Tour Guide, Malta, Malta
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MS Maori
Photo was taken by Maltadives[/caption]
Named after the Mãori people of New Zeeland, this Tribal-class destroyer was built in the 1930s. She served during World War II mostly on the Mediterranean Fleet but was also sailing around far up north in the areas of Iceland and the Faroe Islands as protection from planes. In 1942, she was bombed outside of Malta by a German aircraft, which led to her engine exploding. Nowadays only the front section remains under the surface.
HMS Southwold
Photo by divewise.com.mt[/caption]
This Type II British Hunt-class destroyer was built for the Royal Navy during World War II and was sent away on a mission in 1941. She served in the Mediterranean for only a few months until she sunk in March 1942. Currently, HMS Southwold consists of 2 separate shipwrecks, located about 300 meters away from each other.
HMS Stubborn
Photo by Seashell Diving Malta[/caption]
The S-class submarine of the Royal Navy was launched on the 11th of November 1942. It served at the Scandinavian cost and also in the Pacific Far East during World War II. The submarine was heavily damaged and had to be sent for repairs. After this, it actually pulled through until the war was over, and was sunk on the 30th of April in 1946, as an Anti-Submarine Division of Malta.
HMS Drifter Eddy
This drifter launched on the 6th of August in 1918 was built in Scotland but sailed to Malta to become a minesweeper in the Grand Harbor for the Royal Navy. The 26th of May 1942, Eddy sunk after hitting a mine near the Grand Harbor, which led to the death of 8 crewmembers.
Um El Faroud
Um El Faroud Tragedy Photo by the Times of Malta[/caption]
The single screw motor tanker ‘Um El Faroud’ was built in 1969 in England. The purpose of the vessel was to carry fuel between Italy and Libya, which it did until 1995. The 3rd of February the same year, the ship experienced a powerful explosion, sadly causing 9 workers to lose their lives. The vessel suffered structural deformation, but after several inspections, it was decided to turn her into a diver attraction. The ship was towed out of Grand Harbor, around the east side of Malta, where it was anchored. It was then filled with water and 4 hours later the ship had gone undersurface. This action was witnessed by thousands of people standing at the shore, as they paid their last respects to the 9 Maltese workers who lost their lives on that tragic night.
Le Polynesien
Photo taken by divernet[/caption]
One out of four sister ships, this one was built in France and was launched on the 18th of April 1890 by the French President Marie Francois Sadi Carnot. One year after being launched, Le Polynesien started operating between France and Australia. In 1903 it sailed between France and the Far East, mainly transporting passengers to the French Colonies. The 10th of August 1918, she was hit by a torpedo from a submarine and more than 10 people lost their lives as she sank within half an hour.
MV Karwela
Another shipwreck in our list of 10 shipwrecks in Malta and Gozo. 3 deck ferry was built in Germany in 1957 and was used there until she arrived in Malta in 1986. In 1992 she became a tourist ferry and served her purpose until being decommissioned in 2002. Four years later, she was scuttled to form an artificial reef on Gozo’s south-east coast. A short time after that she was scuttled, a Volkswagen Beetle was randomly sunk on her deck.
Tug Boat Rozi
Photo by Suba Diving Malta[/caption]
This vessel was built in Bristol, England back in 1958 and arrived in Malta in 1973. Tug Malta bought her in 1981 and she was operating in the Grand Harbor until 1992, the year when she was decommissioned. After this, Rozi was sold to Captain Morgan Cruises, who thereafter scuttled her on the northwest side of Malta.
ORP Kujawiak
The British Type II Hunt-class destroyer escort, Kujawiak, was launched in October 1940 as ‘HMS Oakley’ and was commissioned into the Royal Navy. In June 1941 it was renamed to ‘ORP Kujawiak’ and commissioned into the Polish Navy. On the 16th of June 1942, the destroyer sunk after running into a mine near Malta. Unfortunately, 13 Polish sailors died and 20 sailors were wounded.
MV Imperial Eagle
Photo by sucbmagzine.net[/caption]
The vessel was built in Sunderland, England and was launched back in 1938. A couple of years later when the ship came to Malta, it was owned by Sunny and Maria Pisani, a family from Gozo. The Imperial Eagle had accommodation for 70 passengers and room for 10 cars. On the 1st of June in 1958, the ship took its maiden voyage between Malta and Gozo, where it was cruising for 10 years forward. After the year 1968, it was used to transport cargo and animals from Gozo to Valletta and was also used as storage. In November 1995, The Imperial Eagle was sold to the local diving community to be scuttled as an attraction for divers. The scuttling finally happened 4 years later, in July 1999.