UKDIVING
Brass wheel with anchor behind
the Jason divers were ready to jump into deeper water the next day .
The dive day complete , we turned our attention to HMS Jason . Slack water was calculated from the nearest tidal diamonds on the chart . Bob proposed getting on site in plenty of time to allow careful shotting of the wreck . We were all aware that Jason posed a very small target , she was only 70m long with a beam of 8.23m . Reports at the time of sinking suggested that the mine damage had likely removed a good part of the bow . Bob would earn his keep getting the shot onto the wreck .
Anchor amid the debris
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The excitement on Clasina ’ s bridge was palpable as the first signs of wreckage on the sounder brought the day ’ s challenge closer . I was going to be first in with buddy Will Schwarz ; our job would be to release a small buoy or pellet to signal to the surface we were on the wreck , and make sure the shotline was secure . Other contingencies were made should the wreck not be present .
The time came to get kitted-up methodically , making sure everything was as it should be . Will and I were called and approached the gate ; after some manoeuvring , we were given the signal to
go . After jumping , we stopped at about 5m to check one another then headed down the line . Surface visibility was good , but there was still a bit of current running so it wasn ’ t the easiest descent I ’ ve done .
The light gradually dimmed to nothing , so that all I could see was Will ’ s silhouette against his own torch light . Eventually he stopped and I caught up . I saw the wreck and immediately released the pellet to signal those on the surface . [ Two and a half hours later , when I returned safely to the Clasina , I learned that a massive cheer erupted on the boat when the pellet broke surface ].
Undisturbed artifacts
Having sorted myself out , I swam up to the shotline to fix my strobe , which was flashing dementedly along with Will ’ s . They would help to guide us back to the safety of the line for our ascent . It was dark as night but our torches enabled about 5m of visibility .
Heading from the shotline , I saw a brass wheel half buried in the sand then further on we reached one of the propeller shafts , following it to a three-bladed propellor . HMS Jason had two props but we only saw one ; a second is presumably buried somewhere beneath the wreckage .
Will swam around the stern and later reported that its shape was pointed , which is correct for HMS Jason . We moved forward and came across a strange