| The Galicia.
A 5922-ton British ship, built of steel in 1901. On 12th
May 1917 she was going from London to Valparaiso with
a cargo of cloth and cement, plus some ammunition to be
delivered to Jamaica. On the way she was hit by a mine
laid by one of the German UC class submarines off Teignmouth.
As she slipped underwater her crew were landed safely
at Torquay. She now lies on a sandy bed at 18 metres and
is very broken up. The wreck site is spread over a large
area, the highest point is at 15 metres. There is a lot
of life living on and around the wreck including wrasse,
conger eels, lobsters and unique to this area; pink sea
fans. This can be a good night dive.
The Bretagne. On 10th
August 1918 the Bretagne, a schooner rigged steel steamer,
was struck by the French steamer Rene Marthe. The Bretagne
received a severe blow to her starboard side, the crew
abandoned ship as water lapped onto the deck, and then
the boat nose-dived to the bottom. Now she sits upright
on the bottom, 232ft long with a beam of 35ft, a small
ship but when visibility is good - and it can be superb-
she is a first class dive. The depth to her deck is
18 metres and it is 25 metres to the shingle seabed.
Lord Stewart. This wreck,
an armed merchantman of 1445-tons, lies completely upright
on the seabed and you can see the damage on the starboard
side where a torpedo struck her amidships on 16th September
1918. The 248ft ship lies in 36 metres and stands 9
metres proud.
Boma. A 2694-ton British
ship heading for St. Helens on the Isle Of Wight from
Belfast with a cargo of potatoes, hay and straw. She
was torpedoed on 11th June 1918, the crew took to the
boats and landed in Torquay, the Boma sank to a hard,
fine sand bed at 32 metres. Her bows are still intact
but her 312ft hull is badly broken. The highest point
of the wreck is at 19 metres.
Gefion. On 25th October
1917, the Gefion was torpedoed; the torpedo killed the
master and a seaman. She lies in a depth of 32 metres,
it is 25 metres to the highest point of the wreck. The
Gefion is broken amidships, the bow lies on its port
side, the engines are all visible and so are the boilers.
Perrone. This 3342-ton
steamer was 320ft long with a beam of 42ft. She was
torpedoed, all 36 crew managed to take to the boats
before she sank. She now lies 8 metres proud of a 32
metre sea bed and is badly broken.
Glocliffe. A steamship
that was torpedoed in an attack that killed tow of her
crew. The wreck is largely intact and lies on her port
side. There is a gun, which is mounted on the port side
of the stern. She lies on hard sand at 42 metres, with
the shallowest point at 34 metres.
Chateau Yquem. A French
steamer, of 1,913 tons. She was traveling from Dunkirk
to Barry in ballast, when torpedoed on the 30th June
1917. She sits upright at 44metres standing 16metres
proud. Bow and stern are in good condition, much of
the wooden decking can still be seen.
HMS Empress of India.
At 15.585-tons this ship is the largest that can be
dived in south Devon waters. She was used as a gunnery
target and sunk in 1913. The wreck lies upside down
and has been rated as a 'fabulous' dive. The depth to
the keel is just under 30 metres and it is 44 metres
to the sea bed. |
