SS Dunraven

The Dunraven was a British cargo ship that ran aground on April 22, 1876 in the northern Red Sea near the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula on a coral reef, caught fire and later sank and is now a popular diving destination.

History of the ship

The 85 m long and 10 m wide freighter ran Dunraven 1873 in Newcastle at the shipyard Mitchell Iron Shipbuilders from the stack. The ship with a steel hull and wooden decks had a steam engine and auxiliary sails with two masts and rigging saver. The Dunraven changed in three years, thirteen times the owner. On her last trip she was with a cargo of cotton, wood and spices on the way from Bombay ( India) to Newcastle, when she ran aground on April 22 1876 full speed on the reef Sha'ab Mahmoud. In the accident, a navigation error of the captain was blamed later. The ship came after the impact on fire. The crew was able to save a portion of the cargo and equipment before the Dunraven was abandoned. Approximately 12 hours after emergence they fell ahead with the stern. The crew was saved.

The wreck

The Dunraven wreck was discovered in 1977 when a geological expedition and approached in 1978 from Sharm El -Sheikh with submersibles. The identity of the wreck was long uncertain, including there was speculation that there had been a ship that gold for T. E. Lawrence ( " Lawrence of Arabia" ) was transported. First clues to the age of the ship, which eventually resulted in his identification, gave the wreck of mineral water bottles found that could be assigned to an existing manufacturer until 1880.

The Dunraven lies with the keel to the top of the reef, the lowest point at about 29 m represents the stern, while the keel tip rises to 18 m. The bow is broken off, but is still within the federation with the rest of the ship. The most striking point of the wreck is the rudder with the propeller, which have a dense growth of corals ( hard and soft corals ). From the stern on the left are the two bent poles and other remains of the superstructure. Through numerous holes and tears can be largely penetrate safely into the interior of the hull, which among other the remains of the steam engine to find them. The incident through these holes from the outside blue light gives very nice impressions. Because of their long time on the seabed, the Dunraven a strong growth of stone, leather and soft corals and provides a habitat with large species richness dar. to be encountered in the interior of the hull animals include glass, lionfish and groupers.

Due to the moderate depth of the wreck to dive for beginners. The potential risks emanate from the sometimes strong currents in this area. There is also inside the ship next to the boiler by reducing outstanding parts a fairly narrow passage, where you can stumble easily.

The coordinates are 27 ° 42 ' 15 " N, 34 ° 7' 30" O27.70416666666734.125Koordinaten: 27 ° 42 ' 15 " N, 34 ° 7' 30" O.