. I was unable to find it in the darkness, and returned on deck where I got one from a deck mate .I and the others ran round to the stern. The plane came round again and dropped a bomb which exploded in the water and machine gunned us. It then flew off and we jumped over the side, where after what seemed a very long time we picked up by the Captains boat and subsequently boarded H.M.S. CARLISLE” “On roll call nine men were found to be missing .Some of these men were sleeping on number 5 hatch and must have been killed by the explosion. The others undoubtedly drowned” HARRY BANS ALL A Great nephew of Walter Allan Snr, Harry was an engineering apprentice with I.C.I and had asked to go to sea and was offered a berth on the Thistlegorm. He worked on the reheater main engine of the Thistlegorm with North Eastern Marine and became the 5th engineer on board at the age of 18.

“H.M.S. CARLISLE was anchored close by, the two lifeboats reached its side as the light from a tremendous explosion turned night into day. Broken in two by the blast she sank below the water”.

JO E DAGG

“As I ran over the red hot deck a locomotive hurled through the air disappearing over the port quarter”.

ANGUS Mac LEAY Asleep in his bunk, Angus rushed on deck barefoot, and as he prepared to jump he noticed a wounded gunner through the flames. Running on broken glass and over a red hot deck he picked the unconscious seaman. His bravery was recognised with the George M edal presented at Buckingham Palace, and later the Lloyds War Medal at a ceremony back home in Stornoway.

“I was about to jump when I saw one of the gunners lying unconscious flames all around him. I went towards him but had to remove pieces from my feet before I could pick him up. I managed to get the man onto my shoulders across the burning deck through the flames and into the life boat” 53

JACK BLAIR “When Captain Ellis came on board we did a head count and five gunners and four sailors had gone down with the Thistlegorm”.

DENIS GRAY (from HM S Carlisle) “We could see the planes coming in very low and very fast, if they had their wheels down they would have hit the mast”.

DEMS GUNNER GLYNN OWEN “I saw the hammock above my head catch fire I could see the whole ship was on fire, I thought my family will never know how I died”.

“The whole ship was ablaze, and knowing the cargo we just expected one big bang and that would be that”.

RAY GIBSON Ray Gibson was an 18 year old radio operator, and on watch when the bombs fell. Surrounded by other vessels he had no need to get a distress call off.

He made it safely into one of the life boats; “There was a big red line down the side of the ship, where the plates meet. There were a lot of tracer bullets, and ammunition exploding all around us.

Then there was a big bang and when we looked up she was gone.

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SALVAGE. One of the least reliable aspects of wreck research is salvage work. Often this is unofficial, private contract or otherwise. In the case of the Thistlegorm, salvage was carried out before Cousteau’s visit. In his film, his divers are seen swimming down into the partially empty holds, the deck hatches on both levels of the forward holds have been removed and a large portion of cargo recovered. For certain most of the medical sup plies would be saved, and with raw materials at a premium, the aircraft fuselages, easily accessible would also have been removed. Neither Jim Develyn nor Captain Eislleburg mentions the Thistlegorm in their diaries. Several newsp aper reports from 1946 reported an increase in the black market trade of morphine, which may have been removed from the wreck illegally; however there would be many other sources, such as the S.S. TURKIA, a Greek cargo ship and the S.S. ESCUAT. A depot ship both sank with medical sup plies on board, and like the Thistlegorm in accessible depths. After the Second World War a salvage company was contracted by the British Government to raise and salvage 20 vessels on a per vessel and not tonnage contract. The Rosalie M oller was in several reports “raised and salvaged”; in reality all that was removed was a fluke from her propeller, presumably with her works number on it as “proof” of her removal.

In that same film by the French explorer an elaborate exercise to locate the Thistlegorm is recorded, but was that just for good television, as other reports claim the mast was sticking out of the water, making the wreck easy to find. Why then all the fuss with radar and a 50gallon drum? Certainly my skippers, many of Bedouin origins tell of their fathers fishing the wreck and tying onto the mast. The mast remained until the Israeli occupation of the Sinai. They too had unrestricted access to the wreck. Because of the destruction caused in the blast and indeed the lower levels of cargo in the forward holds which still remain unseen, we may never know the full story of her salvage. There is no sign of the ambulances, the fireman’s cabs off the loco’s, or even broken crockery. One thing is for certain The Thistlegorm has not given up all her secrets.

Howard Rosenstein of Fantasea Line housings, like several other Israeli Divers was op erating in the area during the operation and information from these sources tell of the mast being blown and how the top section of the sup erstructure was levelled during that period. A 1996 Italian publication shows a picture of the Bridge telegraph, minus its orders. Its whereabouts is uncertain. Perhaps one day, like Wawn’s loading list, documentation might come to light and fill in the missing details of just who took what from the wreck.

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RUMOURS Assumptions, hearsay, unverified research, and even a practical joke led to a plethora of unsubstantiated statements, stories and reports all of which have somehow been published. One plagiarist fell for a copyright trap (mine) and posted the locos wheel configuration as 0-2-0. A p ublished photo shows what is alleged to be a porthole from the wreck, solid brass (not used on merchant ships of this period and far too big. It was actually from RM S Aragon). Here are a few more rumours dispelled.

“HMS/WARSHIP” “ARMED MERCHANTSHIP” The ship itself has often been incorrectly described, one publication labelled her H.M .S. A prefix used for Royal Navy vessels. Her prefix is of course S.S. steam ship. She has also been labelled as a “warship” and “armed merchant ship”. She was fitted with guns on her stern, which could only cover the aft quarter of the ship and was thus a “defensively armed merchant ship”, unlike the Liberty ships which were to follow which had guns mounted fore and aft. In accordance with the Geniva convention and articles of WAR, Defensively armed ships were afforded the option of abandoning ship when approached by U boats before they were sunk. Armed merchant ships were considered “fair game” and could be torp edoed without warning.

The design of the Thistlegorm was the forerunner for mass produced liberty . These vessels carrier guns fore and aft, and along their length and were designated ARMED M ERCHANT SHIPS. The Thistlegorm, having guns that could only fire in the aft quadrant were deemed as “DEFENSIVELY ARMED M ERCHANT SHIPS”

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“3RD LOCOMOTIVE” The manifest clearly states that 2 locomotives, Stanier 8 f’s were loaded onto the ship. Parts of the locomotives, the boilers and drive wheels are scattered over a large area of the wreck site. About 50 mtrs off the stern lies another water car, lying in its side. Facing the wreck it is p ossible a dive master has glimpsed this and thought the cylindrical shape and buffers was the front of a loco. Furthermore ALL of the steam locomotives lost at sea have been documented and accounted for! It is worth noting that the two drivers’ cabs have never been located. These would contain a huge amount of nonferrous material and know doubt have been salvaged, probably shortly after she sank.

“LEFT FOOT WELLIES” Rumours claim that the Wellington boots are all left foot only. Certainly not true, many right footed boots have been found too! Their purpose has also fuelled sp eculation as to why they would be sent to the desert. It should be remembered that flash floods occur, turning the sand into mud, also they were often used by aircraft crews involved in starting aircraft as a form of insulation from handling high voltages.

“SISTERSHIP” Rumours abounded that she had a sister ship close by which had also been sunk in the same period. With so much detailed information about the Albyn Line to hand, it was easy to conclude this was only a rumour. M ost likely the myth stemmed from the sinking of the Rosalie M oller three days later. A very similar ship also with Glasgow connections and only a few miles from the resting place of the Thistlegorm.

The Rosalie M oller, often labelled the Thistlegorm’s sister ship, due to several similarities; the connection with Glasgow, their size, both bombed within a few days of each other and on the same route. Note The Rosalie M oller was not in the same convoy as was first thought.

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“THERE’S A WRECK NORTH OF THE THISTLEGORM” To date we have located some 30 wrecks which fit the bill, but it’s most likely that this rumour relates either to the S.S. SCALARIA, a WW2 tanker at Ras Galib or more likely the S.S. TURKIA. The Turkia has been hailed as the new Thistlegorm since I discovered her a few years ago (a similar German claim is 7 years too late!). Built a few rivers down from the Thistlegorm, (on the Humber), she was a similar 4 hold cargo ship carrying munitions and vehicles and sits bold upright in 25 mtrs of water. Her location? North of the Thistlegorm - well north! Other options could be the SS SAN JUAN or the M .V.CAPE CLEAR

A strong contender for the “wreck north of the Thistlegorm”, the S.S.Turkia is another WW2 merchant ship lost in the Gulf of Suez. She was located by Peter Collings in November 2006 and first surveyed by the Red Sea Wreck Academy in April 2007.

“CHEMICAL WARFARE” Again this is an unfounded rumour, and there is nothing in her manifest to suggest any such materials were carried. None of the crews’ recollections mention it either. Because the forward holds appeared partially empty when she was located by Cousteau it has been wrongly sp eculated that something was removed to cover up a deadly cargo. In fact much of the cargo in the upper levels of holds 1 and 2 were medical sup plies such a morphine, camphor oil and Lysolats (anti septic). Even the Austin ambulances, loaded onto the upper sup erstructure has been packed full of medical sup plies. These would have been salvaged as very valuable cargo.

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“HER DISCOVERY” Cousteau’s account of her discovery shows the team going through an extensive search for the wreck. However her location was well known, local fishermen used to tie up onto her mast which was still showing above water and passing ships would dip their flags in salute. Like today, her location can be seen from miles away! There would have been no drama in the “discovery” if they had simply sailed over and tied off onto the wreck! There have been many claims as to who “discovered” the Thistlegorm and each tale gets earlier and earlier. Truth is she was never really lost. She was dived during the Israeli occupation and after wards by a few divers who could drag themselves away from the pristine reefs of the Sinai! Then after her betrayal by the James Bond of diving, everybody and his dog discovered the wreck.

“THE BOMB ALSO BLEW UP THE SHIPS BOILER” This was quoted in an Italian publication. First the Thistlegorm was fitted with TWO boilers and like her engine these are still very much intact and can easily be explored. It is very likely that at the time of the attack her boilers were not in use anyway .Her auxiliary or “donkey” boiler would be used for steam power, heating etc. Both the engine and boilers are located directly aft of the fore section, behind the coal hold and although the area is a tangled mess both features are there to be seen! One easy way to locate the engine block is to look for the prop shaft, swim forward over 3 circular features; these are the low, medium and high pressure cylinders of the engine!

“THE CHAINS? PART OF HER CARGO”. No! they are the remains of the failed attempt at a mooring sy stem around the wreck.32 mooring points each with chain running up to a buoy were installed around the wreck in a feeble attempt to slow the destruction of the wreck with steel wire mooring loops. Within a month the entire sy stem had failed and all that remained were the piles of chain. Now it would seem they have been absorbed into the ships cargo. Well at least that’s what some local guides are claiming

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THE WRECK TODAY Since the early 90’s, the interest in the wreck has grown exponentially and its importance as a tourist attraction has put it at the top of Egypt’s visited sites. Conversely until recently nothing has been done to preserve this wonderful time capsule and maritime treasure. To that end many of the wrecks more delicate features have either been ripped off or stolen. Thoughtless mooring by dive masters to the handrails means they have long since gone along with their soft corals. The constant use of steel wire has cut through the aging steel like a knife through butter. The front boiler cover of the port steam train has now fallen off, the port deck above number I hold has collapsed, threatening to sent a water bowser down into the hold, (as it has for years) flattening trucks bikes and rifles, Sadly the last remaining paravane on the starboard side has been destroyed, again through thoughtless mooring, the water bowser having been lifted and then dropped onto the towing array. All but a few of the portholes have disappeared.

The section of ship from the bow (stem) aft to the engine room sits bolt upright with her keel resting a rocky seabed, 30 metres below the surface.

Two decks of her superstructure remain and these are 12 metres. Below the surface, the main deck being in 16 metres. M ost of the vehicles can be found in this section of the ship; in the two forward holds down to 26 metres and the ‘tween decks at 20 metres.

One report claims that the engine was still under steam and exploded. Her boilers and engine are still totally intact, albeit surrounded by debris.

The boilers were therefore cold at the time of the explosion. The main engines would be closed down and a “donkey” engine used to provide heating and power during the anchorage. The engine room can still be explored to this day, its just a matter of looking! From the engine room a huge debris field divides the fore section from the stern section, indeed it is the aft hold that took the brunt of the explosion and has been reduced to plies of cargo surrounded by twisted distorted metal. It is testimony to the sp eed at which she went down that so many ordinance did not explode; such a chain reaction would have destroyed the entire vessel.

The stern section with the weather or gun deck rises up to within 16 metres of the surface, but lies over at a steep angle, port side down. The two locomotives lie off to the resp ective sides of the ship as they were stowed, albeit forward of their original position. For a large area around the wreck debris can be found, axels, crushed boilers, sections of superstructure.

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The fore section of the wreck sitting upright comes to within 14 metres of the surface is bathed in strong sunlight. Here a school of circling barracuda hang off the bow as divers descend towards the starboard side. Plumes of bubbles rise from the forward holds as the divers enjoy the clarity of the incoming flow. A crushed water bowser sits between the gunwale and the number one hold. As the flow increases the bow becomes a “current point� attracting large numbers of jacks, trevallies and tuna.

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LEFT; a familiar sight only the hole remains where a porthole used to be. RIGHT; one of the tenders, on the port side sits secured to the deck opposite number two hold. Sitting in the top of these tenders are the con rods for the locomotives, detached for the journey. Each of these tenders makes a sup erb night dive; the encrusting and invertebrate life coming to life after dark.

To the newcomer the wreck is a treasure trove of stimulating images of a world war two cargo ship. Although the constant fining action of lesser experienced divers has left much of the wreck devoid of encrusting life, other parts still play host to a cosmos of vibrant life; Its a matter of knowing where to look, and by moving slowly through the wreck more and more of her secrets are revealed.

Fish life is still abundant, the wreck sits on a flat expanse of sand and sp arse coral, thus it is an oasis and a haven attracting sp ecies right throughout the food chain (there is still the odd white tip putting in an appearance, but only on rare occasions). The resident barracuda, groupers, snapper, batfish and jacks seem to have accepted the constant intrusion and migrate the wreck depending on the direction of the current. Barracuda circling over the guns at dawn is a vision that remains vivid in the memory. A resident family of bannerfish can always be found in the debris field by one of the universal carriers, where the stern section starts.

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The lesser visited areas of the wreck still play host to delicate soft corals, mainly in the deeper reaches and less accessible areas of the wreck The stern is adorned in many soft corals and those handrails still intact have a covering of sp onge and sea squirts.

It is the cargo though, which is the main attraction and although this too has suffered from vandals and natural deterioration, the entire wreck is full of surp rises; the cargo loaded so long ago on the Clyde. Each dive through the wreck reveals new surp rises. M any return to the wreck time after time.

There is always something new to see, another area to explore or some dark hidden corner revealing a new treasure missed on the last visit.

Desp ite bits in evitable demise, the wreck is still arguably one of the best in the world, and its kind depths, while they have contributed to that demise, offer a rewarding experience for the new and experienced diver alike. Hop efully the new buoyage sy stem will slow down the decay and the Thistlegorm will provide an exciting experience for generations to come.

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The forward holds are open and easy to access.

This picture shows the ‘tween decks in the back ground with several vehicles sitting on the “shelves.” Lower down are many Lee Enfield rifles once packed in crate now scattered around but concreted together in packs of six, muzzle to butt.

These lie in 25 metres of water, the deeper cargo beneath wooden planks has not yet been exposed.

According to eye witnesses at the time of loading these holds were filled to the tween deck level and more planking bridged over allowing for further crated goods (more rifles, medicines aircraft sp ares) to be loaded into the holds. Full deck hatch covers would then be tied down for the duration of the journey.

As in Cousteau’s video of the 1950’s the holds appear half empty, leading to sp eculation over just what was salvaged. These holds would have been totally crammed full with cargo, such was the demand for sup plies, even the deck covers were used as sp ace for cargo .It is inconceivable that there would be any voids in this vessel- not only wasteful but it would also make the ship top heavy and unstable.

M ore vehicles line the tween decks which run right around the sides of the wreck. Beneath the “shelves” more vehicles neatly parked. The’ tween decks of numbers one and two holds run right through the bulkheads allowing access aft. This picture clearly shows the anatomy of the hold structure. Its another 5 mtrs to the seabed. These then are the upper holds. Allowing for 1 mtrs keel/ bottom plates, that leaves another 4 mtrs of cargo sp ace un revealed-right through the first 2 holds, the fore section of the ship. Wamnes’ list tells us that the 16 fuselages of the Lysanders packed in crates were loaded in #1 hold first. The Thistlegorm still has many secrets to reveal.

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DIVING THE WRECK Diving operations are carried out by registered day or safari boats and under the guidance of dive guides. With new moorings in place divers will be instructed as to entry and exit, and they will be briefed on the prevailing conditions, ie. visibility, direction and strength of the current and the boats location relevant to the wreck. A nitrox mix of 32% is ideal as the maximum depth around the wreck is 30 metres. Often those using day boats will not have the luxury of longer surface intervals. It is not unusual for those using safari boats to execute 3 or 4 dives in a day. For photography, the “flooding” tide, ie. water coming from the Red Sea and into Sha’ab Ali, will provide the best conditions. While the “outgoing tide” tends to bring dirty water from the north. There is no true tide, with a maximum range of 1 metre, most currents are thermally driven and unpredictable, but the water movement at this location tends to flow bow stern and stern bow. Experienced divers can use the water flow to great advantage; the stronger flow often produces good fish action.

It should be stressed that wreck diving can be dangerous and that correct training and equipment must be used to reduce the risk of accidents.

M any parts of the wreck are considered to be overhead environments and as such should be treated with caution. Indeed many divers will opt for a sy stem which incorporates “redundancy”, but the nature of the wreck allows for safe exploration of many sections with an easy exit route, should something go wrong. M ost training agencies offer specialist courses in the correct diving techniques required. Line out techniques however should be discouraged due to the “well-worn paths” and indeed the high volume of diving traffic through the wreck.

Other less obvious dangers include cables hanging down from ceilings, jagged metal and sharp edges. It is essential that all equipment is streamlined and well tucked in, anything loose, such as a contents gauge or octop us is likely to snag on the wreck. Full wetsuits are also recommended.

“Tough” divers, simply wearing shorts and tee shirts, risk cuts which can often become infected. Good torches are always recommended due to many dark corners and recesses to explore they can enhance any dive.

Ascents and descents should be made via the lines. Free ascending should be avoided at all times, especially in strong currents. Boats are coming and going constantly. Consideration for the return to the right line must be given. At busy times there can easily be 30 boats over the wreck.

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A diver glides along the port companionway, towards the forward holds. To her right is the folded back deck, underneath which is the entrance to the galley, via its door, the serving hatch being on the starboard side. This is a shallow p art of the wreck in 16 metres. The overhanging sections are covered in the exo-skeletons of bright orange polyps which bloom at night.

To her right, just out of picture is the 3rd hold and saloon.

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Unexpected encounters; A solitary snapper comes into the wreck to feed. A giant moray has taken up temporary residence in the fore mast and a large grouper swims into the wreck from the seabed below. Just a few examples of the transient marine life on the wreck.

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Divers swim over number one hold towards the bow, flanked by the water cars. The port side wagon (picture right) has threatened to fall into the hold for several years. The starboard car lies on top of the paravane after being used to moor a safari boat to the wreck-twice! Note the pressure damage to the water car (14mtrs >2.4 bar!)

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A small deck house is situated between the two forward holds, with her fore mast and boom lying to port. Steam winches can be seen in the foreground and juvenile barracuda circle above, avoiding the rising stream of diver’s bubbles.

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Desp ite being totally devoid of its handrails, the bow is still a very impressive site standing proud from the seabed 16 metres below. This photograph was taken after the day boats had departed, allowing a clear image without a cat’s cradle of mooring lines sp oiling the shot.

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Drop ping onto her bow is quite a site, her starboard anchor chain plunging down to the seabed below. The forepeak and foc’s’le sit in 12metres with the anchor winch central. Swimming over the foc’sle reveals the railway stock flanking number one hold. Drop ping down through rows of trucks and motor bikes, it is possible to continue aft to number two hold passed "six packs" of rifles and aircraft wings. Number two hold is full of more trucks, boots and gives access to the bunkering hold. This is very roomy and has a resident school of sweepers hovering in its up per reaches. Again moving aft, the wreck seems to disintegrate.

This is where the bombs struck. Shells litter the collapsed hold and there are three universal carriers. Fifty feet to port sits the locomotive, bolt upright like her twin on the starboard side. All that remains is the smoke box, the boilers lie elsewhere and there is no sign of the engineers cab anywhere, as these contained many brass controls. Levers etc they may have been removed during a salvage operation.

The stern section lies over to port, and the aft hold has all but disappeared leaving piles of munitions scattered around. The two guns mounted on the weather deck still in place. Stern companionways around the weather deck make great swim throughs and more glass fish fill in the gaps. With care the rear accommodation area can be explored. Rounding the stern provides a view of her now motionless prop and rudder in 32 metres.

The return swim to the bridge section passes the triple expansion engine and here the force of the explosion can be seen. The deck is folded back on itself and above the galley hang sinks; upside down!. There are several access points to the bridge level; the radio room can also be located here. Hidden under the upturned deck is the entrance to the galley, with its ranges still intact. Swimming forward now, along companionways accompanied by batfish, jacks, snapper and barracuda, the true sp lendour of the Thistlegorm can be experienced. Here amidst drones, masts, winches and davits swim all the resident Red Sea fishes, and tucked away safe from the constant fining action of divers there are still bushes of soft corals surviving. Visit the entire foc'sle before returning to the mooring line.

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The guns are both located on top of the weather deck at the stern of the wreck and lie over at a steep angle. They offer endless p hoto opportunities. World War One vintage, they are probably as effective today as they were when the Thistlegorm was attacked!

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Divers explore the ‘tween decks in the forward cargo holds. It is possible to swim through to number 2 hold at this level in 20 metres with an easy exit at any time. Care must be taken due to many old cables which are now beginning to sag. M ost of the holds receive some natural light, but a good torch is essential to pick out the many details which would otherwise be missed. A slow amble through this area alone can fill a whole dive, and there is always the unexpected fish or moray appearing without warning.

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FOC’S LE & WINCH

WATER BOWS ER

COAL TENDER

HOLD #1

HOLD#2

CAPTAIN’S HOUSE

FOLDED BACK DECK GALLEY

HOLD #3

ANCHOR

S EA BED 30 MTRS

LOCO

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ENGINE ROOM

HULL DEBRIS FIELD

S HELLS

S TEERING HOUSE GUNS

S HELLS

PROP TOILET BLOCK UNIVERS AL CARRIERS

ACCES S TO S TORE ROOMS

BOTTOM MINES S EABED 30 MTRS

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TOURS This section is aimed at those who like to do their own thing and not be guided. The suggested tours below can be mixed and matched. This will depend on the diver’s air consumption, nitrogen loading, and experience. Divers often use a slate, listing directions. If all these tours are executed, then the diver can truly say, “I’ve dived the Thistlegorm”. Conversely sometimes it’s nice just to “play it by ear” and trust in a good sense of direction, just make sure you ascend the right mooring line, or get the round in! Before detailing the tours, the following deck plans should help in the location and identifying of the vehicles in the forward section of the wreck from the fore peak bulkhead to the coal bunker.

Layout of the vehicles on the “upper”deck, depths range from 16 to 20 metres, access is though the large opening in the ships main deck, flanked by the rolling stock. Access to the second deck, which is below can also be made from the landing behind the superstructure close to the engine room and bomb blast area. NOTE;The Bedford OYC are water carriers NOT fuel bowzers,as dscribed elsewhere!!!!!

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The second deck or middle level is in depths of 20 to 26 metres. Divers often overlook this fact; that there is still another 4 metres to the seabed, and that a bottom inaccessible deck lies beneath .Other items of cargo have been omitted for clarity. The area forward of the vehicles is the chain locker and forepeak.

TOUR ONE - AN OVERVIEW FROM STEM TO STERN I usually plan to arrive around 15.30; most of the boats have left by then and there is a good chance of a “quiet dive� on the wreck. Given that, this will possibly be the third dive of the day and a night dive to come, it is important to limit the depth of the dive. This of course will depend on previous nitrogen uptake, and type of gas used for the dive. Even with a limit of 20 metres the visibility affords a great overview of the wreck and serves as a great orientation for future dives. It is ideal for those visiting the wreck for the first time.

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This then is a 30-35 minute dive with a 3 minute stop at 6 metres, and should be carried out when there is little or no current running. If the current is flowing then the route needs to be modified to use the current and the shelter of the wreck to the diver’s advantage. Current flows over and around the wreck not through it!

Descending down the line, ideally to the foc’s’le area, the route takes us across the front of the superstructure, behind number 2 hold to the starboard companionway .One of the tenders will be directly behind. Swimming aft the superstructure will be to the right and the seabed over the side some 15 metres below on the left. Several access points into the superstructures interior appear and are noted for future exploration, including stairs to the bridge.

Three of the universal carriers can be found in the bomb blast area, partially covered in debris and surrounded by munitions, tangled wreckage and plates.

This would suggest that in addition to the 14 carriers loaded into no.2 hold others were loaded into the aft holds.

The extent of the bomb damage soon becomes evident as the roof dips down and the wreck opens up into a large area of tangled engine room below.

Scattered around are cases of ammunition, three of the universal carriers and ahead the curve of the hull and sloping angle of the stern looms up. It is important to maintain your current depth and not be tempted to descend. The full extent of the massive explosion can be seen. The prop shaft sticks out from the aft section and the route here is round to the right where the wreck slopes away down to the seabed and the weather deck and guns appear. The magnificent shoal of glass fish are just in front of the first gun sheltering in the cross deck companionway. Look out for a school of snapper or barracuda 80

hovering overhead. The universal carriers are close by. Although 4 of these vehicles have been located, Wamn’s load list suggests that there were a lot more loaded on board.

LEFT. Very close to the seabed the port companionway makes a great swim through. Behind the diver are a block of toilets and a corridor running through the aft deck house to the starboard side. This corridor gives access to other storerooms and the steering room. RIGHT. In the rear section of the port’ tween deck, behind number 2 hold, are LIGHT PUNDITS, their interior full of electrical control units. They were used in conjunction airfield identification for pilots.

The second gun then comes into view; this should be about 15/ 18 minutes into the dive, and then shortly the rounded stern with its weather deck and companionway mark the start of the return leg of the tour. A good opportunity to check air and deco.

Swimming back along the higher starboard side until the hull ends, the route crosses diagonally over the bomb damage area to a flat area of deck with coal lying around. A doorway with a wheel barrow propped up to the left signposts the way! Torches on! A small corridor opens up unto a vast open area above the coal bunkering hold. Golden coloured hatchets or glassy sweepers hover in the gloom. Daylight filters through and shows several routes.

By turning right, we once more come to the starboard side and gain access to the forward holds. This should be about 25 minutes into the dive.

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A narrow gap allows p assage over trucks and motorbikes and into the open sp ace of number 2 hold. By continuing on over the trucks and bikes passage through another bulkhead leads to the first hold and it is here we ascend up onto the deck to check out the rolling stock, flanking the holds and the foc’s’le itself, for a final orientation back to the ascent line.

Swimming through the ‘tween decks requires finite buoyancy control, and with many cables handing down and very limited headroom, it is not the place for the inexperienced. In these two images the divers are exploring the many trucks found in the forward holds .Depth around 20 metres. Below; there are many motor bikes stored throughout the forward holds.

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BELOW: Neatly parked in a row on the ‘tween deck on the starboard side of number 1 hold, these trucks have motorbikes stored in their once wooden trays M ost of the bonnets have rotted away revealing the engine compartment.

LEFT: The roof of this truck has been destroyed by vandals steeling the gear knobs and even the steering wheel! The crazing on the windshield was caused by the intense head from the explosions. These trucks are found in the deeper section of number 2 hold.

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A diver is illuminated by a sunbeam as he explores the fo’c’sle, situated in the bow of the wreck .The fo’c’sle can be entered by either of two doors or from the hatch above, and is flanked by store rooms on either side.

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TOUR TWO - DOWN TO THE LOCO This dive is usually the first of the day when nitrogen loading is at a minimum, and represents the deepest dive on the wreck. Drop ping down the impressive bow by the anchor itself, the ship towers above, reaching the seabed at 30 metres. A few minutes swim along the port side and out over pieces of wreckage brings us to one of the two Stanier 2-8-0 steam locomotives. A couple of minutes here and the route takes us back towards the stern section, where it is canted over and the munitions have sp illed out onto the seabed. Here bannerfish hover in the bones of the wreck. Look out for the two Universal carriers, boxes of shell, some in cases of 4 and rifles scattered around. Heading toward the wreck, hugging the seabed, it is p ossible to swim though the lower companionway; encountering some rather large groupers , emerging at the stern for a great view of the guns or rudder and prop; depending on which way you look!

Remnants of a once proud Stanier 8f 2-8-0 locomotive lie scattered around the seabed off the starboard bow. Only the smoke box and several bogies remain. The boilers are crushed and un-recognisable, while the fireman’s cab, which would be fitted out with brass is no where to be found, leading tom sp eculation that they were both salvaged for their valuable metals.

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Lying off the port side of the wreck, just out from the debris field is the second loco. This one has its smoke box door closed. It’s crushed boiler lies elsewhere, but the fireman’s cab has never been found. The stern section of the wreck can be seen behind the loco.

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A p anoramic view using a wide angle lens of the port locomotive, several of her bogies lie in the surrounding area. The smoke box has become home to a pair of 2 banded bream-and a large fan coral. Both engine remains are similar, except for the smoke box door on this engine being closed.

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It is worth swimming 20 metres away from the wreck at this point, so as to take in a sp ectacular view of the stern section, with the guns and prop all in view. Returning to the wreck for a closer insp ection of the rooms under the weather deck reveals access to the toilets, tool rooms and stern steering equipment, accessed via the cross deck companionway. Swimming up through this corridor should be slow; remember it is an ascent, and brings y ou out on the higher (starboard side) of the stern. At the fore most part of this section are two compartments which are usually over looked; one is simply formed by the ships double skin and the other is full of upright boxes of shells; over one hundred boxes each with 4 huge shells in each stand upright; a torch is needed here and access is for only two at a time. It is A DEAD END, careful fining and buoyancy are needed not to silt this room up for others.

From here the route takes us back to the fore section, maintaining the current depth, and back to the companionway which runs towards the bow section.

Air and deco will dictate the remainder of the dive, but we usually swim through the lower bridge area and up to the next deck, taking care not to get caught in any of the drooping wires. Here you will see the concrete armament and the crocodile fish, before returning to the line.

TOUR THREE - HOLD IT! A PENETRATI NG DIVE With so much to see in the forward holds it is worth sp ending a dive here alone. Access is easy ; the holds are flanked by rolling stock, of which one of the water bowsers has been threatening to tumble down into the hold for years! Between the decks are shelves known as ‘tween decks. The “shelves” hold much of the cargo which makes the wreck so sp ecial. There are Bedford trucks, neatly parked, facing outwards containing a number of motorcycles on the starboard side and as the deck is bent downwards on the port, more vehicles are there but obscured.

Inside No. 1 hold, the cargo of parts and spares includes aircraft wings, engine cowlings and more vehicles. Here access is gained to the lower fo'c’sle itself but this is a very serious penetration indeed. Deeper down in the hold are two large armoured cars - built on Rolls Royce Chassis the RR badges long gone! M ore trucks with their canvas covers rotted away still have the supporting frame work in place; each dark recess reveals a new artefact to observe.

The starboard side of No. 2 hold, which is accessed through number one or from above contains lorries, trailers, motorcycles, portable generators, and on the floor six packs of rifles all concreted together. Look out too for Wellington boots, waders and the remains of wireless sets all jumbled and sp illed out as the crates holding then gradually disintegrated, eaten away by marine worms.

This dive will pass all too quickly; the sp aces between holds and decks allowing for an easy exploration of this fascinating area. Finish the dive off, once again in sunlight surrounded by fish on the fo'c’sle area.

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TOUR FOUR – BUNKERS, BRIDGE AND BOGIES If the schedule allows this area of the wreck can be done as a final shallow dive. Swimming in through any of the doorways on the bridge area on the main deck level allows access through what were several rooms including the bridge, captain’s cabin, chart room, radio room, bathroom, saloon and officer’s mess. All the wooden bulkheads have now gone and only the supporting framework remains. Shafts of sunlight stream through portholes and there are often grouper lurking in here. Stop and look out through the portholes; it is often possible to observe many of the resident fishes without them seeing you. “The ceiling” will often have a mirror like finish; diver’s bubbles trapped forming an air pocket. The bulges in the floor are testimony to the heat of the explosion as gas expanded and caused the metal to bubble up!

A diver explores the saloon, above him the reflections of two doors from the main deck are mirrored in diver’s bubbles. To the right is an opening up into the ward room and radio room.

Directly below is the stairwell down to the cold store, pantry , butchers block and a pile of tins of corned beef. The two doors lead aft over the bunkering hold to the galley, hidden under the folded back deck. .

A set of stairs lead down into the cold store larder, butchers block and piles of tins of corned beef. Behind is the bunkering area where the glassy sweepers once again wait. M eander back through the bulkheads to finally arrive for a final and close inspection of the rolling stock.

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If only every diver had this kind of buoyancy control! A natural light image of the saloon, which is located below the bridge.

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TOUR FIVE - THE STERN .

Although the guns are the main attraction here, with the rudder and prop a close second, there is much more to see. The weather deck sits on top of the steering gear house and is the platform for the guns. The steering gear house has many rooms including a toilet block and is flanked by a companionway running right around the stern; one of the few places where handrails are still in place, and dissected by a corridor running port starboard, giving access to lesser explored areas. Again, it is worth swimming out a few y ards from the stern to take in the stunning view of the entire stern and its guns. There are several more storerooms to explore in the stern section. From the seabed, enter under the large plates peeled back by the explosion on the port side of the stern. Here there is a large storeroom with a corridor running upwards into another set of rooms. These rooms do not have any other exit so great care and experience is needed here. They appear to be for storage, and although the seamen’s quarters were in the aft section there is no evidence here (bed frames etc) to suggest these rooms were used for accommodation.

A better option is to swim up the cross companionway, located in front of the gun deck. The two doors to the right lead into the steering room, but the second door on the left is a stairwell (the first and third being small store rooms), and this leads down into more stores with cupboards and an easy exit out of the wreck close to the sea bed. In front of the corridor is a confused section of metal full of lionfish and glassy sweepers, some soft corals too, and very photogenic. Swimming slightly upward towards the starboard hull are the “shell rooms”. Here in two levels are hundreds of cases of shells, each with 4 shells in each case. They are stacked against the walls and run deep into the aft part of number 5 hold or what is left of it. Following the hull forward several huge shells lie surrounded by coils of galvanised wire, and below is one of the universal carriers and a school of bannerfish. If the current is running stern to bow, the larger fish will be slipstreaming just off the hull and looking the other way! From here it is a short swim across the debris field to the engine room, then onto the forward section of the wreck; just follow the line of the propeller shaft.

Stern attractions; port companionway and toilet block, guns, the stern showing the companionway and gun deck.

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A DIVER IS FRAMED BY THE BLADES OF THE THIS TLEGORM’S PROPELLER

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S NAPPER FEEDING OVER THE S TERN

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The stern section offers the most colour, with a shoal of antheas around the guns and soft corals living in areas away from fining action. The angle of the stern lends itself for an endless selection of dramatic upward shooting images with the weather deck and guns against the open water behind. The undersides of the deck are covered in encrusting sp ecies and turn orange at night. The view of the stern from a few metres away is quite remarkable.

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Left; an aft store room, accessed from the seabed, or the stairwell above the divers head; this is from the corridor which transects the weather deck house, and in turn gives access to the steering room. Right; a long storeroom on the portside, very close to the seabed runs aft. The doorway above the divers head leads to two small ante-rooms on the starboard side. Perishable foodstuffs were stored here so other than cupboards the room is quite empty. Note the angle of the floor and ceiling. (We encourage divers to wear gloves only during penetration due to sharp metal and lack of encrusting marine life) 98

TOUR SIX - ENGINE ROOM, GALLEY and RADIO ROOM. Some reports state that the “engine was hot and blew up; many swim over the intact triple expansion engine and fail to see her boilers and pipe work. Starting at the rear of the forward section where the ship has obviously broke her back, look for the prop shaft sticking out of the debris; forward of this are three vertical cylinders, partially hidden by boxes of ammunition; these are the pressure chambers of the engine. All around are the twisted gantries, catwalks and gratings, but the con rods and big ends are still there. It is possible for the experienced to penetrate down to the lowest level where the propeller shaft runs aft. The huge driving rods still attached. The repeater telegraph and some gauges still remain but well out of reach. All around the engine are masses of pipe works and under the forward bulk head both boilers are still intact. (They must have been off line and cool at the time she went down to be in such good condition). The bulkhead has rotted away and allows access through into the bunker. The hole on the starboard side is preferred. Once this area has been explored it is necessary to locate the landing above, leading to the starboard companionway.

Some reports state that the engine “blew up ” as a result of the explosion. In fact the engine itself is intact but the surrounding fittings, gantries and catwalks are a tangled mess and this is why the engine if often overlooked.

Her boilers too are intact; no doubt dormant at the time of the attack and therefore cool. During such periods of in activity auxiliary or donkey boilers were used for the sup ply of hot water and heating.

Here a diver emerges from the lower levels of the engine room, almost to the seabed. In such a confined sp ace the diver must be aware of entanglement and be equipped with the right equipment for a penetrating dive.

Behind the bridge on the starboard side a companionway runs aft, covered by part of the folded back deck. A small hatch on an upright wall gives access into the galley. Here the range can still be seen and there are pots and pans concreted into the wreck with large sinks in one corner. On the port side a doorway leads out under the deck to the port companionway. Finish this dive off with a visit to:99

THE RADIO ROOM . From the rear doorways into the saloon, ascend through the hole in the roof; this was a stairwell. This is the “Captain’s house”.

Two doors are located to the rear. The port side is the captain’s bath and the starboard is the radio room. Evidence of the room’s purpose can still be seen. Pop out here onto the “roof” (this was the wheel house and chartroom). This is the shallowest part of the wreck and a great place to end a tour and enjoy the fish life.

As more and more divers visit the site it becomes more difficult to truly experience the wonders of this wreck. Dive at the wrong time and you will see only bubbles; groups of 12-16 being led through the wreck like a daisy chain, often facing oncoming traffic in a narrow passage. Who gives way to whom? Without a doubt visiting the wreck from a livaboard is the best option, thus avoiding the day boat rush. Early morning over the guns or late afternoon over the bows watching the fish gathering the current can be very rewarding .Visibility tends to be best as the tide floods in from the Red Sea and poorest as it sp ills out over Sha’ab Ali. TIM ING IS EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!

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BRIDGE AREA FLOOR PLAN 1st LEVEL

RADIO ROOM

DECK LEVEL

LOWER LEVEL

S ALOON HOLDS DOOR S TAIRWELL

S TAIR WELL

WARDROOM

BATH

BUTCHERS BLOCK

S TAIRWELL

COLD S TORE

DOOR

BATH ROOM

TINS DOOR

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PREVIOUS PAGE; plans of the remaining superstructure which housed the bridge, saloon ward room and navigation equipment. The original ship builder’s plans clearly show four levels; one below and three above deck level. The pantry, cold store and general food storage was located below deck and flanked by extended ‘tween decks. A stairwell leads up into the “saloon house” at deck level. Above this the “captain’s house” is located. This contained a radio room, although the “wireless house” was located aft of the engine room ventilation covers and above the engineer’s quarters (all destroyed in the blast). The final level, usually constructed of wood was the “Chart Room and wheelhouse” This has either rotted away or destroyed when the wreck was swept. The concrete slabs which formed an armoured protection for the wheel house now lie on the roof of the Captains House (the highest point of the wreck) and some have fallen through onto the floor. With the wooden stair risers all gone the stairwells are now no more that openings allowing divers to progress up through the levels with ease. The floor in the saloon has several large bulges in the floor, testimony to the heat generated by the explosion. It caused the steel to glow red, expand and bubble up before cooling. The open portholes allow beams of light into the saloon and a solitary radiator lies on the floor. The internal walls of the bathroom are slowly rotting away. The doors at the back of the saloon look out onto the bunker hold, and beyond the galley.

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THE THIRD WATER CAR

About 60 metres off the stern of the Thistlegorm lies a 3rd water car. It is possible that this is the cause of the unfounded rumour of a 3rd steam locomotive.

Seen briefly in poor visibility , end on; the cylindrical shape was mistaken for the boiler of a locomotive. Only 2 Stanier 8f locos were on board the ship.

The fact that 3 of these have been located would suggest that there were 4 loaded on to the deck-2 for each engine. Finding the 4th would be a bonus.

The entire area around the wreck, although in 30 metres reveals a plethora of fragments of the wreck; crushed boilers, bogies and mast sections. M any an interesting part lies hidden behind a rock, not to mention the odd bit of diving kit!

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NIGHT DIVE

The experience of night diving the wreck is not to be forgotten .Torchlight reveals the Red Sea in all her glory; the coral encrusted metal alive with invertebrates; her hull a mass of anemones and every vertical face alive with delicate shrimps, crabs and other invertebrates. Basket stars and urchins patrol the decks and huge shoals shelter in the holds. Her foc’s’le is often the home to a huge turtle. The fore section is perhaps better, being shallower (14 metres). Covering the area from the bow to the superstructure will give a good 1 hour dive (for those with the energy). Restricting the dive to this area also makes the navigation aspect much easier, with a good colour combination of glow stick (not emergency strobes) tied to the mooring line.

The rolling stock alone provides a fascinating insight into a macroscopic Red Sea, the undercarriages being an ideal environment for “little critters”, sleeping parrotfish and encrusting sp ecies. M any of the nooks and crannies are home to feisty snowflake moray eels. The odd giant moray is often to be found free swimming and out hunting. Long sp ine sea urchins cover the deck and contact should be avoided with these sp ines. Other echinoderms include feather stars, basket stars, starfish and cushion urchins. Night time is a good time to observe crustaceans, slipper lobsters, shrimps and anemone crabs become very active, and coral crabs can be seen inside hard corals. The boxer or coral banded shrimp is a photographer’s favourite.

M ollusc too become very active at night and these are represented by octop us, cuttlefish, nudibranchs and occasionally plurobranchs.

If the current is mild, a swim along the vertical hull of the bow section reveals some interesting sp ecimens; clams, sp onges sea squirts, albino sp ider crabs are just a few of the inhabitants. Encounters with bigger fish, such as jacks are common place, attracted by the lights they come into the wreck to feed.

It goes without saying that a torch is essential, but it is worth pointing out that most of these creatures are nocturnal and shun light .Therefore a smaller torch is often better for viewing marine life, or indeed holding the torch onto your chest and relying on the diffused light to illuminate the subject.

Sometimes switching the torch off can provide a more natural vision of the wreck at night. They will still be ambient light from the boat and other divers’ torches.

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NIGHTLIFE; a small selection of sp ecies found on a night dive. Parasitic anemone, octop us, polp

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Sleeping parrot fish, yellow mouth moray, soft coral polyps.

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Crustaceans become very active at night; clockwise; Slipper lobster, anemone crab, cleaner shrimp, hairy hermit crab.

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MARINE LIFE

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The wreck attracts a tremendous diversity of marine life, many of which have become residential, such as bannerfish, barracuda, and even a turtle.

For many years a large crocodile fish has lived in the vicinity of the bridge area. Sharks are rare these days but dolphins often pass through, no doubt curious to the commotion. While it is true to say that the corals have for the main have generally disappeared from the “busy” areas of the wreck, soft corals still thrive where fins can’t reach. The invertebrate life is well established, and best observed at night. Sponges and sea squirts are well established on the hull especially near the bow. One unusual sp ecies of holothurians, (sea cucumbers) can be seen in the holds at night; a vibrant lime green, its pigmentation possibly due to the high content of copper. There are also a few of the inevitable clown fish and anemone. One has been in residence at the start of the starboard companionway, and has done well to survive the inevitable bashing from careless fining actions.

The most sp ectacular of all are the barracuda, patrolling the wreck constantly, often on the edge of vision but then at times swimming alongside the visiting diver. They, like other predators become active when the water movement is at its strongest. They can often be seen in a huge circle over the stern. Batfish can provide entertainment when hanging on the line and will swim very close, before swimming off with a look over their “shoulder” to see if they are being followed.

Group ers can be found around the stern of the wreck. Several large examples live in the “cave” formed by the stern and the sea bed. While giant morays are not widespread throughout the wreck, they are still present and put in the odd appearance, often free swimming if they have been disturbed.

The rolling stock is often over looked but both during the day and at night they are hosts to some amazing invertebrates. The entire structures and the intricate undercarriage are covered in sponge, soft corals and sea squirts. Small fishes, crabs snowflake morays all find sanctuary within and around the tenders and rail cars. Here there is a small selection of the marine life the visiting diver is likely to encounter.

Antheas, golden jewel fish (anthias squamipinnis) found in large numbers on the shallower exposed areas of the wreck, particularly around the winches and other deck fittings.

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Bat fish (Platax teira). Large numbers are often seen around the bow section, and hanging off the stern area, depending on the direction of the current.

Smaller numbers are often swimming underneath boats and will often approach divers before turning away in the hope of a game of tag! Their curious nature makes them easy to observe and photograph. Note the difference in water colour in these two pictures. The one on the right was taken as water flooded into the Gulf and the one on the left as it moved back.

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BARRACUDA. (Sphyraena barracuda) Large numbers of barracuda (100+) can be seen hovering just off the wreck, sometimes in a sp ectacular sp iral, or holding station in the flowing current. Best witnessed from the fo’c’sle when the current is running bow to stern or above the guns when the incomin g waters are flowing.

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Clown fish (amphiprion bicintus) / Anemone. Perhaps the most famous coupling of marine sp ecies. There are several examples of the clown fish and its home the anemone around the wreck. Feisty and brave these anemone fish will protect their home vigorously.

Crocodile fish (Platy cephalus indicus). For many years a large crocodile fish has taken up residence on the starboard side of what is left of the bridge, nestling near the concrete slabs which formed the “armour plating� for the wheel house. Unperturbed by the constant stream of divers p assing by, this resident fish is easy to capture on film.

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Cup corals (Dendprophyllia). Fields of these yellow and orange cup corals smother the ceilings of companionways and other overhanging structures and come out at night in full sp lendour. At day the have a greenish appearance and the tentacles remain retracted. A member of the Cnidarian family, they also form vertical carpets on the hull of the wreck, especially around the bow and anchor.

Glass fish ( Parapriacanthus guentheri). A magnificent shoal of glass fish can be found swarming in the stern cross deck companionway, forward of the weather deck.

Due to the angle of this part of the wreck it is p ossible to look up through the companionway towards the surface and witness these amazing shoaling fish. They have predator and guardian close by; the sinister red mouthed grouper (Aethaloperca rogaa) protects the shoal from the ever present hunters, the lionfish. In addition schools of horse eyed jacks can often be seen diving through the shoal in a feeding frenzy.

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Lionfish (Pterois volitans). Often seen hovering upside down, using their deadly sp ines as a defence. These photogenic predators are found throughout the exterior sections of the wreck, constantly patrolling looking for some unsuspecting prey to become their next morsel. The sp ines each contain a venomous hy drostatic dart which can be triggered by anything getting too close. This can be a very painful experience. A great portrait can be had from a frontal view, showing off their false set of eyes on feathery appendages

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Group ers(Ephinephelus striatus) Although these and other sp ecies of grouper can be seen throughout the wreck, some large sp ecimens can be observed under the stern, by the rudder where the curve of the hull forms a cave .Sulking in the rear of the cave they eye the diver wearily

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M oray eels. (Gymnothorax javanicus). Several sp ecies of moray eels can be seen throughout the wreck. The giant moray lives up to its name and is often sp ooked by divers exploring the darker recesses of the wreck. Smaller sp ecies, such as the yellow mouth and snowflake moray (Siderea grisea) have been seen taking up residence around the deck fittings on the fo’c’sle.

The giant moray appears fearsome, its breathing action often mistaken for aggression, but in reality is quite docile except when provoked. When free swimming they often become vulnerable due to their length; they can be 6 ft long with a huge girth. With patience and practice these creatures are easily approached and make sup erb photographic subjects.

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Nudibranch (Phy llidia varicose).

Living amongst the encrusting sp ecies and crawling over the wreck are several colourful sp ecies of nudibranchs. These molluscs are very small and are often overlooked. Slow moving they make an interesting and challenging subject for the underwater photographer, using a macro lens. The name nudibranch, basically means “naked gill�, and this gill often resembles a plume located towards its rear. Two rhinophores located at the front help distinguish then from flat worms.

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Parasitic anemone. This beautiful, yet sinister cnidaria was first sp otted some years ago living inside one of the kingposts just forward of the bridge on the port side.

It attaches to fan corals and gradually smothers the host, using the structure of the dead coral as its substrate. It has now sp read to other areas of the wreck and has also been seen at Bluff Point, where several of the large branch corals have suffered from (see night dive section for picture).

Red Sea bannerfish (Heniouchus intermedius) A family of these fish live around the break in the stern near the seabed and one of the universal carriers. Docile and approachable they make a great subject with wreck as a backdrop.

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For many years a Hawksbill turtle has lived in and around the wreck, almost ignoring the constant comings and going from above. It has become very approachable and makes an interesting photo subject. At night it can be found sleeping in the port fo‘c’le storeroom.

Occasionally it is joined by a second turtle which sleeps near the galley.

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Websites; ARCHIVES.GOV ARM ED-GUARD.COM BRITISHARM EDFORCES.COM CONVOYNET.CO.UK UBOAT.NET M ERCHANTNAVYOFFICERS.NE NAVAL HISTORY.NET TROOPSHIPLINERS.NET

BIBLIOGRAPHY BRITISH SHIPBUILDING YARDS vol. 1 M IDDLEM ISS BRITISH VESSELS LOST AT SEA 1939-45 BUILDING SHIPS ON THE NORTH EAST COAST- CLARKE DICTIONARY OF DISASTERS AT SEA DURING THE AGE OF STEAM -HOCKING EGYPTIAN SHIPWRECKS - COLLINGS LLOYDS WAR LOSSES WW1 & WW2 GERM AN SUBM ARINES - M ACDONALD GERM AN WAR BIRDS – M UNSON JANES FIGHTING SHIPS OF WW2 SHIPWRECKS OF THE EGYPTIAN RED SEA THE THISTLE BOATS - BURRELL THE STANIER 8F’s- RYAN, M cINTOSH, M OON THE VICKERS TANKS – FOSS M C KENZIE WARTIM E DISASTERS AT SEA - WILLIAM S UNDER A RED SEA SUN - IDLEBURG

Historical papers BOT INQUEST REPORT BOT SHIPS M OVEM ENT CARD CLYDE PORT RECORD M OVEM ENT REPORT LOCOM OTIVES LOST AT SEA PARTICULAR S OF TONNAGE SHIPS PLANS W.WAM NS LOAD LIST

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APPENDIX 1

Under the instruction of Allan and Black, managers for the Albyn Line, W.Wamns , acting as the ships sup erintendent, sent their staff to Glasgow to organise a port relief team. After many years of searching, partial records of the company were located, including two pages from the loading list.

How many other pages are missing is not known, but these pages give us some idea of the cargo. Quantities are noted as “cases” or “crates”. Hand written, some of the list is unreadable, but some interesting facts have come to light. There are 3 entries for light tanks, (Universal carriers); 4, 4 and 6 -14 in total.16 crates of wings and 8 crates of aircraft bodies with the note W/L (Westland Lysander). Additional entries include; 12 cases Singer M achines (Sewing) 3 Austin K2 Ambulances 18 crates Bristol Engine parts 8 starter trolleys (accumulators) 400 cases 3.7”shells ROA. 48 Utility pans 140 bed sets 2 Light Pundits

LOADING LIST (M ANIFEST) by W.WAM NS

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APPENDIX 2 CONVOY 0G 69 LIST OF M ERCHANT SHIPS AND ESCORTS, INFORM ATION PROVIDED BY DON KINDELL & ARNOLD HAGUE- WWW.CONVOYNET.COM Convoy OG69 departed M ilford Haven 19th July 1941, arriving at Gibraltar 1st August. 9 vessels continued to Cape Town Name of merchant ship ADJUTANT AFGHANISTAN ARABIS TAN CHARLS BURY CITY OF LYONS COMO DAYROS E EMPIRE DAWN EMPIRE VOICE ERATO HAWKINGE INGA 1 KELLWYN LAPLAND LARCHBANK NORITA PELAYO RHINELAND ROMNEY RUTH S HAHRIS TAN S HEAF CROWN S ITOEBONDO THIS TLEGORM TINTERN ABBEY WROTHAM YORWOOD

Destination……………..

GIBRATAR CAPETOWN CAPETOWN RIO CAPETOWN LISBON BA CAPETOWN CAPETOWN SUNK BY U126 SUNK BY U203 SUNK BY U126 SUNK BY U79 SUNK BY U203 CAPETOWN SUNK BY U203 GIBRATAR LISBON ALEXANDREIA CADIZ CAPETOWN HUELVA CAPETOWN CAPETOWN CAPETOWN SUNK BY U561 CAPETOWN

Name of escort …………..

HMS ALIS MA HMS BEGONIA HMS BLACK S WAN HMS DIANELLA HMS DRANGEY HMS FLEUR DE LYS HMS GOODWIN HMS JAS MINE HMS KINGCUP HMS LADY HOGARTH HMS LADY S HIRLEY HMS LARKSPUR HMS PAYNTER HMS PIMPERNEL HMS RHODODENDRON HMS S T NECTAN HMS S UNFLOWER

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Length of cover duty 21-26TH JULY 20TH 28TH JULY 19/20 JULY 21ST 26TH JULY FROM 20TH JULY 27TH JULY 1ST AUG. 19/20 JULY 20TH JULY 1ST AUG 21ST-26TH JULY 27TH JULY-1ST AUG 27-31 JULY 20TH JULY 1ST AUG. 19/20 JULY 20TH JULY IST AUG 20TH -30TH JULY 20TH JULY 1ST AUG. 21ST – 27TH JULY

DEEPLENS.COM UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY & WORLDWIDE SAFARIS AQUATIC IMAGERY SINCE 1985 deeplens@aol.com.

07518161970

For over 25 years we have been successfully organizing and leading photographic and shipwreck safaris around the world, using the very best livaboards and dive centres. Our destinations include:

Palau Truk Lagoon D Pearl Bay Maldives Egypt Sudan WE SPECIALISE IN WRECK HUNTING EXPEDITIONS and ASSOCIATED TRAINING

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APPENDIX 3 TOP TIPS FOR DIVING THE THISTLEGORM In October 2018 Coventry BSAC were on board our Suez Safari. They requested the Thistlegorm .There were 9 boats on site when we arrived- an estimate of 150 divers! It was to get worse as others arrived. An eye opener for them.

At 06.15 am next morning they witnessed 14 boats with an average of 15 divers, put their divers in the water. There was little ambient light.At 07.30 they dived- with the wreck all to themselves. As they exited their dive a hoard of day boats arrived with another 100 divers. And more followed. At 11.30 they dived again- between the waves of the other livaboards and dayboats. That experience prompted this appendix.So if you are planning your first THaISTLEGORM experience take heed.

1-LIVABOARD V DAY BOATIt’s a no brainer. Day boat diving is an early brutal start often on a small crowded boat-, no options as to when you dive in-out back in out head back to the Dunraven for a THIRD DIVE. Short surface interval meaning a shortened second dive- poor guide /guest ratio. Very little chance of an un crowded dive.

CHOOSE LIVABOARD. but which one?????

2- AVOID CONVOYS Several of the bigger operators have been recorded as having 3 boats at the site at the same time on the same schedule. So you could be on ALL the wrecks on the itinerary with up to 40 dives (+ those on your boat).Some boats now accommodate up to 30 divers! Choose wisely!

3-SMALL GROUPS. Limit the size of your group to 4 .Better still– dive in pairs (hop efully your on board guide won’t be a control freak)

4 -GUIDED GROUPS.

Some guides believe they can guide 12 divers through the wreck. A recipe for disaster, and a very poor dive for those behind number 4 ! How gas and divers well being can be monitored by these “sons of Poseidon” is a mystery to me!

5- NIGHT DIVE. Leave it late! Rush hour is an hour after sunset. Dinner is usually around 19.30. Sit and watch the wreck illuminated by 100 torches.

6- TIMING-IT’S EVERYTHING! Enough said!

7 IDENTIFY YOUR LINE(S).

With so many boats tired into the wreck- and some added during your dive make sure you know your lines. Often the

up line is different to the down line.

8-NITROX MIX. Nitrox 32 @1.5 ppo2.Some are brainwashed into diving to 1.2 ppo2.Don’t be a M .U.P.P.E.T. 9 CURRENT. Don’t get caught out-ALWAYS carry a DSM B- use the wreck’s interior as shelter- if the current is bow to stern swim through the wreck and get to the bow-enjoy the spectacle and drift back. Avoid the stern section on a night dive 10- CORRECT EQUIPMENT- Full wet suit- not shorties! Avoid using long fins, always carry a torch (and a sp are)

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The E book concept The idea of the E BOOK series came about after seeing so many incorrect publications quoting the wrong identity of the Tile Wreck at Abu Nuhas in the Red Sea. Desp ite a plethora of undeniable facts p resented by myself and members of the Red Sea Wreck Academy, self-proclaiming experts still, for reasons known only to them, continued to quote the M ARCUS as the CHRISOULA K. It was archive photographs from Howard Rosenstein and the location of the ships bell, which added weight to Stephan Jablonski’s accounts of the sinkings. This new material gave us enough to produce the first E book in 2008.

Being free from restrictions it soon found its way around the world and was passed on from diver to diver. It had the desired effect. Now more and more reports carry the correct identity .

It was also an opportunity to give something back to diving and promote the forthcoming “EGYPTIAN SHIPWRECKS.” The release of these books also marks 25 years in publication. Of course there was also controversy over the identity and purpose of the RUSSIAN WRECK at Zabagad, and this led to the second title.

THISTLEGORM REVEALED is a leader for the new publication “SUNDERLAND TO SUEZ THE STORY OF THE THISTLEGORM ”. “SUEZ WRECKS” highlights the achievements of our regular wreck hunting trips up into the Gulf, and “EGYPTIAN SHIPWRECKS” gives a glimpse of the forthcoming book featuring over 200 wrecks in Egyptian waters.

Tourist authorities have noticed the importance of their assets; wrecks are living underwater museums and commissions have flooded in from Leros, Egypt, Truk, Palau and Busuanga, to name but a few. “Promoting tourism through shipwrecks” has become our mission statement, and by the end of 2017 we will have completed 30 titles in the series. We intend to update the guides annually; all free in readable format (72dpi) and in hi res, printable versions from the deeplens website for a small fee.

So now we have a total of 23 titles available, (and several more on the way), yours to enjoy and pass on to anyone who may be interested with my compliments and don’t forget we run regular expeditions and a safari to all these featured wrecks…The project has only just begun….

PETER COLLINGS SSI PRO 5000

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PETER COLLINGS BIBLIOGRAPHY-PUBLICATIONS 1985- 2015

1986

2005

1988

2008

1991

2000

2008

2000

2009

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2001

2009

2002

2009

2002

2009

2010

2014

2010

2011

2015

2011

2012

2015

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2015

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2013

2015

2014

2014

COMING SOON

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PETER

COLLINGS has

guided

thousa nds of divers through the wreckage of the Thistle gorm, sharing his knowledge of the shipwreck a nd its colourful history. Peter has enlisted the help of m any leading experts to ensure this bo o k is the m o st factual and authentic bo o k ever written abo ut the ship.

Up to date diving information adds to the new m aterial unearthed over the years of research, to e nsure the visiting diver gets the most out o f what is a unique experie nce-diving the Thistle gorm.

Peter has been diving the wrecks o f the Red Se a

for

o ver 30 years, with several

internatio nal awards to his credit. His work has appeared in the international diving press with great regularity and his previo us 30 bo o ks have enjoyed world wide success.

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