wreck rap THIS PAGE: Divers explores the wreck of the Lermon- tov

Text and photos by Kevin Davidson Make way for the shoreline— the ship is taking on water and fast! Perhaps these were not the exact words used to describe the situation, but the sinking of the MS Mikhail Lermontov has now become one of the largest diveable wrecks in for both recreational and tech- nical divers.

Lermontov Wreck

The 155-meter-long Mikhail Lermontov Don Jamison. With the captain gone to clearly shown on the charts. was part of a fleet of five luxury liners his cabin and Jamison in charge, the har- The vessel was drawing about 27 feet. named after famous Russian writers and bor master took a course between the Captain Jamison claimed his understand- was a regular cruise ship in New Zealand lighthouse and the end of Cape Jackson ing of the depth in the channel to be 35 waters. On 16 February 1986, she left instead of clearing the rocky , which to 40 feet. However, it would have been a Picton accompanied by harbor master extended past Walker Rock and was very foolhardy course to take for anyone

8 X-RAY MAG : 54 : 2013 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap

Forests of kelp thrive along the hull of the Lermontov wreck (right); Diver (below) explores interior of Lermontov; Divers find abundant coral growth on the wreck (far right)

aware of the presence of the rocks. the surface adding to the deafen- At about 5:37 PM, there was a thud, ing noises the Lermontov made while and the ship started to list, as water sinking. flooded through a 40-foot-long gash in the hull, entering three water-tight Diving the wreck bulkheads. In the meantime, an How can one individual's mistake be announcement was made that din- a diver's delight? The answer: have ner would be delayed, and the wine an unfortunate accident resulting in tasting session that was in progress one of the largest and most easily would be extended. But the wine accessible wrecks at rest in only 36 tasting stopped when the ship tipped meters of water. With diving depths over far enough to send glasses slid- starting in as little as 12 meters, the ing off tables. Lermontov wreck is suitable for both The loud noises that emanated recreational and technical divers. from the Lermontov would haunt Our team of GUE divers were able passengers forever, as the vessel to utilize all our skills to safely pen- sank. Items on deck rocketed to the etrate this wreck and photograph surface, into the air and came down, some of the more interesting arti- causing a cacophony of violent facts. The GUE (Global Underwater sounds. Huge bubbles soared from Explorer) diver program teaches a

The MS Mikhail Lermontov

9 X-RAY MAG : 54 : 2013 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap Lermontov

Beer cans with vis- ible labels rest in a pile on the wreck diver to refine their skills, work where water tempera- as a team and get the most from wreck tures hover around penetration or . 15°C. After 25 years on As a 24-year veteran of underwater the seabed, a forest of photography, GUE skills have helped me kelp thrives along the get the most from the challenge of photo- hull and provides shel- graphing shipwrecks. I highly recommend ter for smaller fish life. looking into this style of training for a diver A drysuit is the best looking to get better quality out of their way to explore the diving, especially with respect to wreck Lermontov comfort- and cave diving. ably. After ten days of diving, it seemed I had The Lermontov wreck only just scratched The vessel rests on her starboard side the surface in the exploration THIS PAGE: Scenes from diving the Lermontov in the Marlborough Sound near Picton, of the wreck. I found myself A favorite panorama was the pool and skylights overhead. However, picture if you can, this gigantic room with a pool inside, now turned on its edge. The large frames from the skylights with a few glass windows still in place caused ambient light to pierce within. A stool bolted down RAND next to the bar poked out from the side B N E E of the ship due to its 90-degree angle. H W T Nearby, in a store room, beer cans had tumbled out in a pile, their labels still iden- PALAU SIREN tifiable. Even the best divers will create a cer- T going back to familiar areas in order to tain amount of silt, so I moved my way R Y U R get better images of the more identifiable through the gloaming using my "modified E LUXU areas within the ship. frog kick" (my favorite) hoping that I was Piles of foam backing from chairs was the first to arrive, taking pictures carefully visible in the movie theater along with a before my bubbles caused a change in set of stage lights. Visibility ranged from visibility. ten to 30 meters and changed throughout Moving along a companion way, I the day. The bow and stern had different passed too quickly by the remains of levels of visibility, all within the same dive. various books from the library. I deftly Since my passion is photography, I prefer employed a helicopter kick and came to get the best possible quality in my pho- back upon them, photographed them in tos rather than try to see the whole ship. situ and refrained from moving them to

10 X-RAY MAG : 54 : 2013 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO X-RAY MAG AD.indd 1 12/21/11 12:20 PM Marlbor- ough wreck Sound near Lermontov rap Picton

operates Go Dive Marlborough Lodge and has made hundreds of dives on the Lermotov and the surrounding area. After getting used to my first trip in a drysuit, I found the Lermontov to be an excellent location for photography and enjoyed a new challenge in my diving experi- ences. ■

Kevin Davidson is a widely pub- lished underwater photographer and dive writer based in Guam. For more information, visit: Kevindavidsonphotography.com

the pilot house. It's a tight fit, but the serious diver. divers can pass from top to bot- Our stay in tom and see the equipment used Marlborough to steer the massive ship to its allowed us the luxury next location. The viewing win- of dinning on a true dows allowed entrance through marine delicacy. the port side. The shallow beach Twenty-five years is still young is home to scallops for a shipwreck, so it was interest- and sea urchins, ing to be able to see the ship's both of which I machinery with such detail. It enjoyed eating raw almost appeared as if you could right from the hell. turn a switch and start an engine A 20-minute dive or generator. fetched us our limit the water column. The engine room became a of scallops and The cooler waters were home favorite place for the team to sea urchins, and to various forms of algae and cup visit, and I patiently waited for my we found ourselves corals that mix in with the kelp chance to have a look. As one in heaven, as we beds along the ship's exterior. I might imagine, the engine room indulged in them. did, however, love finding great in a vessel this size is a large and Our guide for the images on the deck areas where spacious place. But in near black week operated a create better images. All the fab- structure. A companion way divers could get close. The prop out conditions, it's hard to take it live-on-shore dive ric and wood of the interior had ran along part of the ship, and I was also easy to view. Divers can all in. I was able to get an image lodge only a five- caused decay, and the gentlest enjoyed the natural light images I get the feeling of just how big a of part of the engines. Knobs minute boat ride touch caused a good image to saw. cruise ship really is. Occasionally, switches and levers adorned the from the wreck. It's go bad, so I moved on in search Towards the bow, I looked up when navigating around a ship walls causing one to want to go a fabulous way to of fertile grounds. as my partner looked down upon during a dive, it's easy to loose try them all to see if they work. get quick access to During a dive, I turned my focus the circular radar antennas, giv- track of the immensity of these the Lermontov, and to the exterior of the Lermontov ing me a beautiful silhouette great hulks of metal until you Afterthoughts there are other fun and found the lines across the image. Poking its way out into the try to swim from one end to the Overall the Mikhail Lermontov is dives along the reef deck looked nice and allowed blue, the visibility also allowed a other. an exciting wreck, and I highly within the sound. easy access around the super- clear view of a mast suspended in Another dive was reserved for recommend it as a must-see for Brent Mcfadden Auckland at night (above); Really fresh shellfish (center); Diver on wreck of the Lermontov (far left)

11 X-RAY MAG : 54 : 2013 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck 5XPFQJDEFTUJOBUJPOT POF rap Mystery wreck surfaces inside Stockholm HSFBUSFQVUBUJPO‰#VEEZ%JWF Two wrecks dating from the 17th century have been located just off Kastellholmen, a small island in the centre of Stockholm. "4-08"4  One of the wrecks had been sighted They literally just showed up recently QQRE before, but the other one came as due to an unusually low waterlevel in  /*()54%*7&%":4 a complete surprise. "We believe it Saltsjön; it is currently at its lowest level is a Danish warship," said Andreas since the 1940s, when the first vessel Olsson, head of the Maritime was last observed. Museum's archaeological unit. The In the coming days, the Maritime bottom around Skeppsholmen and Museum's experts will take samples Kastellholmen in Stockholm seems lit- and perform dendrochronology to tered with a large number of wrecks establish when and where the wood dating from the era when Sweden in the wrecks originated. was a major military power. And it is Olsson, who has already been also where the two wrecks of warships in contact with Danish colleagues, were found. believes the wrecks are the remains According to Olsson, the wrecks of the Grå Ulven (Gray Wolf) and are probably those of warships from Den Store Drage (The Great Dragon), the 1600s, which were taken by the which were known to be in the area. Swedish navy as prizes following a "We do not known for certain that #0/"*3& battle at sea. these are indeed the vessels in ques- museet (M aritime M useum , tockholm , S S weden ) "They brought them home, used tion, but we do know that these ("-"1"(04 them for a while and then scuttled wrecks should be located in this area," them on this location. We believe one said Olsson. "If you go to the Armory, of the wrecks to be that of a Danish you can see the old banners and ship. The other one we already knew other artefacts captured from foreign of so this new wreck only adds to the armed , but so much more was hansson , S j ö historiska fun," said Olsson. sacked, and some of it lies here." ■ J im

Another German WWII found off Norway

The U-486 was torpedoed and broken in two by a British "4-08"4 submarine in April 1945 shortly after leaving the western 

Norwegian town of Bergen. There were no survivors. O F U QQEC /*()54%*7&%":4

The oil company Statoil was working had been designed to counter the B O Z  # V S on a pipeline off the coast of Norway Allies' asdic/ devices. 5 when they came across the remains of the sunken submarine. Arild Maroey Hansen of the Bergen Maritime Museum told Norwegian $"3"%0//" The boat began training on March 22 radio station NRK, that the potential 803-%8*%&%*7&"%7&/563&4 with the 5th U-boat Flotilla but moved presence of fuel oil and unexploded on to the 11th flotilla for operations. torpedoes on the recently found sub- XXXDBSBEPOOBDPN She was one of nine Type VIIs that marine could pose a similar problem, W ikimedia C ommons the Kriegsmarine fitted with an experi- while also raising the possibility of TBMFT!DBSBEPOOBDPN mental synthetic rubber skin of ane- other sunken vessels that have yet to  choic tiles known as Alberich, which be found in nearby waters. ■ Generic drawing of a the German Type VIIC uboat

12 X-RAY MAG : 54 : 2013 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO Pioneers headline TEKCamp 2013 rap It is hard to imagine but this year will be the third TEKCamp. This inspiring event is organised by and held at Vobster Quay in Somerset, England. (Monday 8 – Friday 12 July).

Winner of the prestig- Netherlands and Germany to take ious Innovation Award at part in this incredible event. Wreck Trek. EUROTEK.2012, TEKCamp gives Many divers attend because The final frontier. divers of all levels the opportu- they are thinking of beginning Plymouth Solstice nity to take their div- their transition into ing further via an more technical Got plans to celebrate this intense week of diving. However, year’s midsummer eve yet? Why workshops and this is also the not head for historic Plymouth lectures under perfect event for and join in the fun at the Scuba the direct divers to get a Solstice. It is being held from guidance of reality check Friday 21st – Sunday 23rd June some of the on their cur- 2013 at the Mount Batten tech diving rent skills set Watersports Centre, Plymstock. industry’s and step leading up their It is no surprise Plymouth has instructors game. During the traditionally been a haven for and pio- week there are the sports diver—the city boasts neers. In plenty of opportu- a number of dive centres. The the last two nities to attending area has some of the best div- years it has helped workshops in sidemount ing in the United Kingdom, with many divers—including diving, line laying, failure sites ranging from shallow scenic dive professionals—achieve drills, ascents, , DPVs reefs to the deeper technical their diving ambitions. and much more besides—if it's in wrecks. The James Egan Layne Whether you're a recreational the arena, it's at (a large liberty ship sunk in WWII diver looking to 'go tech', or a TEKCamp! by a torpedo) and HMS Scylla technical diver who wants to (Europe’s first purpose sunk broaden your diving horizons, Equipment prizes wreck) have been many a div- TEKCamp is for you. TEKCamp pro- In addition, the ever popular raf- er's first sea dive, and they are vides a unique mentoring program fle prize draw returns with some popular with seasoned veterans, that allows you to develop at your fabulous high-value equipment too. own pace. You don't need to up for grabs, courtesy of , be an "ardent, dyed-in-the-wool Hollis, BTS and Light For Me. The Scuba Solstice tickets will be hardcore techie" to join in—just a final night of TEKCamp will wrap going on sale shortly and will temperate water diver who wants up with a full-on Grand Cayman include all facilities at the Mount to get more out of your diving. themed party—you'll get to kick Batten Centre (car parking, show- back and share some diving sto- ers, changing rooms, toilets, bar), Big name guests ries over a glass of rum as you rub live music, disco, a Plymouth Some of the biggest names in shoulders with diving gods! Scuba Solstice t-shirt and food technical diving will be attend- If you have not booked your over the three-day event. ing the event including Lamar TEKCamp tickets yet then don't The Florida Keys Wreck Trek is a series of challenging dives on some of the most O Hires, Mark Powell, Martin Robson, fret—there's still time! Two packag- G R amazing shipwrecks in the universe. From the 510’ Spiegel Grove off Key Largo A L Y E During the festival, charter boats Phil Short, MBE, Paul es are available: a standard ticket K to the recently scuttled 524’ missile-tracking USS Vandenberg in Key West,

will run from the Mount Batten Toomer and Rick Walker, giving and a 'deluxe' ticket for those of it’s a must for any diver’s (or captain’s) log.

A pontoon. To secure your space, divers unrivalled access to top you who are particularly keen. AD fla-keys.com/diving/wrecktrek OR M LA IS simply prebook your dive(s) via drawer training with most of the For further information log onto

ON K ATH the website when you book your major tech diving agencies. It is www.tekcamp.co.uk today—but EY W MAR EST S Scuba Solstice ticket. ■ little wonder that TEKCampees don’t hang about because tickets BIG PINE KEY & THE LOWER KEY ► www.scubasolstice.com have travelled from Ireland, the are going fast. ■

13 X-RAY MAG : 54 : 2013 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO