In 1955, Jacques Cousteau visited the wreck of the SS Thistlegorm, which lies at the bottom of the straits of Gubal, in the northern Red Sea. The wreck lay unexplored thereafter, until it was, in a sense, rediscovered in 1992. Today, more than six decades after the Thistlegorm last saw the sun, she is an amazing underwater museum. She is a memorial, and an underwater tomb. She is, for some, the dive of a lifetime; in 2007, The London Times has named her one of the world’s top ten dives.
SS Thistlegorm: Her History
Built for the Albyn Line by Joseph Thompson & Sons shipyard, the SS Thistlegorm, whose name means “Blue Thistle” in Gaelic, was a massive ship. Classified as an armed freighter, and partially financed by the British government, she was 419 feet long, and had a 59 foot beam. She was armed with a huge 4.7 inch anti-aircraft gun, as well as a heavy caliber machine gun astern. SS Thistlegorm was powered by a huge triple expansion 365 HP steam engine, and, during her years of service, carried out some very important missions.
Launched in 1940, Thistlegorm carried steel rails, aircraft parts, rum, sugar, and grain, as well as other vital goods. She completed three successful voyages, including trips to the United States, Argentina, and the West Indies. On June 2, 1941, SS Thistlegorm set sail from her home port of Glasgow, Scotland, on what would be her fourth, and final, voyage. She was on her way to Alexandria, Egypt, with a load of armored vehicles, Bedford trucks, motorcycles, aircraft parts, weapons and ammunition, two steam locomotives and their coal and water tenders, Wellington boots, and radio equipment.
Most of the cargo onboard the Thistlegorm was intended for Allied forces stationed in Egypt, while the locomotives were intended for Egyptian Railways use. The ship carried a small crew of 41 men, plus 9 British Navy personnel who were responsible for manning the guns.
October 6, 1941: SS Thistlegorm’s Demise
On October 6th of 1941, German forces dispatched two Heinkel He-111 bombers from their base in Crete, with the intent of locating some troop carriers which were said to be on their way to Egypt to join Allied forces. Though those aircraft did not locate their intended target, they did manage to bomb the Thistlegorm, which was, at the time, moored in Safe Anchorage F. The bombs struck the ship astern at 1:30 a.m., causing massive explosions of munitions and other items onboard. Four of her crew members and five members of the Royal Navy’s gun crew lost their lives. Survivors were picked up by the HMS Carlisle, which was moored nearby.
Diving The Wreck of The SS Thistlegorm
Today, SS Thistlegorm lies in just thirty meters of water, which boasts exceptional visibility most of the time. Local dive operators make frequent trips to the site, and, unlike many of the rest of the globe’s exceptional wreck dives, this is one trip that can be made by divers without deep diving or technical diving qualifications. The bow of the ship is accessible at fifteen meters, and the massive prop is located at twenty seven meters.
When Jacques Cousteau visited the wreck more than fifty years ago, he brought up the ship’s bell, along with the Captain’s safe, a motorcycle, and several other items. Today’s divers can view the cargo, some of which is still neatly stacked inside the holds, as well as explore the open reaches of the decks and outlying areas, where still more artifacts, including part of one of the railway engines, can be seen.
Heaps of Wellington boots, motorcycles and trucks, and the ghostly guns that stand as sentinels over the abundance of marine life, as well as the occasional clank of a chain as the current flows past, make this dive both eerie and incredible.
Most divers who make the expedition to see the Thistlegorm end up making several descents, as it is impossible to see every haunting detail in a single dive.