Thistlegorm

One of the highlights of our diving vacation (already 2,5 weeks ago already....I don't have the time to complete all my draft posts!)  was diving the Thislegorm wreck. Previous diving vacation we arrived in Sharm on the day the diveclub went to the Thislegorm, so we missed it but this time we had more luck. 

It takes some effort though...shuttle pick-up at 4 AM to leave the harbour at 5AM.   Sharm's pretty quiet at that time a day, except for Naama Bay where some partiers were still hanging on. 

While leaving the harbour we saw an extremely quick sunrise after which everyone on the boat went back to sleep. 

After an early morning dive at Ras Mohammed and a few more hours of sleeping on the boat, we arrived at our destination...with some oil islands at the horizon. Only 6 more diving boats anchored...pheww, not too busy today. This can be quite differently, so I learned.

And then it was time to go under...to explore this famous WWII museum.

In 1941, the SS Thislegorm was on its way to supply the British Army in Alexandra during its 4th sea journey. It had left from Glasgow but because the Germans were in control of the Mediterrean, it had made the tour around Africa.  In the night of Oct 6th 1941,  2 German bombers returned from a mission and had 2 bombs left. When they discovered the large freight ship and some other ship in the Red Sea, they dropped their last bombs on the biggest target. One bomb was a hit, right on the ammunition stored. There were 9 victims but the rest of the crew survived fortunately (partially by some heroic rescue acts from one of the crew members) and was picked up by other cargo closeby...  The SS Thislegorm itself sunk taking its cargo full of trucks, motorcycles, plane motors, 2 locomotives for the first Egyptian railroad, boxes with rifles, etc... All of it still well visible while diving.

Aaah truly one of the best wreck diving sites in the world! Impressive. They can wake me up again in the middle of the night for another visit to this underwater military museum.

SS Thistlegorm

panzer on Thislegorm

anti-aircraft gun at stern ship...proven useless

Collapsing railway tanker

rifles