Deep Wreck Diver

Happy birthday to me!

Two years ago I celebrated by recovering the engine maker's plate from the SS Lucent thus solving another underwater mystery ..... as an added bonus I also got a decent sized lobster!

The SS Lucent was a 1,409 ton British steamship, built in Sunderland in 1879. On 12 February 1917, she was carrying government stores from Cardiff to St Malo when she was intercepted by the German submarine UC 66, around 20 miles east of the Lizard.

Lucent was captured, shelled and sunk, although thankfully there were no casualties. UC 66 had already sunk the White Star liner SS Afric earlier that same day.

#deepwreckdiving #deepwreckdiver #technicaldiving

14 hours ago | [YT] | 8

Deep Wreck Diver

No video today I'm afraid 😥

I just ran out of time. Next week is also looking super busy so it may be two weeks in a row 😱

The good news is that there are loads of videos on my channel so why not watch an old favourite or check out one of my unloved videos!

youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS...

If you do decide to watch one then it would be great if you were able to give it a like and leave a comment 🙏

2 days ago | [YT] | 1

Deep Wreck Diver

100,000 followers on Facebook. Bonkers, amazing, unbelievable.

I’m still stunned that so many people are interested in what I do, and even more pleased that you seem to enjoy the wrecks, the history, the diving and the stories behind them.

Thank you to everyone who watches, comments, shares and supports what I do, whether that is here or over on Facebook. It means a lot.

There is plenty more to come. More wrecks, more history, more diving and, I’m sure, plenty more stories.

#Deepwreckdiver #WreckDiving #technicaldiving #closedcircuitrebreather

4 days ago | [YT] | 344

Deep Wreck Diver

Is this the bell from HMS Stock Force?

For many Plymouth divers, Stock Force was one of the great local mysteries. During the early 2000s, a huge amount of time and effort went into searching for her, but the recorded sinking position was badly wrong. She was eventually located in 2013, 60 metres deep and miles from where everyone had been looking.

Stock Force began life as a small merchant steamer before being converted into a Q ship, with concealed guns and a crew trained to maintain the appearance of a helpless cargo vessel.

On 30 July 1918 she was torpedoed by the German submarine UB-80. Despite being badly damaged, her crew maintained the deception until the submarine presented a good target, then opened fire with their hidden guns. Her commanding officer, Lieutenant Harold Auten, was awarded the Victoria Cross for the action.

The story became so famous that it was turned into the 1928 silent film Q Ships. Auten and five members of his original crew appeared as themselves!

Fran recovered this bell from the wreck in 2020. Sadly, there is no name on it, so it cannot provide the absolute proof everyone would love. Given other corroborating factors, such as the size, layout and armament of the wreck, it is almost certain that it belonged to HMS Stock Force.

The most amazing thing is that the bell was almost exactly where you'd expect to find it on a wreck. It's also incredible that no-one else had found it before!

#HMSStockForce #QShip #WreckDiving #MaritimeHistory

5 days ago | [YT] | 11

Deep Wreck Diver

What actually makes a sidemount CCR?

SUMP UK, producer of the innovative and tiny S7 CCR, posted this meme after a video from ‪@Señorscuba‬ sparked an interesting debate - https://youtu.be/PqTDf0dt7d8

Henry’s argument was that the S7 cannot really be classed as a sidemount rebreather because, once it is fitted, there is no room to wear a chestmount unit as well. He wanted to use it as part of a dual CCR configuration, but does not feel that is realistically possible.

That raises a bigger question. Is a sidemount CCR defined simply by where the unit sits, or should it also leave the diver’s chest clear to fit another CCR?

So is the S7 really a sidemount CCR or, whisper it quietly... a chestmount? 😂

I don’t have a dog in this fight, but I’ll be interested to see how the debate develops.

#CCRdiving #SidemountCCR #TechnicalDiving #RebreatherDiving

1 week ago | [YT] | 4

Deep Wreck Diver

A sad end to a WW2 survivor.

On 25 July 1957, HMS Untiring was sent to the bottom off Start Point after being used as an ASDIC target by the Royal Navy.

Built by Vickers Armstrong on the Tyne, the U class submarine entered service in June 1943 and operated extensively in the Mediterranean. During the war, she sank a succession of German vessels, including merchant ships, submarine chasers, a minesweeper, a netlayer and several smaller craft.

Untiring survived the war and was transferred to the Royal Hellenic Navy, where she served as Xifias. She was returned to Britain in 1952 before finally being expended as an antisubmarine warfare target five years later.

Today, HMS Untiring lies in around 53 metres of water, resting on her starboard side. One of the most interesting features of the wreck is the bronze conning tower, which has become detached and now lies on the seabed beside the submarine.

Even more remarkably, both propellers are still in place.

For divers, she offers a rare chance to explore a largely intact British wartime submarine. A vessel built to hunt enemy shipping, which survived everything the war could throw at her, only for the Royal Navy itself to finally send her to the seabed.

#HMSUntiring #SubmarineWreck #WreckDiving #RoyalNavy

1 week ago | [YT] | 7

Deep Wreck Diver

One of the greatest technical diving books ever written has just been reissued in the UK.

If you have never read Shadow Divers, where have you been?

The book follows the incredible exploits of John Chatterton and Richie Kohler during their six year quest to identify U Who, a mysterious German Second World War U boat that everyone insisted could not possibly be there.

I have been sent a complimentary copy, but as I already own one, I am giving it away to one lucky person.

To enter, simply put the real identity of U Who in the comments.

A week from today, I will choose someone at random and post the book out to them.

You can also hear the tale in Richie's own words here - https://youtu.be/oFQtgDZe_9A

#Deepwreckdiver #WreckDiving #technicaldiving #closedcircuitrebreather

1 week ago | [YT] | 168

Deep Wreck Diver

Milestones shouldn't matter, but of course they do!

Today, this channel reached 25,000 subscribers. A few days ago it also went through 3.5 million views 😍

Both those numbers blow me away.

I'm humbled and grateful that my content has resonated with so many. A heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you who has contributed to this milestone - every like, sub, share, comment, and watch is greatly appreciated 👍

Thank you so much for your support. I’ll keep doing my best to create content that you enjoy, so please keep the feedback coming and let me know what you’d like to see more (or less!) of.

1 week ago | [YT] | 263

Deep Wreck Diver

On 23 July 1918, HMS Marmora was sunk off the coast of Ireland.

Built by Harland and Wolff, the Belfast shipyard that also built Titanic, Marmora was launched in 1903. The 168 metre, 10,500 ton liner originally carried P&O passengers to Australia and India.

Following the outbreak of the First World War, she was requisitioned by the Admiralty and converted into an armed merchant cruiser, carrying eight 4.7 inch guns and depth charges.

On 23 July 1918, while escorting a convoy, Marmora was struck by two torpedoes fired by the German submarine UB 64. Within half an hour, it was clear that she could not be saved and the order was given to abandon ship.

Ten men lost their lives, almost certainly in the initial explosions.

There are not many diveable ocean going liners left to discover around the British Isles. Most have already been found, lie beyond practical diving depths, or were lost much farther from our shores. That makes every remaining discovery particularly special.

For more than a century, Marmora remained undived. In September 2024, I was fortunate to be part of the Team Darkstar expedition that finally reached the wreck, lying 70 nautical miles off Ireland in around 120 metres of water.

Despite being heavily broken, her enormous bronze propeller, guns, bridge equipment and P&O crockery helped confirm her identity. Knowing that we were the first people to see those objects since the ship went down in 1918 was an extraordinary experience.

#HMSMarmora #Shipwreck #MaritimeHistory #WreckDiving

1 week ago | [YT] | 17

Deep Wreck Diver

The German Type VIIC submarine U-1021 lies off the North Cornish coast in just over 50 metres.

The story of how it was lured into a deep minefield in the dying days of WW2 is well known and covered in my video of this dive - https://youtu.be/TtCluUD9wfA

Later on this week, subject to weather, I hope to dive an unknown submarine lying in 70 metres off the Devon coast. Discovered a few weeks ago by Skindeeper & Portland Gas Shack we hope to gather further details that may allow it to be identfiied!

Wish us luck ....

#Deepwreckdiver #WreckDiving #technicaldiving #closedcircuitrebreather

1 week ago | [YT] | 12