SS Thistlegorm

by underwaterkingdomsin Dive Siteson Posted on

The Thistlegorm is widely regarded as one of the top ten wreck dives globally. Despite its considerable size, this wreck rests in relatively shallow water, making it accessible to recreational divers. You have to be Advanced Open Water to dive here as the bottom of the wreck sits around 34m.

Story Behind The Wreck 

The SS Thistlegorm was built in Sunderland, England in 1940. The company that built the ship, Albyn Line named all their ships after the National Scottish flower, thistle. The Thistlegorm translated to English means “Blue Thistle”.

In June 1941 she left Glasgow, Scotland to head to Alexandria, Egypt with additional supplies for the British army. The ship was fitted with a 120mm anti-aircraft gun and heavy-calibre machine, ready for any conflict. This was a supply ship, so there were only 41 crew members onboard. Once it made its way around Africa as there was too much risk taking it through the Mediterranean sea at that time. The Thistlegorm moored in the Red Sea until it could get through.

Whilst it was moored in the Red Sea, German troops got intel that there were ships on their way bringing in more enemy troops. So they sent their planes to bomb these ships. Due to the size of the SS Thistle they believed that this was the ship that was bringing in a number of troops, so they bombed the ship. On the 6th October The Thistlegorm sank to the sea floor within ten minutes of the attack, resulting in the tragic loss of nine crew members. Fortunately, the other ships carrying additional troops managed to reach their destination safely.

The Wreck

The SS Thistlegorm is a large wreck, the ship is nearly 130m/415 ft. long. The top of the wreck sits around 16m/53 ft. This is a dive site that you want to take your time on, you want to do more than one dive here. The Thistlegorm is a popular place for liveaboards as you can do 3/4 dives here in one day.

Your first dive should be your deepest, so this would be a good opportunity to explore the outside or penetrate the bottom section. Inside, you’ll encounter an array of wartime relics; army trucks, boots, plane parts, locomotives , motorbikes and much more. This is certainly a dive where you will need to bring a torch if you are going inside, the ship goes so far that you lose all natural light in there. The deteriorating condition of the wreck and the potential for stirring up silt means you’ll need to maintain good buoyancy throughout your dive.

If exploring inside the wreck isn’t your preference, the exterior offers plenty to see. You have the chance to explore the tank wagons, locomotives, the bridge and also the area where the ship was hit. There are tanks and ammunition out in the open, you want to take your time around this area, there is a lot hidden on the floor that can easily be overlooked. The big showstoppers on the outside of the ship are the anti-aircraft gun and heavy-calibre machine gun which are located at the ship’s stern. 

The Marine Life

There is plenty of marine life that call this wreck home. Inside the wreck you will be greeted with sweeper fish and snappers, swimming through the fish and then seeing the supplies makes for a great underwater video, if you have the right lighting. Take extra care with your position in the water as there are many scorpion fish and lionfish throughout the wreck. 

On the outside of the wreck you have a chance to see the following: 

  • Giant moray eels
  • Brown marbled groupers
  • Trevally
  • Tuna
  • Stingrays
  • Anthias
  • Scorpionfish
  • Lionfish
  • Pufferfish
  • Triggerfish
Yellow Edged Moray
Lyretail Anthias

The Future of the Wreck

Currently, the Thistlegorm lacks a permanent mooring line. Previous attempts to secure a line on the seabed were unsuccessful due to strong currents that moved the base. Consequently, dive guides will secure a temporary line to the wreck for each dive. Unfortunately, this method has led to some damage over time due to the strain on the wreck’s structure from the boats above. With the boats on the surface pulling on those ropes tied to the boat has weakened/broken pieces off the wreck over the years. 

As the wreck is out in the open, you can experience some strong current whilst you are there, so it is important to make sure you do your safety stop on a mooring line.

This is one of the best wrecks in the world, the godfather of SCUBA diving, Jacques Coutseau, had discovered the wreck back in the 1950’s. There are a number of videos on YouTube that documents the discovery, but this is another dive site that needs to be ticked off your bucket list. You will leave the dive site amazed.

The Thistlegorm Project has created detailed 3D maps of the wreck. Click here to explore these maps and learn more about their project.

What to watch out for?

As there can potentially be more than one boat moored onto the wreck, it is very important that you take note as to which line is yours as you don’t want to be climbing onto another boat.

Click image to enlarge

Main image courtesy of Jason  Giannaras Photography.