Ecologically, the Red Sea is a magnificent underwater Marine Park of such unique diversity of flora and fauna that it will always remain one of the Underwater Wonders of the World in it’s own right. Had there been no shipwrecks, it would still attract visitors - just as the Great Barrier Reef does in Australia or the Belize Barrier Reef does in the Caribbean, though, it must be said that today’s Diver is far too demanding to settle for Corals and Fishes and as soon as he (or she!) had earned that T shirt which proclaims “Red Sea - Been there - Dived that” it would be time for something different the following year.

It is an undeniable fact, therefore, that it is the incredible ship’s graveyard which attracts Scuba Diving Tourists back to the Red Sea, especially the Egyptian Red Sea, year after year - as though the Divers were made of metal and the ships a veritable magnetic force.

The Gulf of Suez is that narrow strip of water to the north-west of the Red Sea which leads to the Suez Canal and was already a major seaway long before that famous man-made connection with the Mediterranean was ever opened. Time was, when passengers and freight were unloaded at Alexandria and moved overland to Suez before joining a new ship and resuming the journey. Today, of course, they sail right through but, whichever direction they take, it has always been the Gulf of Suez which remains the most treacherous stretch of water of the entire journey.

Today the Red Sea is a highway for many thousands of Freighters, Tankers and even Liners - all using the Suez Canal as they make their way between the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Although this route is much shorter and safer than the 1200 mile alternative round the Cape of Good Hope, they still have to successfully navigate unpredictable currents and shallow Coral Reefs - all of which combine to make the Red Sea one of the most testing stretches of water in the world.

Many have come to grief and today there are ancient shipwrecks and modern - with some that are neither, such as the Carnatic lost in 1869 with the loss of 26 lives, the Dunraven in 1876 and the Ulysses in 1887 - each representing a fascinating insight into tragic and incredible stories from another age of transport and, in the case of the Carnatic, another age of Diving. Then there are the WW2 casualties such as the Thistlegorm and the newly re-discovered Rosalie Moller - to name but two and both lost within 48 hours of each other in 1941. Finally, there is that new breed of “modern” shipwreck such as the Kimon M (1978), the Chrisoula K (1981) and the Giannis D (1983).

With so much to offer - in addition to a welcoming climate, it is easy to understand why this relatively small section of the Red Sea has become so popular with Divers to the extent that the Egyptian north Red Sea is probably the most outstanding centre for Scuba Diving in the world.

Of all the shipwrecks in the entire Red Sea, one vessel sits mast and funnel above all others and that ship is, of course, the SS Thistlegorm. Such is the pulling power of this single shipwreck that she attracts more Divers than any other underwater site - anywhere in the entire world. In fact, the Thistlegorm has consistently remained “The World’s Foremost Diving Attraction” ever since she was re-discovered in the early nineties. After my own very first visit to this vessel, I found myself calling her “The Mighty Thistlegorm!

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With this years opening of Egypt’s legendary off shore diving sites specially licensed and equipped live aboard vessels can now offer divers the chance to join special two week expeditions to dive four world class areas all in one trip. This area of the world has always been special to me; somewhere I will never tire of. It gave me enormous pleasure to join MY Greta as a guest of Diving World: The Southern Red Sea pioneers, for this pioneering cruise and another breath of fresh compressed air…

MY Greta is one of a new class of all-weather steel Safari vessels plying the Red Sea waters, capable of extended expeditions with a range of over 2,000 nautical miles. She is equipped with every conceivable navigation aid, which includes state of the art GPS plotter, depth sounders, Sat. phone/fax, a quality SSB and two FM radios. This equipment allows safe night navigation, which is a huge bonus when long distances have to be covered in one go, divers waking up the next morning already at the dive site. Marine Park.

The new Marine Park legislation covers all of the Egyptian offshore Islands, namely: Zabargad, Rocky Island, Daedelus and the Brothers. Strict rules ensure only able, seaworthy offshore vessels are eligible for operating consideration. These eligible vessels are then awarded area licensing termed area 1 and area 2 respectively. The logic in the division of these two areas is however strange and complicated.

Greta is one of only two vessels with Area 1 & 2 licensing and authorisation, which means it can legally operate in all of the new marine park sites. The new Marine Park is strictly managed too, and more often than not a Marine Park Ranger will travel with the boat as in this instance. Egyptian Navy Helicopters randomly patrol the Park reporting directly any vessel travelling or moored inside the protected areas. Any unauthorised vessel caught in these areas will be boarded, impounded and taken to the nearest Naval Base. These measures are a welcomed step in the right direction regarding conservation, ensuring both reef and marine life gets the chance to develop without the over-interaction of ‘Homo Aquarian’.

Each of the Parks Rangers are well-trained knowledgeable divers and Photographers. ‘Yasser’ our Ranger was no exception, taking his job very seriously with a firm belief in the protection of a natural marine environment. He quickly became known as the ‘Lone Ranger’, his camera: ‘Tonto’. Entry into the Marine Park costs the individual Diver $35.00 per week or $65.00 for two weeks and remember this is not included in your holiday price, it is paid before the boat sails.

The trip began with great debate and anticipation as old friends were reacquainted, and new ones were introduced. Everyone onboard sharing a common excitement about the voyage ahead…

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The first trace on the Decca screen was simply unbelievable. We passed over the objective from side to side and I stared in disbelief at the image before me. It looked like one of those child’s drawings - a “V” shaped hull with a box representing the bridge and a funnel on top. For a moment, I thought someone below decks was feeding a computer image onto the screen - but then it was gone.

Excitement mounted as this information went out - but we had nothing to throw into the water to mark the spot. Then Geof Loe came onto the bridge. He and his wife Trudy were the second pair of technical Divers and, having spent 15 years in the Royal Marines, Geof was quite expert with GPS and Decca. With Geof and Chris working together with the Skipper and Ali Baba how could we miss. Very quickly our two hours were up - though we carried on with comments like “but we’re almost there.” Unfortunately, more than a little discontent was beginning to appear amongst some who were not taking part in the search. Then we passed over the shipwreck again and once again we were astonished by the picture on the screen. This time the trace was from end to end and another child-like drawing appeared - a long object on top of which was a box and a funnel. Our boat was barely moving. Chris punched-in the co-ordinates, the Captain scanned the horizon for transits and I took bearings on various distant points and then, yet again, it was gone again - but now we had a plan.

Chris got into the inflatable and directed the crewman to the very spot where the cross-hairs on the GPS met - and they anchored . We now had a fixed datum point within 100m of the wreck (that being the level of accuracy of the GPS). The Captain slowly conned the boat around the Inflatable until we were stopped right over the wreck. Down went the big anchor and the inflatable was recalled. The first two Divers were Chris and his technical diving buddy - Peter Watts. I handed them both a laminated copy of the photograph of the Hubert requesting they try to identify any key features. It was now after 1100 hrs and this was the first dive of the day. The plan was for them to spend 5 mins searching - unless, of course, they found the wreck, in which case they would spend 20 mins on the vessel before surfacing.

The Captain maintained way on the Boat - lest we should pull free from the wreck in the gentle current, and then we waited. Many optimistic comments were aired as our two colleagues were almost “willed” to find the vessel. After 25 minutes - a good sign in itself, they surfaced and began what seemed to be an agonisingly slow swim back to the stern of the Miss Nouran. Many questions were hurled in their direction - none were answered. Finally, they were standing on the Diving platform and fending this broadside of questions at close quarters.

“It’s a Reef!” they said and I was shattered. Not being one who is able to hide his emotions, I tried to change the subject and looked at Ali Baba and said “These people must go Diving!” He agreed and began to think of “where.” Just then, unable to contain the deception any longer, both Chris and Peter laughed and with the biggest smile I shall always remember Peter shook me by the hand. “Congratulations, Ned you have found your wreck!” he said. Then he produced the laminated picture - “straight out of the photograph!” he added with great pride and began to point out certain features that were still there - right below us.

The effect was immediate. Excitement on board - and, therefore, our morale, had been through a phase of extreme peaks and lows and now everyone caught the fever as we all prepared to get wet. The crew were equally as pleased and had all contributed to our success. The Captain - however, thought first of his boat and asked if the anchor was secure. Having been told it was, he switched off the engine.

The next pair into the water were Geof and Trudy and some minutes later I followed. One of the first things that Peter had seen as he dropped onto the wreck was the masthead lamp - still at the top of the forward mast and I was ready to take it’s photograph. Five, ten fifteen metres - “should be in sight any minute” I thought. Then it was thirty and even forty before I finally saw the seabed - with Miss Nouran’s large “grappling iron” style anchor ploughing a light furrow through the soft mud as the gentle current moved her through the water.

Unbelievably, the anchor had pulled free! That furrow, however, lead all the way to my shipwreck and perhaps it was only just out of sight. Then I thought of the others who were a few minutes behind me and pondered whether to go or stay. Just then, out of the gloom, came Geof and Trudy making it quite clear that they had also missed the wreck.

Back “upstairs” I prevented the others from a wasted journey and once again morale hit rock bottom whilst the search was resumed. By now it was 1 pm and the level of discontent from one quarter in particular was such that I became quite concerned. After all, I was not a paying guest and I did not wish to spoil another person’s hard earned holiday. I called the divers together and asked them all what they wanted to do. The sentiments expressed from a single source were too strong to ignore - he wanted to leave the site immediately and go Diving elsewhere and we did just that!

Personally, I was gutted. I simply could not believe it. We had just found something very special and within an hour of this important discovery I could only stare at the furious wake created by the twin engines of the Miss Nouran at full speed as we steamed away to find another Dive Site!!! We dived the site known to many as “the Freighter at Gobal Seghir.” Incidentally, I subsequently identified this particular wreck as the Ulysses which was lost in 1887 - but that is another story! It was an excellent dive on a most interesting and photogenic wreck and I studied my fellow passengers with interest. There was no doubt that morale was at rock bottom - despite the many brave faces on display. That night, we anchored at Bluff Point and enjoyed the delights of yet another night-dive on that very small wreck.

The following morning was Wednesday and, once again, the dawn was greeted with the deep-throated roar of the twin engines as they came to life. For almost an hour, Ali Baba, the Captain and myself discussed the possibility of returning to the Rosalie Moller before deciding against the idea. Strange as it may seem, even I was against it - but then, I was hatching another plan. In the meantime, it was full steam ahead for that veritable ship’s graveyard - Sha’b Abu Nuhas Reef. Already it was Wednesday and, this meant it was the last full day’s diving. With outgoing flights on the Friday, Thursdays are always limited - so we had to make the most of today. The first dive was a visit to the Greek freighter - Chrisoula K. Shane and I dropped down next to the rear mast and then visited the starboard gangway before rounding the stern to find the propeller. Entering the ship through a large tear through the port side we swam through one of the main holds above a cargo of Italian floor tiles. Eventually we came out on the starboard side and then made our way right up to the Bows before finally returning to base.

By the time breakfast was over, the Miss Nouran was positioned over the Carnatic and once again we were first in. This is another, quite outstanding example of what the Red Sea is able to offer - especially when you consider she went down 130 years ago this year. We even discovered a working porthole - though, for me it is the stern which provides the most photogenic aspect of this truly magnificent shipwreck..

The overall route of the Miss Nouran is something akin to a big circle - working her way from Hurghada during the first half of the week and then slowly back again during the latter part. Our last night at sea, therefore, was spent at Giftun island where we enjoyed a really fabulous night dive and encountered some very different creatures altogether - including a large sleeping Turtle. Thursday was a beautiful day and we were able to sample the delights of two more outstanding Reefs - Elsomaya and Abu Ramada before the Diving was complete. By this time we were back in radio range so I contacted Mohammed Reda - the local Manager of Diving World. I informed him of our discovery and, as my plan began to take shape, I emphasised the importance of the find to the Company and how I needed to return to the wreck. He then spoke with the Captain and Ali Baba before relaying our news and my request to London. The response took a little time, but when it came, it was just what was needed. After my second week of Diving was over I could have the Miss Nouran for three days to explore the Rosalie Moller! This was fantastic news - but better was to come. Firstly, I would be accompanied by the same Captain and Crew - and my diving partner would be Ali Baba. Then, Geof and Trudy extended their own holiday to join me - and if that was not enough, Chris and Peter decided that they would go back to the UK on schedule only to return one week later to make the Dive Team complete. Needless to say the Rosalie Moller was never very far from my thoughts during those days. Friday was Christmas Day - though I have never experienced such a non-Christmas in my life, and a very busy day it was too. A change of boat, new people to meet, another night on shore and, once again we were off. That journey, however, is another story and by New Year’s eve we were, once again, back in Hurghada and on New Year’s Day I was waiting to welcome old friends back onto the Miss Nouran.

By now, I had logged 42 dives and exposed over 60 rolls of film - but, more than anything else, I still had a date with a mast-head lamp. Geof and Trudy turned up - fresh from their week in the South and we swapped stories until Chris and Peter arrived. We were also made especially welcome by a crew who had become old friends - and took a great delight in sharing our excitement. This time, we had sufficient buoys and line. Chris and Peter had brought a number of reels and I had borrowed some other items from Divers met during the intervening week. We made a jablix from a water bottle and generally got everything ready. Once again, we departed on the Saturday morning just as soon as the vessel was refuelled. Although the weather had varied during the past fortnight, today it was perfect and the sea was like glass. Within two hours we were approaching the general area and, this time, we all knew what to do - the Captain was at the wheel with Ali Baba right beside him. Chris sat at the open window with the GPS, Geof manned the Decca and I looked for my compass bearings and made notes. Below us, Peter and Trudy were ready with jablix and buoys.

I noted down “search commenced 1255 hrs” but then everything happened so quickly I had no time for any more notes until I wrote down “Divers in at 1355 hrs!” It had taken us precisely one hour from commencing the search to putting the first pair in and, once again, this was Chris and Peter. They had a choice of two buoys and the one they selected was soon permanently secured to the stern of the Rosalie Moller. We then waited until they sent up a delayed SMB from the bows. This was the signal for the remaining two teams to go into action. Geof and Trudy, having recovered the spare buoy, fixed it to the bows - replacing the SMB. Having given them a generous head-start, Ali Baba and I then followed them down - he with the mooring line - which he again fixed to the forward anchor chains, and me with my camera. As we descended, I suddenly saw Peter’s masthead lamp - just as he had described, sitting proudly on top of the forward mast and it really did become the first photograph I took.

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The cargo, however, was insured and being of such great value (the equivalent of several million pounds by today’s standards), Lloyd’s immediately dispatched Captain Henry Grant to take charge of a salvage operation. On arrival in Suez - and with only one Diver available to him, Grant was informed that the Carnatic had sunk in over 40 fathoms (over 70m!) and later admitted he almost turned back. Having come this far, however, he decided the least he could do - was take a look.

He arrived at the scene on 29th September and, chasing away some local Arab boats, was heartened to find the Carnatic in quite shallow water at the bottom of a Reef with some of her features still visible above the surface.

Working from the Egyptian vessel “Tor,” Grant’s one and only Diver was Stephen Saffrey from Whitstable (a name still common in that town) but, adverse weather conditions delayed his first descent until 15th October. Grant had been informed that, in readiness for an “orderly” evacuation, Captain Jones had ordered the specie moved to the Mail Room and this is where the search began. A body was recovered, mail bags were sent to the surface and pocket watches removed from the safe, but no gold.

Next to the “Mail” Room, was a “Post Office” but this necessitated the removal of a large internal bulkhead which separated the two. Working for long hours on his own, this task took Saffrey several days. Finally, he was through and, on the 24th recovered another 16 mail bags - just in time for them to be handed to a passing steamer and resume their own journey to Bombay.

The first box of bullion was then brought to the surface on the 26th and this was followed by a steady stream of heavy boxes until the task was completed on November 8th. In the meantime, local Bedouin free Divers had recovered over 700 sheets of fine-grade copper that was still destined for India’s Mint. Official reports record that the entire cargo of “specie” was in fact recovered and, having been found in a very secure and undisturbed part of the ship, no other outcome was ever likely.

That said, we all enjoy stories of “missing treasure” and the Carnatic has spawned one or two of its own such tales over the years. Today, however, the real treasure is found the vessel’s beautiful lines - still a magnificent sight, even after almost 130 years underwater.

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By May 1941, the Thistlegorm was in her home port of Glasgow being loaded with supplies essential for the British 8th Army and the relief of Tobruk. Though described on the manifest as “MT” (Motor Transport), this - probably deliberate, non-description hid a wide array of Land Mines, Shells, Ammunition, Weapons, Bedford Trucks, Armoured Cars, Bren-Carriers, BSA Motorcycles, Trailers, Vehicle spares, Aircraft and Aircraft parts, Radios, Rubber thigh-boots - and a great deal more besides. To save cargo space, the Motorcycles were placed onto the back of the Bedford trucks - three at a time before loading. Finally, being a commercial company, the Albyn Line were also taking the opportunity to deliver two sets of rolling stock to Egyptian Railways - each comprising an 0-6-0 Railway Engine, one Tender and one Water Carrier - all six items being carried as deck cargo.

Because of her classification as an “Armed Freighter” the Skipper - Captain William Ellis, had an additional team of nine Royal Navy personnel on board to man these guns. Thus it was that on 2nd June 1941 Captain Ellis ordered the mooring lines slipped before easing his ship out of Glasgow - a port that neither the ship nor nine of those on board would ever see again.

Sailing independently down the west coast of the British Mainland, the Thistlegorm made good time to her secret rendezvous off the south coast of England. Here she joined a large convoy and, being Armed, was assigned a prominent position - towards the leading edge, by the Convoy Commodore. With Axis Forces occupying almost all of the northern Mediterranean coastline - and Malta under constant siege, the safest route to Alexandria was via South Africa. This was a lengthy detour - although the journey was, nevertheless, uneventful. After refuelling in Capetown - where they were joined by the Light Cruiser HMS Carlisle - a Light Cruiser of 4,190 tons, the Convoy proceeded up the east coast of Africa before finally entering the Red Sea.

By the time they arrived at the entrance to the Gulf of Suez it was the third week in September and the Thistlegorm was immediately assigned to “Safe Anchorage F” to await further instructions. The Master let out the starboard anchor and some 250m of chain and allowed the gentle current to push the vessel back until he was satisfied that all was well. This was “good holding ground” and, at long last, the main engines were closed down. All they could do now was wait for clearance to proceed through the Suez Canal to Alexandria.

These were difficult times and getting through the Canal was dependent on several factors. Enemy activity over the Canal - especially air raids from German aircraft based in Crete, cargo priority and how long other vessels had been waiting, all had to be taken into consideration. At this time, however, two vessels had collided further up the Gulf of Suez and were virtually blocking the entire entrance to the Canal - an event that led to the “Thistlegorm” - with her much needed and valuable cargo, remaining at anchor for a full two weeks.

Up until now these “Safe Anchorages” - each with it’s own letter of the alphabet, were regarded as exactly that, Safe! There were no enemy ships and enemy aircraft rarely ventured this far south. This was, however, all about to change when German Intelligence received information that a large troopship (possibly the Queen Mary) was due to travel through the Suez Canal with 1200 reinforcement British Troops destined for North Africa.

Having mastered the relatively new skill of night flying, Heinkel He 111’s from II/Kg26 (No 2 Squadron 26th Kamp Geswader) based in Crete were alerted to the possible presence of such a large vessel. Their task was to seek and destroy. At 2250 hours on 5th October 1941 two twin-engine Heinkels crossed the north Egyptian coast heading southeast in search of this prize.

Aided by a clear moonlit night, they searched in vain for the big ship until fuel levels became critical. Then, just as they were on the point of returning home “empty handed,” one of the pilots spotted a ship at anchor. Turning away in order to put his aircraft in the best possible position for an attack, the pilot turned again as he continued to lose altitude. He came in low over the sea and, as he approached the bows of the Thistlegorm, he released two bombs right above her.

Both bombs penetrated No 5 hold - aft of the bridge, detonating a great deal of ammunition and the resultant explosion sent the two locomotives spiralling into the air as the ship was ripped open like a huge tin can. Even to this day, the rear decks are peeled back towards the Bridge leaving many a Diver wondering what exactly he is looking at. Some contemporary accounts have even described this as “Armour Plating!”

The vessel began to sink and the crew quickly abandoned ship - with hardly any time to launch the lifeboats, most of them leapt straight into the sea. One injured man, however, was trapped on the blazing deck and desperately needed help. Crewman Angus McLeay wrapped some rags around his bare feet and ran across the hot steel plates and rescued him - an action for which the 30 year old McLeay from Stornoway was awarded the George Medal and Lloyd’s War Medal for Bravery at Sea. Caught unawares, the Thistlegorm had been given no time to defend herself and badly damaged, she quickly sank - the event was timed at 0130 hrs 6th October 1941. Captain Ellis and the other survivors were rescued by HMS Carlisle and then taken to Port Tewfik where he reported that four members of his crew of 39 and five of the 9 Royal Navy ratings had all lost their lives. Such was the part played by Captain Ellis in the evacuation of his ship and the saving of so many lives, he was subsequently awarded the OBE - for “Services to the War Effort” by King George VI.

The spectacular loss of the Thistlegorm, however, had lit up the night sky - revealing more vessels at anchor to the retreating German aircraft. From that moment on, those hitherto “Safe” anchorages would never be quite as safe again.

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It was another good dive on a site maybe no one else had seen before, although being the only safe anchorage for some miles, I think not. Still, it was a good and thoroughly enjoyable relaxing late afternoon excursion.

The east wall was similar in look, but perhaps slightly more interesting. Starting at the northern edge the wall descended quickly into a steep slope full of sea whips and small coral outcrops. A massive globular formation followed, but apart from a crashed alien space craft overlooked for hundreds of years, I couldn’t imagine what had formed it. It contained nothing but sand and encrustation, so I left perplexed. Immediately after, the reef returned to its normal routine of slopes, shelves and indentations. A host of coral species litter the sea floor all shrouded in antheas, butterflyfish, angelfish and groupers - the usual suspects as it were. A small group of barracuda flitted past, but again, there was nothing exceptional. Nothing to really get our socks off. The group was all very experienced divers who craved pelagics preferably with teeth, but they were eluding us.

At five metres we found one of the many small openings into the lagoon and I followed a pufferfish inside. It studied me suspiciously with a large eye and picked up the pace and hurried away in a fluster I’ve only ever observed in that particular group of fish. Inside, the coral gardens were pretty and well populated - good snorkelling territory - but very tame for what we wanted. In northern Egypt this one small place would be a good dive site in its own right, but we craved more. And boy did we get it. True expedition stuff is what we came for. An adventure, a voyage of discovery. However, I don’t recall Indiana Jones having to endure a 50 minute boat ride across a rather choppy sea in a small inflatable full of other people. The south of Sha’ab Anbar though is not a place large liveaboards would care to hang around, the shallow reefs are a death trap for anything larger than a small dinghy. So there we sat in the lee of the reef kitting up all desperately hot in the relentless Sudanese sun wishing we were in the water.

“Don’t worry there’s probably nothing here anyway,” came the sound of typical British optimism. Our destination was the south west point - the big toe that Sha’ab Anbar sticks out into the oceanic Red Sea. If Sha’ab Rumi and Sanganeb to the north can have stunning plateaus, we figured why not Anbar? Two metre high breakers pounded the shallow, 4m deep, plateau, but in front of that was another, deeper, horizontal piece of real-estate and in the ocean any land which is flat is more valuable that a studio flat in Fulham.

I rolled in and immediately headed down out of the surge which was threatening to alleviate me of my lunch. The plateau 24 metres beneath was sand, coral only visible at the rim where it rose up to form a crater-like look. Starting at the south side we headed deep passed the plateau and saw very little. Oh dear.

Coming back though I caught sight of a white-tip reef shark resting on the sand. These small sharks have the ability to pump water across their gills, thus they can ‘rest’ on the bottom. I came up over the lip carefully and caught sight of another and another and then another. Four sharks all resting on the sand. Things were looking up. We continued along the rim of coral looking out into the blue. Two grey reef sharks appeared swimming back and forth in the current. Although not particularly large or even dangerous, grey reefs look the part - quick as a jet fighter when they want a burst of speed and armed with the equivalent natural weaponry. The two were joined by another slightly larger individual and then a hammerhead appeared. For some unknown reason this species of shark holds a certain fascination among divers. Ask anyone which shark they wish to see most and it’ll almost certainly be a hammerhead. At 2.5 metres long this individual wasn’t exceptionally large, but its body was toned like a bodybuilder’s and its distinctive scalloped hammer for a head ensured everyone stopped to watch. Further on, the coral rim merges into the wall of the main reef signalling the place to turn. As we did so, a spotted eagle ray descended the reef wall and glided ballerina-like over the plateau. Now my senses where feeling frayed and put upon. Calm down, calm down they screamed. There is only so much a person should see on a dive, but it wasn’t over yet. Swimming back at 17m above the plateau towards the wall that leads to the 4m plateau, the water ahead glistened with the twisting bodies of barracuda. A shoal of maybe 50 individuals hung in a ragged line from 15m to near the surface. Passing by, I reached the wall and found myself surrounded. Spotted Grunts, or to give them their more apt name, spotted sweetlips, in numbers I have never seen before hung swishing in the surge. The shoal was immense and flanked by the larger giant sweetlips. Both species flicked in and out of the coral heads with the worried look impala have on the African planes, wary of what predator may be lurking ready for a mistake. What a wonderful finish to a sensory overloading dive I thought, and then a large male hawksbill turtle swam off the plateau top around the small group of divers left in the water descended and settled on the bottom. No more, my brain said - up now before I explode.

We couldn’t leave Sha’ab Anbar without diving Jerrycan Point (so called because an old barnacle encrusted jerrycan was floating past when we first dived it) again and it still held surprises. And so the next morning we were again fighting the swells which kicked off somewhere to the north. The breakers over the shallow plateau would have surfers across the world salivating in anticipation, but divers looking on in fear. They were quite large to use the great British ability for understatement. But after 40 minutes in the harsh sun we were pretty keen and over the main plateau the water was calmish. In and down are the best rules for that sort of surface and once under you can drift slowly to the bottom. White-tip reef sharks again rested peacefully on the sand clearly visible as we made our way across the plateau to the coral rim where we descended to around 30 metres and looked into the blue. A large white-tip reef shark swam by saw the larger creatures and high tailed it away, but it was soon followed by a grey reef shark which was slightly more interested. It cruised passed at a respectable distance a couple of times and then found its way above us and swept.

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Ned Middleton describes how he and a team of Divers from Diving World discovered a wreck in the Egyptian Red Sea.

I joined the M.V. Miss Nouran - and soon discovered her to be one of the finest Live-aboard Boats currently operating in the Red Sea. Easy to say I know - but, believe me, I saw much of the competition over the next three weeks and, well, you don’t want to know about some of those - much less Dive with them!

Our Dive Guide was that well known local character Ali Baba - a man who has been deaf since birth but, who can lip-read in five languages. Ali Baba is an exceptionally fine Diving Guide and Instructor with a great sense of humour and, in a world where other Diving Boats can often make things chaotic for the novice, his one outstanding quality is that he cares!

Being the week before Christmas there were only ten Divers on board a vessel equipped to take 16. Below Decks there are 6 double berths and at deck level there is a further four-man berth all with en-suite - and that means your own shower and flushing toilet. Food is served after each of the three main Dives of the day with the evening meal delayed for those who wish to get an extra night dive into an already busy schedule - and do tuck in, there is plenty.

The crew were pretty amazing and looked after our every need. We were assured that they were the best and it soon became easy to see why. They also worked very hard - one minute they were cooking, cleaning and looking after us, and the next they were manning the ropes, laying out mooring lines, driving the inflatable boat or simply helping us in and out of the water.

As with all such trips we were a fairly disparate bunch with a variety of standards, experience and background. This included two pairs of Technical Divers who had ordered Nitrox. I have yet to use mixed gases but the high level of expertise of these four Divers was going to prove most useful in the days ahead.

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Ned Middleton describes how he and a team of Divers from Diving World discovered a wreck in the Egyptian Red Sea.

The trip was now scheduled for three weeks - commencing 18 December. Sounded good to me and I promptly ordered more film. Then he telephoned again. Firstly, he asked me if I knew anything about the Rosalie Moller - I did not (though I did know who to ask!), then he asked for my views on the conservation of shipwrecks - and I made them clear.

I know for a fact that my views are not shared by all Divers - but allow me to explain by using a hypothetical example: Shipwreck (A) is a steel cargo ship sitting upright, virtually undamaged on an even keel - in, say 30m. Generally speaking she is complete and intact with all portholes in place. On the Bridge we find the Bell, Telegraphs and Compass and this the Diver to pause and visualise what it might have been like when the vessel was underway. Then there is Shipwreck (B).

Structurally, very similar in size, attitude and condition - except that all the brass fittings have gone. Now, I know which I would rather photograph - but which would you rather dive? My attitude is best summarised, therefore, as “Take only Pictures - Leave only Bubbles” - and do so on behalf of fellow Divers.

That, however, was exactly what Yassin wanted to hear and he then asked me if I would be willing to appear on Nile Television and meet with certain Government Officials. When I agreed, he said that this would take up the bulk of the third week. Back at the drawing board, however, I could find nothing whatsoever on the Rosalie Moller until the National Maritime Museum sent me a fax of an old photograph of her sister ship - the Hubert built in 1910 and pages from two separate books showing “Rosalie Moller - raised after war and broken up!”

Now, as the days progressed - and please don’t ask me how, I gained the impression that the Staff of Diving World in Hurghada had actually found a “new” wreck but when I arrived it was the other way around - they thought I knew where it was. Suddenly the trip began to take a different shape as, within moments of arriving we began to discuss the prospect of a search.

Certainly the idea had merit - but let’s be realistic. Between us we had virtually no information, a faxed copy of an old photograph - and even that was of another ship, and a general area so vague it equated to a search area “south of Plymouth” and on top of that the Rosalie Moller was scrapped over 50 years ago. On the positive side, however, we did have our combined experience and passion for Diving and one or two clues.

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The Carnatic was a sleek vessel with proud lines and, unlike many of the hybrid “sail and steam” ships of the period, this vessel responded well to either form of power - thus giving her a definite advantage when other ships were becalmed. Captain Jones personally negotiated the long narrow confines of the hazardous Gulf of Suez and remained on the bridge to give his personal attention to every detail of navigating his vessel safely.

This demanded many hours of relentless concentration until, at long last, the Sinai began to fall away to the east and the Egyptian mainland even further away to the west, as the Carnatic got ever nearer to the wider and safer shipping lanes of the open Red Sea. Satisfied with his work, Captain Jones finally handed over control to the Officer of the Watch and retired to his cabin.

At 1 am on September 13th the Carnatic struck Sha’b Abu Nuhas Reef and within moments of being rudely awoken, the Captain was back on the bridge to take control. Not a man to overreact, he was most thorough in checking every single aspect of the ship’s condition. As the various reports were received, he became quite satisfied that the pumps could handle the amount of water being taken on and that passengers and crew were as safe as could be expected. He decided, therefore, that everyone would all remain on board.

At daybreak Captain Jones assessed the situation once again. The Carnatic was stuck fast on a Coral Reef - some 3 miles from Shadwan Island. Damage assessment was being regularly monitored and, though the ship was certainly leaking, she was still in pretty good shape and the pumps were coping.

To help matters, Jones ordered a large proportion of the cotton dumped overboard in a bid to lighten the vessel in the forlorn hope that she would simply float off the Reef with the tide. Whilst there was no panic amongst the passengers, some did make it known that they wanted to take to the lifeboats and head for the comparative safety of Shadwan island. Captain Jones, however, would hear none of it and insisted that life continued much as before on the stricken vessel.

At first sight, this may appear to have been foolhardy but Jones was well aware of the dangers involved in moving 230 people three miles to a remote island in small boats and of the deprivations they would suffer until rescued. For the moment at least, his vessel was relatively sound, they had power and could still enjoy all considerable comfort. He also knew that the P & O Liner - Sumatra, was due to pass by at any time, inbound for Suez and he fully expected to be rescued later that day. Meals were served, people strolled the decks and, up aloft, a constant lookout was kept for the expected ship.

In the event, however, the Sumatra did not appear and, as evening fell, a deputation of passengers approached the Captain once again with a plea to be allowed to reach Shadwan Island by lifeboat - and once again he refused. Totally underestimating the power of a Coral Reef to inflict damage on a steel-hulled vessel, Captain Jones made the fatal decision to spend another night on board. Accepting both his wisdom and his authority, some of the passengers even dressed for dinner and the waiters served drinks before they all enjoyed a sumptuous evening meal. For some, it would be their last.

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Depending on the tide, it is a fairly constant 25-27m to the seabed and 18-20m to the upper (starboard) side throughout the dive. The wooden superstructure and planking have all long-since rotted away - though many fragments of planking are still found attached to the iron framework. This leaves a steel hull held together by iron cross-members and, with the decking gone, this allows the Diver to explore both the external features and two deck levels within the wreck itself.

At the Bows there is a large copper ring that once held the bowsprit in place and just in front of this is the ship’s leading curved metal bowsprit support - underneath which was once found the figurehead. Swimming slightly away from the Bows and looking back, it is easy to see the Carnatic’s fine, sleek lines - even today.

From the Bows, the ship gently widens to the main body where, on both sides, lifeboat davits are found - still swung out. These are, however, usually missed by Divers because the preferred route from stem to stern is to enter the vessel and swim between the first two levels of iron framework - a fascinating close-encounter with something built in 1862! We even found a small brass porthole, though I must confess that I covered it with debris so that it would remain in situ for a little while longer - all the others having been removed.

Emerging from this forward section the Diver will then encounter the most severely damaged part of the wreck. Although this is now nothing more than a pile of scrap metal, it does, nevertheless, still provide plenty of scope for exploration and investigation - after all, the “4 cylinder compound inverted engine” is still in there - somewhere.

For many, however, the stern remains the most exciting and interesting part of the entire experience. Within the ship, this section is very similar to the Bows - and once again the Diver is able to swim in between the framework of two deck levels. Deep in the hold I was surprised to find some very old barrels and I could not help but wonder what it was they once contained that has proved to be such a fine “wood preservative” - Brandy? To see the very best aspect of the entire vessel, however, the Diver must come out of the wreck - where, once again, lifeboat davits are found on both sides, and swim right around the stern.

My first reaction on seeing this finely moulded stern, with it’s single row of seven square windows, was that it was reminiscent of Nelson’s day - and that is not a bad comparison. In many ways it is easy to see how traditional styles - evolved over so many years of building wooden ships, had now been adapted into steel. Below the windows, the gracefully rounded stern curves inwards and down towards a magnificent rudder revealing the one feature that certainly was not found in that previous era - namely, the large three-bladed propeller resting on the sand.

After such a long time underwater, it is fairly safe to assume that the Carnatic is likely to remain pretty much as she is for the foreseeable future. She is well colonised by coral, soft corals and her own indigenous population of Vanikoro Sweepers and is probably one of the finest examples of her time to be found anywhere in the world - and well worth the visit.

Should you do so, however, spare but a thought for those who lost their lives.

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