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Swanage Wrecks
Submitted by Adrian Colegate on 10-Jun-2010 09:39:34
HMS CarantanThis French submarine hunter sank during a fierce south-westerly storm, only six of the 23 crew were saved. At the time of her sinking she was operating as an escort and support vessel to the British Submarine HMS Rorqual.
She lies on her port side on rock and slate bed. Both propellers have been lifted. The hull has a twist in the middle. Parts of the superstructure remain, as does much ammunition. She is a small ship measuring 116ft long with a narrow beam of only 18ft and weighing 400 tons. She is well broken, but still worth a dive. Laying in 28m of water and again only 500m from the Kyarra with the same slack times
The 407 ton French submarine chaser was taken over by the Royal Navy at fall of France in 1940. She was built in 1939 measuring 116ft x 18ft. Armed with 75mm field gun, one 2-pounder, two 20mm Oerlikons, four machine guns and depth charges. She is owned by a local Swanage man Eddie Bennet.
KyarraThis wreck was not discovered until the late 1960's by a member of the Kingston and Elmbridge BSAC club (London) and later bought by the group. By now the Kyarra must be the best known wreck on the south coast. On any summer weekend there could be up to 100 divers on the wreck, this could put you off but when you consider the size of this ship, over 400' long, 6000 tons and still standing 30' feet proud of the sea bed, there will still be room for one or two more. There's still a lot of cargo on this wreck, the list of items found grows longer every week. This ship belongs to Kingston & Elmbridge Subaqua club but all the cargo belongs to HM Government so all finds must be reported to Receiver of Wrecks. The best time to dive is on a week day with a neap tide. Local dive boats will visit the Kyarra with two divers or more and you may find yourself the only diver there. Tides are a problem with the slack window down to 5-10 minutes on springs but the wreck normally has a shot line attached which shows the tide dying away. You should also use a delayed SMB as it allows diver to surface away from the shot.
The Australian steamer used as casualty-clearing ship, built 1903. 415ft x 52ft 770hp triple-expansion engines. Armed: 4.7in guns on stern. Cargo: 2600 tons general and Australian mails, plus hospital supplies and medical staff, Tilbury for Sydney, Australia, via Devonport to embark 1,000 Australian wounded.
She was covered from bow to stern in brass portholes. The 'Kyarra' (the name is aboriginal for a small fillet of opossum fur) traded between England and Australia under the flag of the United Steam Navigation Company Limited of London. During World War 1 she was used as a hospital ship to bring home casualties from the battlefields of Flanders.
The Kyarra was sunk in 1918 by a torpedo portside amidships from UB-57 (Oberleutnant Johann Lohs), killing all 6 crew members. This is a very popular wreck, allowing trainee sports divers to build up depth experience and making an enjoyable accessible dive for those who are more experienced. There are many brass portholes to look through, and the holds still contain perfume, champagne, stout, red wine and vinegar bottles. Sealing wax, medical supplies, dentist’s porcelain teeth, collar studs, gold, silver and brass watches, pipes, fountain pens and hockey sticks. More recently part of a dinner set has been found. There is also some fish life including zebra gobies and dogfish.
Betsy AnnaThe Betsy Anna was an 880 tonne steel steamer, built on the banks of the river Tyne in 1892. She struck Prawle Point in Devon in October 1926 but was re-floated and taken under tow towards Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, for major repairs. She sank, in her current position, after beginning to take on water and breaking her tow. She is lying upright in 24m of water, approximately 5 miles East of Swanage. The top of the bow section, in around 18 metres as the bow collapsed backwards, so now stands 4m high pointing upwards.
The Betsy Anna was fitted with one main and one donkey boiler. It is well worth spending some time in the space between the two. Inside the boilers you will find a number of conger eels,the larger ones can be found in the main boiler.
Now head on from the boilers along the port side to the engine room area. The engine block itself is at first confusing, until the distinctive shape of the three cylinder heads tells you that it is on its side. This allows you to view the piston rods and crankshaft, which are usually hidden away. From here, you can now follow the propeller shaft all the way to the stern of the ship.
This wreck is covered in schools of large Bib and Pollock, particularly between the boilers and stern so, even on a day with good visibility, you may not be able to see the large section of stern until you are right next to it. This mid section is a good place to spot the different types of wrasse that make this ship their home and the odd Tompot Blenny and Lobster can be seen peaking out between the plate work.
The stern section is lying on its starboard side. What is left of the iron propeller can be seen as you swim around the rudderpost. The blades were smashed off when the Betsy Anna hit the rock that eventually proved her downfall.
Rounding the stern, spend some time inspecting this intact section. There is even some of the deck railing left. Now swim up the starboard side of the ship. It can be easy to become disorientated in this broken area of the wreck, as some wreckage will lead you away from the main body of the ship. There are a number of abandoned lobster pots in this area too. Not surprising as a number of good-sized edible and Spider crab can be found amongst the ribs of the ironwork. As you swim past the boilers again, have a look for more Congers. Sometimes there are even more in the wreckage around the boilers.
Heading forwards now will take you, through more wreckage and schools of fish, to the intact bow section. It sits in the sand pointing up to the surface. Here you can swim inside the bow, which is like being inside a well-stocked aquarium due to the number of fish that shelter here. If you are lucky, you will also find the Cuttle fish that lives in the bow. Also, if you go around to the front of the bow you may find a territorial John Dory patrolling its patch
Peverill Ledges2 hours after high water Kyarra you can dive the Peveril Ledge just to the east of Swanage, a nice area with gullies 2-15m deep. You should try and keep inside the buoy as it can shelve away to 27m close to the east. There is a deep pit 300m to the SE of the buoy (The well) and its 38m deep not a place to visit on a second dive. However some experienced divers have done the dive, which they claimed was very enjoyable. This site is not diveable when spring ebbs away
Swanage Boat Charters
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