James Hickman offers a tour of a seldom dived wreck off the Northumberland coast , with photography by Brian Hickman
WRECKED
Diver exploring the starboard side
SS Nidelven
James Hickman offers a tour of a seldom dived wreck off the Northumberland coast , with photography by Brian Hickman
The Farne Islands have always been a popular destination for UK divers , with something for everyone ; from wrecks to reefs , all in accessible depths . However , few divers head south when launching from either Seahouses or Beadnell , and this article aims to introduce one of the many fantastic wrecks that lie between Beadnell and Amble .
Finding the Nidelven is relatively simple . Plug in the co-ordinates and head south from either Seahouses or Beadnell ( the latter being closer ). Allow around an hour to travel to the site and shot the wreck . The Nidelven lies upright in around 40m of water and this wreck tour begins at the rear of the vessel , which the co-ordinates are for . However , when you shot the wreck , you will most likely find that you end up in the middle of the ship , as this now gives the biggest echo and is the most substantial section .
The seabed here consists of a mixture of shale and sand , so if your shot does come off the wreck there is nothing to hold it . A good recommendation , depending on the number of waves of divers , is to use a tidal pip so that the first pair can go in with the tide slightly running a little before slack . The first pair of divers in can tie a lifting bag to the shot , which the last pair in can lift . The slack water window is around 45 minutes on neaps .
Sadly , the stern of the ship is no longer intact and recently collapsed , peeling apart from the rudder post down , leaving an eerie sentinel covered in marine growth . Nevertheless , it is still a pretty sight , and has left the steering gear exposed giving clues as to how this section of the vessel worked . Bits of decking hang forlornly over the rear of the wreck , and below this , the rudder still points to port in memoriam of its final manoeuvre .
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Bamburgh
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Seahouses
Northumberland
Beadnell
Embleton Craster
Longhoughton
Approximate location of SS Nidelven
Explosion on the starboard side
The SS Nidelven was a 1262-ton passenger and cargo ship that was built , and launched , in Trondheim , Norway , in 1908 . She was just over 70m long , with a beam of around 10m , and capable of producing 132 nominal horsepower from her three-cylinder triple expansion steam engine . Her single iron propeller is still present on the wreck today .
On 27 April 1917 , the Nidelven was heading for Svolvær , Norway , via Lerwick in Shetland from the Tyne , England . She was carrying a cargo of coal and passengers when she struck a mine laid by UC-29 , commanded by Kapitäleutnant Ernst Rosenow . The mine exploded on her starboard side and the Nidelven sank with the loss of three of her crew , the mine having only been laid the previous day . Between HMS Test , HMS Penn , and a local trawler , the survivors were rescued and landed at Leith , Scotland . UC-29 was sunk by fire from HMS Pargust in the Irish Sea in June later that year .
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