SS Thistlegorm Wreck
- Depth avg. 26m
- Current 1 - 4 knots
- Air / Surface temp. 19 - 41 ℃
- Bottom / Water temp. 20 - 29 ℃
SS Thistlegorm is a World War 2 shipwreck located in the North of the Red Sea in the Strait of […]
SS Thistlegorm is a World War 2 shipwreck located in the North of the Red Sea in the Strait of Gubal. It is a former 128m long British transport ship sunk in 1941 after a German air attack on her fourth and final voyage from Glasgow on 2 June 1941, destined for Alexandria, Egypt. As it is the most famous dive site in the Red Sea, it gets very crowded meaning it is the same underwater with various dive groups in the same spot. Thistlegorm Wreck lies now in 30m of water. The deepest point is the prop, about 32m deep and the shallowest part is only 16m deep. The main wreck section is upright and on an even keel with the bottom at 32m. The starboard anchor is deployed, some railings are still in place and all the winch houses, winches, blocks, windlasses, and other paraphernalia are there to be found. On the main deck, there is a railway water carrier on either side of hold no 1, with the one on the port side resting precariously over the edge of the hold. Hold #1: Bedford trucks, BSA motorcycles, parts, and spare parts. Hold #2: Two large armored cars (port side), Bedford trucks, BSA motorcycles, Morris cars, trailers, airplane wings. On top are the coal tenders. Hold #3: Bedford trucks, Lee Enfield rifles packed in crates of 8, Wellington boots, BSA motorcycles. In the broken up section look for the propeller shaft, ammunition boxes, and Bren gun carriers. The stern itself is canted over at an angle of 45° degrees and is as interesting as any other part of the ship. The two deck-mounted guns are still in place. On the port side is one of the two locomotives, only around 20m away from the ship. The second locomotive rests on the starboard side beside cargo hold no 2, with another wheel about 20m towards the stern of the wreck. Don’t enter or exit through hold #3. As well avoid going into the coal storage rooms behind hold #3. These areas are not safe anymore because of metal sheets peeling off the ceiling. Marine life around the Wreck is really great and you can encounter Batfishes, Barracudas, a turtle, Snappers, schools of Jacks, and all the usual reef fishes of the Red Sea. The ship was rediscovered by Jacques Cousteau in 1956 and is arguably the most sought-after scuba diving wreck in the world. It is thought that the Sinai Peninsula's Thistlegorm is the most frequently-dived site in the world. Indeed, so many divers penetrate the wreck daily that many of the holds have air pockets trapped against their ceilings. With its holds full of World War II relics, it is little wonder that it holds such fascination to so many. THE THISTLEGORM, its Gaelic name meaning BLUE THISTLE, was a British transport ship belonging to the Albyn Line shipping company, is 126.5 meters long, has a capacity of 4,898 tons, and had a `three-cylinder steam engine developing 1,860 HP that gave the vessel a speed of around 10 knots. The Thistlegorm was built to transport refurbished wartime materials for the British troops. In May 1941 with a crew of 39 men it had left the port of Glasgow, Scotland, with a cargo of munitions, bombs of different kinds, anti-tank mines, Lee Enfield MK III rifles, hundreds of BSA, BSA W-M20, Matchless G3L, and Norton 16H motorbikes. Bedford, Morris, and Ford trucks. Four light Brengun Carrier MK II tracked vehicles. Two steam Stanier 8 F locomotives complete with two coal tenders and water tankers. On the night of the 5-6 October 1941 two German Heinkel HE III bombers, coming from their base in Crete, sighted and attacked the ship. It was hit by two bombs on hold no.4 where the munitions deposit amongst other things was situated. The Thistlegorm sank in an upright position on a flat, sandy seabed 30 meters deep at 1.30 am on the 6th October 1941. Jacques Cousteau discovered the wreck in 1955 and mentioned it in an article published in February 1956 in the monthly National Geographic Magazine. Jacques Cousteau did not reveal the position of the wreck, thus it went forgotten for almost 40 years until 1991 when it was rediscovered by an Israeli skipper. In a short time, The Thistlegorm has become a great favorite with scuba divers from all over the world and is now the most visited wreck in the whole Red Sea.
Diving conditions and the best time to dive "SS Thistlegorm Wreck".
| Air temperature | Water temperature | Visibility | Current | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23℃ | 22℃ | 10 - 25 m | 2 knots |
| February | 22℃ | 22℃ | 10 - 25 m | 0 - 4 knots |
| March | 25℃ | 22℃ | 10 - 25 m | 0 - 3 knots |
| April | 25℃ | 23℃ | 10 - 25 m | 0 - 4 knots |
| May | 26℃ | 24℃ | 10 - 25 m | 1 - 3 knots |
| June | 28℃ | 25℃ | 25 m | 0 - 2 knots |
| July | 28℃ | 27℃ | 10 - 25 m | 2 - 3 knots |
| August | 29℃ | 27℃ | 5 - 25 m | 1 - 3 knots |
| September | 28℃ | 27℃ | 25 m | 1 - 3 knots |
| October | 30℃ | 26℃ | 10 - 25 m | 0 - 3 knots |
| November | 27℃ | 26℃ | 5 - 25 m | 0 - 2 knots |
| December | 24℃ | 23℃ | 10 - 25 m | 1 - 3 knots |
35 Dive Centers offer to dive here
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- Diving to 20 divesites
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- Diving to 18 divesites
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45 diver reviews Write review
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 25m. Dive duration 36min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 26m. Dive duration 41min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 29m. Dive duration 34min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Average visibility. Depth of the dive 24m. Dive duration 44min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Excellent visibility. Depth of the dive 30m. Dive duration 54min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 27m. Dive duration 50min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 27m. Dive duration 37min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Average visibility. Depth of the dive 24m. Dive duration 44min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Average visibility. Depth of the dive 31m. Dive duration 28min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 27m. Dive duration 41min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 23m. Dive duration 35min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 21m. Dive duration 47min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 25m. Dive duration 36min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 31m. Dive duration 44min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Good
Good enough to explore one time
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 31m. Dive duration 51min. Saw Fishes, Tuna.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 28m. Dive duration 43min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Excellent visibility. Depth of the dive 30m. Dive duration 29min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 31m. Dive duration 42min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 21m. Dive duration 36min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 26m. Dive duration 47min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Average visibility. Depth of the dive 25m. Dive duration 41min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Average visibility. Depth of the dive 29m. Dive duration 37min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 30m. Dive duration 43min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Excellent visibility. Depth of the dive 29m. Dive duration 32min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Average visibility. Depth of the dive 44m. Dive duration 42min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 25m. Dive duration 36min.
Good
Good enough to explore one time
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 25m. Dive duration 39min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Average visibility. Depth of the dive 27m. Dive duration 37min. Saw Fishes.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Average visibility. Depth of the dive 24m. Dive duration 44min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 24m. Dive duration 46min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Excellent visibility. Depth of the dive 28m. Dive duration 36min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 31m. Dive duration 48min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 21m. Dive duration 50min.
Very good
An interesting dive site worthwile exploring more than once
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 25m. Dive duration 30min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Excellent visibility. Depth of the dive 29m. Dive duration 37min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Excellent visibility. Depth of the dive 25m. Dive duration 41min.
Exceptional
An excellent site, dive sites like this are rare
Good visibility. Depth of the dive 22m. Dive duration 33min.