Finding Sunken Warships

Lord Soley

I have posted a reply to the comments on lobbying (see below) for those interested.

Meanwhile as an occasional scuba diver I was fascinated to see this item on the warship sunk in 1744 and apparently just discovered by divers. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7863840.stm 

Some years ago I agreed to dive on a wreck on the Goodwin Sands. This was to help get publicity for a marine archeology group but it nearly caused a by-election! I was over 50 when I learnt to dive and trying the Goodwin Sands (I was 60 by this time) was as (one colleague said “brave” – others said “stupid”!) but I was going with very experienced divers and so we set off in a slightly choppy sea and increasing cloud cover. This was not a good omen as visibility on the Goodwin Sands is at best like “semolina” as the divers told me and at worst like “chocolate pudding”! This turned out to be a chocolate pudding dive!

You only have about 30 minutes dive time  before the current turns again and you end up in France – or is it Norway!? Anyway it was further than I could swim!

We had a camera man with us who wanted pictures of an MP wandering around on a 18th century wreck but alas just 3 meters down I could barely see my diving buddy even when he shone his torch on his face. At 6 meters I could see nothing and at nine meters and breathing dangerously fast I decided this was not for me! I went up knocking the poor camera mans lens off as I went!  All very sad  as I had really wanted to do that dive. The wreck is only above the sand once every three years and that was the year to see it.

The group got some of the publicity they wanted, a by-election wasn’t necessary and I had an interesting day out! But alas I won’t be trying to dive on the ship they have just discovered!

3 comments for “Finding Sunken Warships

  1. Bedd Gelert
    01/02/2009 at 7:45 pm

    Indeed, and you are falling into your bad habit of not moderating all the posts, unless I’m mistaken. Why is that ? Frit ?

  2. 01/02/2009 at 10:09 pm

    Have tried diving and is after a very brave atempt in the Baltic Sea
    convinced that there is a reason why water is clear, warm and fish are mulicoloured in other parts of the world.

  3. Noodles
    02/02/2009 at 11:54 am

    Diving in a cold sea with poor visibility has always seemed as enjoyable as jumping out of a perfectly functional airplane to me! Rainbow Warrior or a warm Ocean much preferable to me, apart from the sharks that is!

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