First dive of the year was last Sunday. With beautiful conditions on the surface we broke a thin sheet of ice as we left the berth in Kip Marina, glad I had my dry gloves with me. Dive plan for the day was the wreck of the mighty Akka off Dunoon, followed by dives further south on the Wallachia and in Wemyss Bay. We arrived on site in blazing … [Read more...]
A Case of Mistaken Identity……….
We have been adding more wrecks to the Clyde area in recent weeks, concentrating on the outer Firth of Clyde and south of a line between Turnberry and Pladda lighthouses. With the advent of portable GPS units and more powerful fish finders, the lower Clyde was a focus for divers during the late 80’s and early 90’s. There were a good number of … [Read more...]
Clyde Magnetic Mine Mayhem
The sinking of the Ardrossan steam trawler Ethel Crawford sparked a three month search covering 1,000 square miles of the Clyde estuary in April 1945. The trawler had been fishing 5 miles south west of Ailsa Craig on the 20 April when she was blown in half by a German magnetic mine, killing all ten crew. Less than a month later, … [Read more...]
Saint Dunstan Dive
The Saint Dunstan, a WWII freighter was torpedoed off Northern Ireland on 25 August 1940 while in a convoy heading for Canada. The steamship did not sink immediately and was taken in tow for the Clyde, but sank 2 days later 4.75 miles NE of Pladda in the Lower Firth. The wreck was visited, probably for the first time, at the end of … [Read more...]
Loss of HMS Sturdy
Ian Crawford recounts the tragic loss of HMS Sturdy and five of her crew during a storm, off the west coast of Tiree in 1940. https://www.scottishshipwrecks.com/hms-sturdy/ … [Read more...]
