Aquatours News - Published July 2007
New wreck discovered - SS Turkia - similar to the SS Thistlegorm!

In late April/early May 2007, the Hyatt live-aboard successfully completed what is thought to be the most northerly wreck expedition by a Red Sea Safari boat. The main objective of the expedition was to survey the recently discovered wreck of the SS TURKIA, a 300 foot (90 metre) Greek cargo ship which sank after an internal explosion in May 1941, 150 miles north of Shaw’ab Ali in the Gulf of Suez.

The trip was arranged by Aquatours and Peter Collings, for members of the Red Sea Wreck Academy and selected guests. Kirk Green, director of Aquatours, was also present on this exciting expedition which sailed from Sharm and took nearly 14 hours to reach the site of this new wreck.

Kirk Green said "I have not felt this level of excitement and euphoria since my first dive in the Red sea more than 20 years ago! Often I could not see the wreck for fish. Being upright and in 24 mtrs depth makes this perfect diving for all levels. Aquatours will now sponsor a return trip later this year to revisit the Turkia and to try and locate three more new wrecks."

Peter Collings said “I had located the wreck back in November 2006, and immediately realised the wreck was very special, but didn't think I would be able to find a boat, owner and Captain who would take up such a challenge! When I returned with the team in April, I could not believe the staggering amount of marine life the wreck attracted. Juvenile barracuda literally blocked out the sunlight as they cascaded over the wreck. It is a wreck which has something for everyone, even a very healthy population of nudibranchs - not to mention the intriguing cargo of munitions, vehicles, tyres and what appear to be thousands of detonator caps. Her compass binnacle still stands proud - although covered in a thick coral growth - there is no doubt what it is."

The trip also dived 3 other WW2 casualties en route - The Thistlegorm, Rosalie Moller and Scalaria plus a victim of the ARAB–ISRAELI conflict, the survey vessel BAKR.

Aquatours and Peter Collings are planning a return trip on 09th November 2007. This trip is now full.

INTRODUCTION TO THE AREA:

As The Red Sea narrows at its northern extreme, a long thin arm of water stretches North North-West towards the Mediterranean.  Flanked to the east by the Sinai Peninsular and to the west by the Egyptian mainland, the entrance to the Gulf of Suez is marked by a treacherous finger of reef known as Shaw’ab Ali. A busy, narrow and important seaway dating back beyond the opening of the Suez Canal, it is a vital link between east and west-a vital and important trade route. It is also a hive of industry, with oilfields dotted along its length, and refineries along its banks.

Very little diving takes place - the coral reefs die away as the water becomes shallower and indeed less clear due to the presence of sand and silt. Water temperature too plays a part in the ecology, with temperatures plummeting to 16 degrees in winter. While it is not a viable tourist area; it is a haven for new, unexplored shipwrecks...

The S.S. Turkia lies 150 miles north of Shaw’ab Ali, opposite Zafarana light house, in the middle of the Gulf of Suez. (see map to right).

View the location of the Turkia wreck on Google Earth. (You need Google Earth to do this - download it here).

Right: Map of the Sinai, including Gulf of Aqaba & Gulf of Suez. Turkia wreck located on left side of the map.

SHIPS HISTORY:

Built in Hull (England) in 1909 as the 'LIVERNO II', she was a schooner-rigged steam  cargo ship of 1671 tonnes gross, 300ft (90m) long and a 42ft (13m) beam, built by Earles Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. She was fitted with a  reciprocating, triple expansion, vertical steam engine producing an IHP of 1000, making 9.5 knots, made by Amos Smith, also of Hull. She has 4 bulkheads and a cruiser stern, single shaft and propeller. She was built for Thomas Wilson Sons & Co, again of Hull.

Upon completion in 1910, she was deployed in a variety of trades, serving between Hull, London, the Adriatic, Constantinople, and St Petersburg. In 1916 it was employed in the Hull–Trieste run. After WW1 she was involved in a variety of routes carrying perishable fruits and bulk cargos such as coal. The years from 1920 to 1935 saw a decline in the Russian trade, due to the Russian embargo on exports other than in Russian ships. Due to this, the Ellerman Wilson Line reorganised their fleet and the 'Liverno' was sold to Greek interests. In 1935 she was sold to the West Hartlepool Navigation Shipping Company Ltd and then on to the Helleic Lines of P.G. Callimanopulos for £7200. In December 1935 she sailed with a cargo of non perishable goods to Piraeus, and on arrival was renamed as the S.S. TURKIA.

Above: Possibly the Galley of the S.S. Turkia. Arabian Angel fish in residence.

Above: Top level of the Engine house of the S.S. Turkia.

Above: Pressure gauges inside the Engine Room of the S.S. Turkia.

FINAL VOYAGE:

The Turkia’s final voyage began in New York in May 1941, where she was loaded with a full cargo of 'government stores'. She was bound for Pireus (Greece). The cargo included explosives, tyres, coils of wire, metal ingots, vehicles and firearms.

Due to the Straits of Gibraltar being closed off by axis forces (WW2), her journey entailed going the long way round, around Africa and then entering the Red Sea at its southern end and heading up through the Suez Canal, then across to Greece. She had entered the Gulf of Suez and was proceeding north when disaster struck.

THE SINKING - May 1941:

“17/May/1941. She had a fire in no. 3 hold where explosives were stored (she was carrying explosives and general cargo) and the fire was beyond control so the vessel was abandoned. 10 minutes later there was a large explosion and the vessel sank in 12 fathoms. Nothing was being done (later that is) as no competent salvage service was available at Port Said.” - Lloyds records.

This would explain why she is not in Lloyds War Losses as it sounds like an accident rather than enemy action. She does not appear to be a casualty of war, merely a wartime loss. Indeed the hull would appear to be intact and she looks as if she had settled slowly. According to the Wilson Line history she sunk 17 May 1941.

THE DISCOVERY - November 2006:

Background: Peter Collings has spent 20 years researching, diving and discovering new wrecks and leading wreck diving expeditions. He has discovered many wrecks in the Egyptian Red Sea (and has more still to try and locate!) and is author of 7 diving publications, including 'Ship Wrecks of the Egyptian Red Sea'.

Peter tells his story: "Browsing through the wartime records I came across two separate entries for the sinking of the Turkia. One stated she had been attacked and bombed by enemy aircraft the other stated that she had sunk due to an internal explosion. Both agreed about her position – near Zafarana Lighthouse in the Gulf of Suez, a long way north of RAS GARIB, our most northerly exploration of the Gulf of Suez so far.

November 2006: I traveled to the area to seek local knowledge in order to establish a more precise location of the wreck. A fisherman claimed to know her position. I decided to enlist the help of my good friend Basim and put together a road trip from Sharm. At Zafrana the only means of putting to sea available was a disused glass bottom boat, lying on the beach at the Zafarana Hotel. A 10 minute journey took us to the target area, and with the shallow seabed of sand (24 mtrs depth) the shadow of the wreck was eventually located, rising up to within 10 mtrs of the surface."

DIVING THE WRECK - November 2006 & April/May 2007:

The wreck sits upright on sand, in a sheltered bay south of Zafrana Lighthouse, with her bows pointing towards the coast in 24 mtrs. The hull is intact, although some sections have holes appearing in the upper sections. Both masts have been cut below the water line and lie off to the side of the wreck. The surrounding seabed is littered with debris from the wreck and is patrolled by Jacks and Travellies.

The bow sits proud bathed in sunlight and is straight raked - the same vintage as the Rosalie Moller. Clouds of fairley basslets swarm over the fo’c’lse head with its access hatches, hawse pipes, panama eye, triple cleats and windlass. Three deck houses sit at the aft section of the fo’c’sle, and there are coils of wire and vehicle tyres littered around. Mussels encrust most of the raised structures.
Access into her foc’s’le is through a hatch on the forepeak forward of the deck winch, and is roomy and brightly lit. The forepeak is covered with coils of wire - these may have been removed from the first hold to gain access to other cargo. There is a deck house to port and a covered stairwell down into what appears to be crews quarters. Entry into the fo’c’sle head can also be accessed from the main deck and leads to the seamans quarters, where bed frames can still be found.
Hundreds of tyres also lie around in piles, The ‘tween decks contain more stacks of tyres and the lower hold (to be further explored) seems to contain cases of metal ingots. On the port upper ‘tween deck are 3 vehicles - coral encrusted and almost un recognizable. The entire fore section is smothered in clouds of small shoaling reef fishes.

Holds 1 and 2 have two ‘tween decks with large numbers of tyres on the upper shelves. The deeper holds are yet to be explored. Winches flank the holds, and in the second hold there are several vehicles, heavily encrusted.

The bridge, wheelhouse saloon and galley are all still erect, with all wood missing - floors are littered with bottles and crockery, in 12 mtrs. These are easy swim throughs and are flanked by long companionways. A large family of Angel Fish have taken up residence. Scattered on the deck in front of the funnel casing are 20+ mortar shells and there are access hatches into the deck area below.
The superstructure has external companionways, all wood having long since gone, the rooms are easily entered. The saloon sits below the chart room, with a corridor running port-starboard. Flanking the engine house, running aft on the starboard side are the 1st mates room, bathroom, 2nd & 3rd mates accommodation, chief engineers quarters and finally the cooks quarters.

On the port side are the stewards quarters followed by the pantry, galley 2nd & 3rd engineers quarters. All are easy to enter and explore. The accommodation areas are littered with crockery and bottles; various inscriptions help to confirm her last port of call
“FLORIDA WATER ,MURRAY & LANMAN, DRUGISTS, NEW YORK”
“SLOANS LINIMENT MADE IN THE USA”
“POISON VERGIF 8oz TALANA"
They flank the engine room, and her triple expansion steam engine is easy to explore although the lower levels are filling with dead mussel shells and sand.  A platform of grating walkways forms a gallery around the cylinder head, with an auxiliary boiler aft.

The engine house is very photogenic, both  from the outside and inside-with light filtering through the skylights, her triple expansion engine surrounded by walkways and penetrable down 3 floors. Gauges abound, as does the repeater telegraph. The engine house is also flanked by companionways. An area of great interest. What appears to be a boiler stands midships aft in the engine house.

Behind the engine house there is access into the no. 3 cargo hold, again with 2 ‘tween decks with more of her general cargo in view.  Empty on the ‘tween decks except for tyres, deeper holds seem full of crates - possibly rifles and more metal ingots.

Hold 4 is totally solidified up to the deck - it appears to be full of crates of mortar shells, the casing having dissolved leaving the detonator ends showing.

There is an unusual thin 5th hold which gives access into the cruiser stern - an area of great interest with hatches going down and additional rooms as yet unidentified. On the deck at the stern is the steering quadrant and a compass binnacle-almost un recognizable covered in mussels

The stern is swathed in a fishing net down over the rudder and partially obscuring the prop.

All around the hull are large snapper, travelly and jacks. The seabed, at 24 mtrs is littered with wreckage and a debris trail runs aft (to be explored). Both masts have been swept and lie on the sand - complete with intact riding lamps, their lenses covered in a light concretion.

The wreck is in a remarkable condition, although the concretions hide some of her detail. The hull seems to be constructed of thinner steel than that of the Rosalie Moller, as in places it is becoming porous. Perhaps, because there is no damage to the hull, she appears bigger than the R.M., although the dimensions of both ships are very similar.

Marine life is exceptional - beautiful & unusual, soft, purple fan corals, large numbers of nudibranchs, fairly baslets, groupers and angel fish inhabit every part of the upper decks and superstructures. Given the sheltered location, it appears this wreck is diveable all year round. There would appear to be little or no current over the wreck site.

Above: Arabian Angel Fish in residence.

Above: Bath. Port-hole missing in side wall.

Above: Lowel level of the Engine Room. Tops of the cylinders.

Above: Mast lamp.

Above: Turkia wreck is swarming with marine life on its top decks.

FUTURE PLANS - Next Trip - 09th November 2007:

Following the success of the April '07 TURKIA EXPEDITION, we are once again embarking on a wreck hunt! Aquatours and Peter Collings are have scheduled a further expedition up the Gulf of Suez to dive the S.S. TURKIA and also to attempt to discover several other wrecks that Peter has been researching. The date for this Escorted 'Wreck Discovery' live-aboard trip is 09th November 2007. Places are limited to 20.

Aquatours still has several places available for this exciting and pioneering expedition, to an area that has been dived by almost no-one. Price is £999 per person, including UK flights, transfers, full board, soft drinks and all diving.
Register your interest using the form below!

Below: Juvenile Barracuda patrol the outskirts of the wreck.

Q. ARE THERE MANY OTHER DIVE BOATS IN THE SUEZ?
A. In 5 years of exploring these areas we have NEVER seen another dive boat. NO one else offers our routes or selection of wrecks. Indeed there are no trained personnel with such an in depth knowledge of Suez Red Sea wrecks.

Q. DO I NEED ANY SPECIAL TRAINING?
A. Provided you are an experienced diver, and have a will to explore, then we will provide opportunities to expand your diving experiences - you will be exposed to exciting yet safe challenges, learn new skills and dive with a very experienced group willing to share their knowledge and experiences. We are always looking for new members and willing helpers! NITROX is a valuable asset but we can qualify if required.

Q. HOW DO YOU FIND NEW WRECKS?
A. With whatever means necessary. Peter found the TURKIA using a disused glass bottom boat, but we also equip the RIBS with electronics, enlist the use of local fishermen and also use information gathered from archives.

Q. CAN I TAKE PART IN THE WRECK HUNTING ITSELF?
A. Of course, TEAMWORK is an essential part of the expedition. You are on holiday - sit back and relax or get stuck in - its up to you!! WHO DIVES WINS!! 

Q. WHAT WRECKS WILL WE BE LOOKING FOR?
A. There are several that we wish to locate and dive...
    - S.S. SHILLONG - after many attempts and some near misses we have enlisted the help of several historical experts. New intel confirms that the wreck exists, IT HAS NOT BEEN SALAVAGED, and is considered as a "dangerous wreck", that is to shipping. Will this be the trip to eventually locate her? Only one way to find out!
    - S.S. HURIETT - A well kept secret, and perhaps this solves the mystery of the alleged "wreck north of the Thistlegorm". She is a 2007 ton Turkish steamship, sank Feb 24th 1911, north of the Thistlegorm, but not as far north as the Turkia. Even yours truly (Peter) hasn’t dived it yet! If we find her this will be the single most important find since the Rosalie Moller.
     - TIMSUFON - A small Egyptian supply vessel in 35mtrs. Hydro intel quotes "precisely Known". We will see......
     - SMIT LLOYD 10 - A typical oil rig tug and supply vessel 60 mtrs long in only 25 mtrs of water, location "precisely known".

Q. WILL WE DIVE ANY OTHER WRECKS?
A. As with any of our expeditions, we have a shake down day and this will usually feature several well known wrecks. On THE LAST TRIP WE PUT TOGETHER A ROUTE WHICH MEANT WE DIVED ALL 4 WW2 CASUALTIES IN SUCCESSION - LOOKS GREAT IN THE LOG BOOK; THISTLEGORM, ROSALIE MOLLER,TURKIA, SCALARIA.

Q. DO I NEED ANY SPECIAL EQUIPMENT?
A. A good torch, redundancy, slate for making notes, delayed SMB, reel and line. A full length wetsuit is preferable to shorties.