This summer presented a few mysteries for the Gasperados exploratory team , as team diver and BSAC member Rick Ayrton recalls
UKDIVING
Wrecks of the Unexpected
This summer presented a few mysteries for the Gasperados exploratory team , as team diver and BSAC member Rick Ayrton recalls
Ah , the rugged shore and clear blue waters of North Cornwall . I have been here before , searching for North Cornish shipwrecks . Over 15 years ago a different team I was involved with was looking for the White Star Liner SS Armenian , which sunk on 28 June 1915 , torpedoed by the submarine , U-24 .
Potential targets were identified ; then as now , it was a case of praying to the weather gods and keeping fingers crossed , ticking off the targets with the help of Newquay-based skipper Chris Lowe and his boat Atlantic Diver .
During our searches we dived small coastal steamers and occasionally larger ships . On one occasion the team thought we had found the Armenian . You see , the wreck we dived had all the right features , including a lot of bones . The Armenian had a cargo of mules destined for the western front . However , the bones we found were those of butchered animals ; it turned out we had accidentally come across the wreck of HMS Patia ( torpedoed by UC 49 , 13th June 1918 ), an armed merchant cruiser carrying a cargo of sides of beef .
SS Armenian was eventually discovered lying at almost 100m , to the north of Lands End after historian and wreck hunter Innes McCartney had used German archive material to narrow down the search area . And so a chapter was closed .
Enter the Gasperados
In May 2023 , the Gasperados dive team assembled in Newquay for some exploratory wreck diving . We were looking for another wreck , a story I hope to tell in the future .
Again , using Atlantic Diver but not wanting our first dive of the series to be at our target depth , we scheduled a return to HMS Patia , where we were privileged to see it in stunning visibility , with ambient light at nearly 80m .
Following the Patia dive we would be heading into deeper water , searching where the depth was close to 100m , dive times were going to be limited and the ambient light present at 80m would fade
Dive boat Atlantic Diver coming in to pick up the author
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