wreck rap

Divers on the wreck of the Polynesian in

Text by Fatin Iesa Photos courtesy of Dave Gration, University of Malta, Heritage Malta Ranging from calm shore dives for beginner divers to techni- cal diving on elusive, unmarked wreck sites, which can only be found via depth sounder—diving in Malta has it all. Just beyond Malta’s dramatic underwater landscapes of strange rock for- mations, chimneys and caves, visitors can discover Malta’s intriguing and piquant past. To Malta's aid visiting divers, a newly creat- ed Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit (UCHU) has been formed within the Heritage Malta agen- Deep-Water Wrecks cy under the country’s cultural & Newly Created Underwater Heritage Unit ministry to manage the deep historical wreck sites of Malta. The UCHU provides informa- Currently rated as the world’s tenth small- , 93km south of Italy torically had great strategic importance ters for the British Mediterranean Fleet tion regarding the history of the est and fifth most densely populated and 288km north of Africa, surrounded by as a naval base in the power struggles where many ships and warplanes for the wrecks, how to appreciate them country, Malta is the biggest of the three warm clear waters and year-round tem- between Europe, Africa and the Middle Allied powers were stationed. islands of the Maltese Archipelago, which perate climate. East. In the 19th century, Malta was colo- Touched by the sands of time, many and what the proper etiquette is also includes Gozo and Comino islands. Due to its central location in the nised by the British. During the Second foreign influences have left their mark on when visiting these war graves. This archipelago sits in the middle of the Mediterranean, this small island has his- World War, Malta became the headquar- Malta’s ancient culture. As the Maltese

7 X-RAY MAG : 94 : 2019 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap

Diver on wreck of WWII HMS Olympus

was formed under the national agency Heritage Malta, which is responsible for managing Malta’s cul- tural heritage collections, sites and museums. The UCHU entrusts 12 Maltese dive operators to book and conduct dive tours to the 12 historic dive sites through an online booking system. Regular spot checks of the are done by the UCHU to ensure the protection of the cultural sites. The book- ing system ensures that dive operators are aware of the basic respect and treatment due to wreck sites government conducts long-term, system- atic, underwater archaeological research off the coasts of the Maltese Islands, it has managed to map out a series of underwa- ter cultural heritage sites. The chronological timeline of the discovered wrecks ranges from a 2,700-year-old Phoenician to and aircraft wreck sites from the Second World War. With the great diversity of nations and cultures represented on the seabed off the Maltese Islands, comes great responsibility. In order to balance the accessibility of informa- tion about the wreck sites with the preserva- tion and sanctity of the war graves, the UCHU RUSSELL, J E / IWM / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / PUBLIC DOMAIN Historical photo from 1941 of HMS Olympus resupplying in Malta

8 X-RAY MAG : 94 : 2019 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap

THIS PAGE: Scenes from the wreck of ORP Kujawiak (L72)

HMS Navigating through 50,000 naval mines Olympus, deployed by Axis forces in Maltese sitting waters, she was struck by one shortly DOWN HERE, upright after leaving port. on the Her hatches lay open, indicating the MISTAKES CAN seabed, crew’s escape, as Olympus slowly sank 115m to her watery grave. Disoriented by the BE COSTLY. below darkness and misjudging the distance sea to the coast, just nine of the 98 men abundant, colourful level. While her gun is still intact, aimed survived the seven-mile swim to shore. THE COST OF A DIVE ACCIDENT fishes and other reef life. upwards, the vessel’s posture echoes In honour of the fallen men, a memo- CAN EASILY SURPASS $50,000. Aside from immersing its failure to fire a shell, which otherwise rial plaque has been placed at the + Dive Accident Insurance Protects You oneself in the history of could have saved the crew. base of the wreck. Against Unforeseen Events the wrecks while breath- Protecting shipping convoys through ing compressed air and the Mediterranean Sea, HMS Olympus ORP Kujawiak (L72) + Covers the Medical Costs of Dive various gas mixtures, was a WWII Royal Navy submarine The Kujawiak was given to Accidents Up to $500,000 divers can enjoy the designed for + Picks Up Where Your Primary combination of sheer long-distance Coverage Stops walls, caves, wrecks, patrolling. On Recognized Worldwide plateaus, and the sandy 8 May 1942, + and rocky seafloor of Olympus was + Affordable Annual Plans underwater Malta. Like charged with Malta’s vibrant nightlife, transporting the the dive sites are beauti- surviving crew ful at night too, when the members of

corals glow in wonderful stricken subma- Explore with DAN as well as informs them of new informa- orange to stunning pink hues. rines back to @diversalertnetwork tion pertaining to underwater cultural While there are wreck dives in Malta England, who heritage sites. Heritage Malta will strive for all levels of recreational divers, here were return- DAN.org/INSURANCE to open three to five new sites in the is a look at a few of the deep-water ing to crew next two years. wreck sites for technical divers. replacement *Explore DAN.org/INSURANCE for complete plan and coverage Wreckage that resulted from hor- built details. Coverage may vary by state. rendous acts of war are now teem- HMS Olympus in the United ing with life, from beautiful corals to Seven miles off the port of Valletta, lies Kingdom. Diver on WWII wreck of ORP Kujawiak (L72)

9 X-RAY MAG : 94 : 2019 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap Malta

Scenes from the wreck (above and right) of the WWI Royal Navy battleship HMS Russell (left)

planes. British Royal Navy. With a speed of After suc- 19 knots, she was one of the fast- cessfully est warships of her time. shooting In April 1916, Russell was on down her way to return to Malta for a four Axis fortnight to recuperate and get

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / PUBLIC DOMAIN / PUBLIC COMMONS WIKIMEDIA planes, some minor repairs done, giving Kujawiak her crew some time on land. The attempted Grand Harbour was closed due a danger- to boom defence, in which small ous rescue auxiliary ships laid and maintained mission steel anti- nets around while the harbour. While manoeuvring the by the British Royal entering Malta’s Grand Harbour. outside the harbour, she struck by Navy in May 1941. Similar to HMS She went to rescue another ship in two naval mines laid by German Olympus, Kujawiak was struck by the convoy but ended up hitting a mine-laying submarine U-73. A fire a mine off the coast of Valletta a mine herself. broke out in the aft of the ship, month after Olympus. Lying at a depth of 97m, Kujawiak which led to an explosion by one Polish Navy crewmen were part is fairly well-preserved except for of the turrets, forcing the vessel of an armed convoy known as her stern, which was badly dam- to list perilously. It took 20 minutes Operation Harpoon. In the middle aged when she hit the seafloor. The before Russell capsized and sank, of WWII, Malta fell short of supplies. ship’s bells were recovered in 2017 giving most of the crew enough Allied powers put together a relief and are on display at the Maritime time to escape. convoy with supplies to Malta from Museum of Malta. Currently located about 6km on 12 June 1942. Two east of Fort St. Elmo at a depth of days after leaving Gibraltar, the HMS Russell around 115m, the Russell wreck Harpoon convoy was attacked, HMS Russell was a Duncan-class, site is a boat dive for technical and Kujawiak intercepted strikes pre-Deadnought battleship divers on trimix. With its stern sec- by Italian submarines and torpedo launched in February 1901 for the tion missing, the 132m-long wreck Divers on the wreck of the Junkers Ju 88, a German WWII Luftwaffe twin-engined multirole combat aircraft

10 X-RAY MAG : 94 : 2019 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap Malta

ships and planes shipping vessels of Axis forces. of both the Allied This particular plane experienced and Axis forces. engine failure in April 1934, forcing the Junkers Ju 88 was craft into an early underwater burial. a German twin- Luckily, off-duty men from the Royal engine, all-metal Air Force’s air-sea rescue services bomber, one of the came to the rescue of the pilot. many pawns of the Axis forces in WWII. Deep-water wreck diving Divers who are “It is envisaged that the Maltese interested in air- Islands will become a market leader plane wrecks will in the field of deep-water wreck div- find the Ju 88 ing,” said Owen Bonnici, Maltese

BUNDESARCHIV, BILD 101I-421-2069-14 / KETELHOHN (T) / CC-BY-SA 3.0 wreck in relatively Minister for Justice, Culture and Local good condition, Government, in a recent press release lies completely upside down on the with her broken tail a short distance announcing the launch of the UCHU. sandy seafloor. away and the cockpit still retaining its These sunken heritage wreck sites are forward-facing . Resting more than 40m deep, requiring tech- Junkers Ju 88 at 57m, it is one of the shallower wreck nical diving certification to be dived Due to Malta’s importance as a port sites outside Salina Bay. and explored. With wreck remains at for the British in WWII, the strategy of depths ranging from 55m to 115m, the Axis forces was to bomb the har- Fairey Swordfish Malta offers some of the best deep- bours, towns and Allied convoys bring- The Fairey Swordfish was a British water wreck diving in the region. ing supplies to Malta in order to destroy single-engine biplane torpedo bomb- Usually at these depths, the type of the country and starve its citizens. er, about 11m in length with a 14m flora and fauna present is secondary Between 1940 and 1943, the Siege of wingspan. In 1941, Fairey Swordfish in interest to the wrecks themselves. Malta saw the destruction of many biplanes were utilised to cripple the The sheer size of destruction in the THIS PAGE: Scenes from the wreck of the Junkers Ju 88; Historical photo of a Junker Ju 88 aircraft (center)

11 X-RAY MAG : 94 : 2019 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap Malta

Diver on wreck of the Polyne­ sian (above); Wreck of the Trusty Star (right); Diver on wreck of a WWII Fairy Swordfish (top left); Historical photo of Fairy Swordfish, a British WWII torpedo bomber (left); Overview of the Fairy Swordfish wreck (far left) BEADELL, S J / IWM / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / PUBLIC DOMAIN

clubs with promotional and educa- For more information, please visit: tional materials such as waterproof visitmalta.com/en/home. cards about each wreck site. Besides adhering to strict rules and regula- Based in Singapore, Fatin Iesa is a tions for diving the wrecks and main- science educator and dive writer, taining the integrity of the wreck sites, certified as a PADI divemaster. She dive operators are also responsible says she must have been reincarnat- for the health and diving qualifica- ed from a dugong, since she craves tions of the divers diving the sites. diving every other day. Always Apart from mapping the wreck sites searching underwater for a pretty and making the underwater wrecks octopus in crevices, being surround- public, the UCHU is initiating an out- ed by bubbles and blue is her bliss. aftermath of the world wars, com- To aid divers in properly exploring reach programme to inform the pub- REFERENCES: VISITMALTA.COM WW2DB.COM bined with the rich history behind the historical wreck sites, Heritage lic about the importance of Malta’s GOV.MT WIKIPEDIA.ORG each wreck site is overwhelming. Malta will provide dive schools and underwater cultural heritage.  MALTADIVES.COM WRECKSITE.EU

12 X-RAY MAG : 94 : 2019 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap But the Eagle 56 was never going to be an easy find. Goodreau described the ocean floor north of Cape Cod as a laby- rinth of rocky mountains and canyons. The Eagle 56 was a “fairly small” boat. And, though the crew did not know this at the time, it was lodged in a trench. “It's kind of like the equivalent of drop- ping a soda can into a canyon and put- ting on a blindfold and going and finding it, because you can't just look down and see it,” Goodreau said. “Visibility's 10 feet. It's pitch black.” Even worse, the crew's expensive magnetometer ended up being some- what of a bust, thanks to the undersea terrain. “It turns out that the rocks off of aren't only big, they're full of iron,” US NAVY Goodreau said. USS Eagle 2, an identical sister ship of Eagle 56 The exploration of the wreck will be featured in the three-part series “The Hunt for Eagle-56,” which premieres on the Smithsonian Channel on September 22. (CONSELL DE MALLORCA/IBEAM Last US warship to be sunk by a German sub during WWII located off the coast of Maine  SOURCES: WIKIPEDIA, BUSINESS INSIDER Well-preserved Roman shipwreck holding At noon on 23 April 1945, USS Despite the Navy's effort to clarify nearly 100 amphoras found off Mallorca Eagle PE-56 exploded amid- the circumstances surrounding the ships, and broke into two pieces sinking, the Eagle 56 remained a The treasure trove of relics was first discovered in July 2019 in the mystery. The ship had sunk relatively waters of S'Arenal beach in Palma, according to an announce- 3mi (4.8km) off Cape Elizabeth, close to shore, but efforts to locate ment from the Council of Majorca. Maine. The sinking of the USS the wreck were futile for decades. Eagle was originally blamed No one could find theEagle 56, a small patrol ship that had come so The vessel—which experts have dated Sebastian Munar of the Balearic Institute on a boiler explosion. But in close to making it back home. back to around 1,700 years ago—sank of Maritime Archaeology Studies said 2001, the US Navy determined The ship's wreckage was located mere feet off of the coast of what is that the amphorae were perfectly con- it had been sunk by a German in June 2018, and visited by a today Can Pastilla Beach. According served in the ship's hold. submarine, and the ruling was civilian dive team later, the same to the archaeologists, the seabed near Judging by the ship's route, the age of month. It lies five miles (8.0km) off the beach was dotted with at least 93 the wreck and some of the inscriptions changed to reflect the sinking the coast of Maine at a depth of amphora, traditional jugs with two han- on the amphora, the archaeologists sus- as a deliberate act of war, per- 91m (300ft). A video taken by the dles and a narrow neck used by the pect it was carrying olive oil, wine and petuated by German submarine divers shows that USS Eagle 56's Greeks and Romans—many of which a fermented fish gut sauce called gar- boilers are intact, proving once and remained intact. The wreck is around um—a soy sauce-like condiment that U-853, a U-boat belonging to for all that they did not explode. 10m (33ft) long and five metres (16ft) was hugely popular in ancient times. 's Kriegsmarine. Business Insider spoke to two crew wide. The merchant ship is thought to However, researchers will not be able members—Jeff Goodreau and Never before published in book form, see have been carrying its wares between to open the amphoras to check until The -era split in Donald Ferrara—about their dis- extraordinary images of the forgotten Mallorca and the Spanish mainland. they have finished preservation work half, then slipped beneath the surface of covery. “The Eagle 56 was always American WWII airplanes resting on the Given the excellent preservation of its that will stop the salt in the sea water the North Atlantic. When it sank, 49 of its the shipwreck to find. That was the bottom of the Kwajalein Atoll lagoon, from fragile cargo experts think the shipwreck cracking the jars.  SOURCE: BALEARIC 62 crew were killed, and the others had great ghost of New England. A lot award-winning underwater photographer was likely not the result of a storm. INSTITUTE OF STUDIES IN MARITIME ARCHEOLOGY to be rescued from the ocean by a pass- of people looked for it. Nobody In a press conference, archaeologist ing Navy boat. could find it,” Goodreau stated Brandi Mueller. Available on: Amazon.com

13 X-RAY MAG : 94 : 2019 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO wreck rap More Wreck Beers Brewing Resurrected, centuries-old beers discovered on shipwrecks Edited by divers have been in the news this year. Let’s look at a few by G. Symes of these beers and their backstories… BRITISH LIBRARY / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / PUBLIC DOMAIN / / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS BRITISH LIBRARY The barrels found on the wreck of the Gribshunden (Griffen) may have been used in a similar way to those depicted in this detail from an illustration in Treatise on the Vices, which was originally published in Genoa, Italy, in the late 14th cen- tury. It shows a cellarer among barrels, handing a glass to drinkers in a chamber AP above him.

ANTONIN HALAS / VVT , – A 500-year- Södertörn University and the

JAMIE ADAMS VIA ADAMS JAMIE Aland, Finland – Divers salvaged five old Danish beer may have been Blekinge Museum, as well as sev- bottles of 170-year-old beer from JAMES SQUIRE discovered by divers during the eral other international scientists. an early 19th century shipwreck in Tasmania, Australia – A 220-year-old excavation of the Gribshunden (or Researchers found coins, animal New York, USA – Salvaged from the the Aland archipelago of Finland in bottle of beer has been recovered Griffen), the flagship of King John bones, tool fragments and a small SS Oregon, a luxury liner that sank in 2010. The discovery was one of the from a shipwreck dating back to of , which sank in 1495 off ring on the wreck, as well as several 1886, a 131-year-old ale has been world’s oldest preserved beers found. 1797, located off Preservation Island the coast of southeastern Sweden, barrels containing liquid, with holes crafted from yeast found in bottles Now, after analysis of the yeast in the in Tasmania. To reach Sydney, the at Ronneby. The ship, which was on for aeration and bottling. In those at the wreck site. The steamship was beer conducted by VVT Technical 17 survivors of the merchant ship its way to negotiations with Swedish days, water was not considered making its way from Liverpool to New Research Centre in Espoo, an Åland Sydney Cove, which sank due to separatist forces when it met its safe to drink, so sailors drank beer. York, when it struck a schooner and Islands micro-brewery, Stallhagen, heavy seas and extreme weather, demise, is considered one of the It is very likely that the barrels found sank near Fire Island. From 2015 to has been able to make an authentic trekked a grueling 600km on foot world’s best-preserved 15th cen- on the wreck contain beer, accord- 2017, divers led by Jamie Adams of replica of the beer, which is called along the southeastern coastline tury vessels, similar to the kind that ing to Professor Johan Rönnby at Saint James Brewery in Long Island Stallhagen Historic Beer 1842, by across dunes, cliffs and rivers. In the Christopher Columbus sailed when Södertörn University. discovered over 20 bottles with corks using the micro-organisms in the end, only three survivors made it. he discovered America. Sten Sture “We’re taking sediment samples intact in the first-class dining room of beer found on the wreck. According In collaboration with the Australian the Elder, who led the Swedish sep- now and hoping we’re going the ship. With the help of a microbi- to Mats Ekholm, master brewer at Wine Research Institute and Queen aratist forces to victory at the Battle to find DNA evidence of hops,” ologist, Adams was able to recreate Stallhagen, it is a Beglian wild-yeast Victoria Museum & Art Gallery of of Brunkeberg in 1471, established Brendan Foley, Rönnby’s fellow the beer from yeast, which is thought beer. Because wild yeasts have a Launceston, a brewing team from himself as ruler of Sweden. researcher from , to have been used in a beer called tendency to spread, they have to James Squire, one of the oldest In collaboration with the Blekinge told The Local. “What we’re doing King’s Ale, produced over a century be processed in a strictly controlled breweries in Australia, have extract- County Administrative Board and is getting a look at not just what ago by Bass Brewers in England. The environment. So, the historic beer ed yeast from the recovered ale to Ronneby Municipality, the exca- the men on the ship were drinking new ale crafted from the resurrected was produced at the University of craft a new beer, which they have vation and investigation of the but what King John was taking to yeast was named Deep Ascent.  Leuven’s beer laboratory in Belgium. called The Wreck Survivors’ Ale.  wreck is being done by a team of to impress Sten Sture the SOURCE: ABC3340, AP NEWS  SOURCE: HELSINKI TIMES, NEWS18, VVT SOURCE: THEAUREVIEW, WIKIPEDIA researchers from Lund University, Elder.”  SOURCE: SPUTNIKNEWS.COM

14 X-RAY MAG : 94 : 2019 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO