Wrecks

Location: Reef Sha'ab Ali, Red Sea, Egypt.
GPS: 27° 48,803'N, 33° 55,238' E

English freighter, sunken by German bomber planes 6.october 1941 during WWII. The Thistlegorm weighed 4898 tons (9009 displacement tons), was 126,5 meters long. Engine output 1.850 hp, giving the ship a speed of approximately 10,5 knots. Fitted with light weaponry consisting in a 4.7-inch light antiaircraft gun and a 40-millimeter antiaircraft machine gun. Launched 9.April 1940 at the shipyard of Thompson & Sons Ltd in Sunderland. It was assigned to transport supplies and war material to English armed forces.




0466-21-2004
The bow of Thistlegorm and divers

Former names: Pungo, Möwe, Greenbier

Location: Vadheim in Sognefjorden, Norway.

0630-26-2005
The bow of Oldenburg and techdivers.

Built in Wesermünde, German, initially named Pungo, was launched in 1914 and was intended as a fruit transport ship. At 117,0x 15,0x 9,0m (408x 52x 31 feet), weighed 4595tons, displacing 9,800 tons fully loaded, she was designed primarily to haul bananas to Germany from the Cameroon

Pungo, renamed Möve, was converted to an auxiliary cruiser with cleverly disguised heavy armament. During her war service was used for mine laying operations in the North Sea and then made two North Atlantic raids sinking, capturing or mining a total of about 45 ships. This made it the most successful surface raider in World War I.

She survived World War I, was handed over to England under war reparations, renamed Greenbrier and hauled fruit as originally designed.

In 1933 she was sold to Germany and renamed Oldenburg. There she served as a merchant ship, but in World War II was again pressed into military service in support of the Norwegian campaign.

She ended her days on April 7, 1945 when she was sunk in a rocket attack by Allied British Beaufighters in Vadheim, Norway. land-2005-07-17-045 (right): Picture shows the location of Oldenburg. There is a shotline to the bow at 26m and one to the wheel house at about 50m (red arrows).

Möwe means seagull in German. Various spellings can be found on the Internet: Möwe, Möve, Møwe, Mowe, Moewe and Moeve.

Former names: Wascana, Wagama, Atlas

Location: Brekke, Instefjorden in Sognefjorden, Norway.






0631-13-2005
The bow of Ingerseks and techdivers.

English freighter built in Middlesbrough, UK, initially named Wascana, was launched in July-1913. 115m x 15m (380,1x 52,3 feet), weighed 4969tons, displacing 8,200 tons. Later on a 10 years time charter trading ore as Wagama. Renamed A/S Atlas in 1927. Sold in May-1934 to Jacob Kjøde A/S, Bergen and renamed Ingerseks.

Ingerseks went down in Østersjøen in Mars-1942, but there rised and repaired.

Ingerseks there seized by Germans in Desember-1944, and gets a German crew. On a voyage to Germany with fuel. On April-23-1945 the ship gets in to Brekke under the mountain in hope the Allied will not spot her. She is found by 18 British Beaufighters from Dallachy Strike Wing. They put the ship on fire with rockets and bombs, and she sinks the next day. land-2005-07-30-005 (right): Picture shows the location of Ingerseks. The wreck starts at 26m and goes down to 60m. Diving from the shore involvs a steep climbe with a lot of heavy gear (left: land-2005-07-30-027).