Thistlegorm
Depth: 30m
Skill level: 20 dives
Access: liveaboard or dayboat from Sharm el Sheikh or Hurghada
Current: varies from mild to strong
Must see: the motorbikes and trucks; guns on the stern section; the dramatic bow viewed from the seabed; the Lee Enfield rifles and wellington boots
The Thistlegorm’s short life began in 1940, when she was launched by
Joseph Thompson and Sons in Sunderland – a town once regarded as the
very birthplace of ships, where whole communities lived and breathed
the daily grind of a centuries-old industry. It ended in the Gubal
Straits just over a year later. Re-assigned as an armed freighter, the
Thistlegorm was carrying vital supplies for British forces at Tobruk,
having travelled the long way round via the Cape of Good Hope, and was
forced to wait at anchor for two agonising weeks.
On the night of October 6, 1941, German bombers, believing they were about to attack a large troop ship rumoured to be the Queen Mary, chanced upon her. The Thistlegorm was a sitting duck: her meagre weaponry could do little against a squadron of Heinkels. The bombs struck one of the rear holds, killing four crew members and nine sailors. Fires broke out on the deck and there were acts of heroism as the remaining crew managed to make it to safety. With the Egyptian night sky lit up by the blazing ship, all 4,900 tonnes of her sank quickly to the seabed.
An extract from Dive Red Sea by Simon Rogerson and John McIntyre. To find out more about the Thistlegorm and many of the other Red Sea wrecks why not buy a copy.
ISBN-10: 0-09545199-3-0, ISBN-13: 978-0-9545199-3-3
RRP: £20.00 Buy online now
Skill level: 20 dives
Access: liveaboard or dayboat from Sharm el Sheikh or Hurghada
Current: varies from mild to strong
Must see: the motorbikes and trucks; guns on the stern section; the dramatic bow viewed from the seabed; the Lee Enfield rifles and wellington boots
The Thistlegorm’s short life began in 1940, when she was launched by
Joseph Thompson and Sons in Sunderland – a town once regarded as the
very birthplace of ships, where whole communities lived and breathed
the daily grind of a centuries-old industry. It ended in the Gubal
Straits just over a year later. Re-assigned as an armed freighter, the
Thistlegorm was carrying vital supplies for British forces at Tobruk,
having travelled the long way round via the Cape of Good Hope, and was
forced to wait at anchor for two agonising weeks. On the night of October 6, 1941, German bombers, believing they were about to attack a large troop ship rumoured to be the Queen Mary, chanced upon her. The Thistlegorm was a sitting duck: her meagre weaponry could do little against a squadron of Heinkels. The bombs struck one of the rear holds, killing four crew members and nine sailors. Fires broke out on the deck and there were acts of heroism as the remaining crew managed to make it to safety. With the Egyptian night sky lit up by the blazing ship, all 4,900 tonnes of her sank quickly to the seabed.
An extract from Dive Red Sea by Simon Rogerson and John McIntyre. To find out more about the Thistlegorm and many of the other Red Sea wrecks why not buy a copy.ISBN-10: 0-09545199-3-0, ISBN-13: 978-0-9545199-3-3
RRP: £20.00 Buy online now
