The Thistlegorm
Thistlegorm (Sha’ab Ali)
The Thistlegorm was a British transport ship that was transporting materials from Cape Town to the British troops in North Africa. It was lying at anchor on the night of the 5-6th of October 1941 when it was hit twice by German bombers from Crete. It sank in an upright position for 30 meters onto the flat and sandy floor.
The Thistlegorm lies 19.2 miles from Ras Mohammed and 31.2 miles form Naama bay and it takes about 4-5 hours to reach it from Sharm-El- Sheikh.
The Thistlegorm was discovered by Jacques Cousteau in 1956 who documented his discovery in some scenes in one of his memorable documentary films so that divers all around the world could become acquainted with this extraordinary wreck.
The Thistlegorm is considered the most interesting shipwreck in the Red sea mainly for its great size but also for the fabulous selection of materials; two locomotives, two railway freight cars, two tank cars, Lee Enfireld MK III rifles, BSA motorcycles, Morris autobiles, Bedford trucks, medicines, rubber boots are all still found intact.
Exploration of the Thistlegorm is usually done in two stages; the first dive is made in the morning and is a general tour of the wreck. It begins from the deepest stern area, preferably from the western side in order to see the anti aircraft gun and the heavy machinegun which are on the deck at about 25 metres. After that, you will find the two holes made from the German bombs as well as the locomotive that can be found about 30 meters from the ship. Then move around to the bow where you will see the perfectly preserved large anchor- winch. The dive ends here at about 15 meters.
The second dive takes place in the afternoon and is an exploration of the inner structures of the ship, the three holds and their cargo.
Hold 1 is the most interesting with its deepest part containing crates of Lee Enfield MKIII rifles, medicines, tires and rubber boots. The upper section contains the BSA motorcycles and some Morris automobiles.
After completed the two dives you will have an idea about what this dive is about but it usually takes about ten dives to completely explore this fascinating wreck.
Apart from admiring the ship structure and all artefacts onboard, the Thistlegorm is an artificial coral reef and there is an abundant of fauna living here. You can expect to see schools of Batfish and Barracuda, large Groupers, schools of Snappers and Jackfish, Surgeonfish and Crocodilefish etc.
Unfortunately, due to its popularity this dive site is often very crowded and the heavy traffic of divers has damaged many of the corals once covering the ship. In addition, the very presence of divers is jeopardizing the fine state of preservation of the wreck’s structures, while the air bubbles accumulating against the metal walls are causing rapid corrosion that is endangering their very survival.
Thistlegorm Facts
Date of shipwreck: 5-6 October 1941
Type of ship: Merchant
Width: 17. 5m
Length: 131 m
Construction date: 1940
Depth: 16-33 m
The Thistlegorm is considered to be a difficult dive due to its depth and often a very strong current. The visibility is usually also quite poor.
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