1st and 2nd July
Fraser and I had agreed to join Jason P on the UKRS boat this weekend out of Weymouth. Diving was to be with the infamous Woody of RJRW – the air turns blue when he is around but he can shot a wreck with the best of them and the boat and lift are nice too.
Saturday
I had been told that we were to dive the Buccaneer but get to the dive boat to find out that it is the Boadicea – good job we don’t do this dive planning business
The day gets off to a shaky start when the props pick up a rope but Gordon jumps in and frees it – it is to be the only dive he does that day as his drysuit zip gives up when he gets out. Not that badly delayed we set off again and get to the site in good time. Fraser sets things off to a good start when he spots a sunfish floating past the boat
The Boadicea, a British destroyer, was an unlucky victim of WW2. She was hit directly in the forward magazine by an aerial torpedo which completely blew the fore part of the ship away, sending her quickly to the bottom. What remains of the bow is scattered across the seabed but her amidships and stern make a superb dive with much to see, she even has depth charges still in the racks. Max depth 53m.
We jump in to good viz and a pleasant dive. The bow of this wreck has gone completely but the stern makes for impressive viewing and we hang off it for a while to take in the ambiance. Both of us say afterwards that we were very aware of the massive loss of life on this wreck which is a war grave and could imagine the panicked scenes knowing that the Luftwaffe were heading towards the ship.
There are depth charges galore on what is left of the decks and a large rack of torpedoes. There are holes which look inviting but the inside is out of bounds and we are happy to honour this. A huge wrasse clearly knows this and hovers just inside – startling in its mating colours.
We do what is, for 24 hours at least, our deepest and longest UK sea dive – thumb it and ascend off the wreck quickly – to have a near miss with a large gun which is a few meters proud of where we start our ascent. Watch your head!
Deco is uneventful – as it should be – apart from a lot of p!$$ taking on the 6 metre stop and we get out to make our way back to Weymouth to find out if the World Cup is over for England. Breakwater were accommodating with the fills even though we got back late – much appreciated.
Sunday
The 4th HMS WARRIOR was a 1266 ton Yacht built in Troon for F W Vanderbilt in 1904. Launched as WARRIOR she was renamed GIOZEKA ISARRA (MORNING STAR) when she was bought by Sir Ramon De La Sota of Bilbao in 1920. During the Spanish Civil War she was used by the Basque Government sailing between Spanish and French Biscay ports carrying refugees and wounded Spanish children. In 1937 she was purchased by Sir Hugo Cunliffe-Owen and reverted to the name WARRIOR. In World War II she was commissioned as HMS WARRIOR II and fitted with 2 x 12 pdr guns. On 11 July 1940 she was sunk, with one fatality, by air attack off Start Point in the Channel. Her crusader figurehead and decorated binnacle are still retained by the De La Sota family.
The start was early as we had elected to jump tides and both Fraser and I groaned at the prospect of a 6am start with no breakfast – despite ordering a full fry up with the Skipper – his response was fittingly colourful
We made good time to the site and the current was still running hard when we got there. The sea was millpond like and waiting for slack was a joy in the sun.
We jumped in and I lead us off down the vertical shot – stopping for a bubble check and then fell like a stone – which earned me a telling off later on! Never mind - we were on the wreck two minutes later with lots of time and gas to explore.
I was a bit fed up to find that the sea bed was almost featureless, with the odd plate loose – although every single one had a lobster or a conger looking out… I had expected a lot more relief on this wreck, and was very disappointed.
I then spotted a blue ceramic tile. Wow – big deal.
And then another. And then loads, still in their familiar grid pattern.
It wasn’t the sea bed – we are on the deck of the wreck – and in the swimming pool!
I remembered now that Mark told me there are two on board here. It’s quite surreal knowing that you are diving in a swimming pool at 54 metres. I pondered how to tell Fraser what it was – could I mime breaststroke without him thinking I’d gone stark staring mad…. Nah – I’d tell him on the surface.
A couple of fin kicks later and the structure looms up - wow…………
This is heaven. There is a huge gun, the boiler is the biggest I have ever seen – there are square portholes – and everywhere there is life – wrasse, bib, edible crabs and a free swimming conger – which is clearly intent on hunting amongst the wreckage.
We head for the stern – we don’t make it, it is just too far as the wreck is fascinating and there is no hurry. Viz is between 10 and 12 metres – which is enough to appreciate her scale – and the fact that large parts are still quite intact.
I thumb it just under the half hour and we hit our first deep stop still grinning – grins which continue all the way through deco.
I included the profile on the basis that it seems the done thing on here at the mo - and also because i was pleased as punch to work out how the hell to do it!
What a day – what a weekend. More diving than a Portuguese footballer – with a better result as well.
