Wreck Diving
SS Empire Heritage
Wartime Atlantic supply convoys between North America and Great Britain were fraught with danger for all sides. On September 8th 1944, over 100 vessels in convoy HX-305 neared the Irish coast but were spotted by the German U-Boat U-482, which was on a highly successful first patrol. Like a silent predator, the submarine weaved amongst the convoy and chose its target carefully, sending a single torpedo straight into the fuel-laden SS Empire Heritage. The torpedo ignited the 16,000 tons of fuel in a catastrophic explosion and the Empire Heritage sank so quickly that no distress signals were sent. For those who weren’t killed outright, the ordeal was far from over. Just over 30 minutes later, their rescue vessel Pinto was also struck and sunk in 90 seconds.
32 Magazine We slow our descent as a scene of
total chaos reveals itself through the gloom beneath us. For as far as we can see, Sherman tanks lie entangled with trucks as if they were toys. I have never seen anything that remotely compares. This ship was carrying 2,000 tons of armour, destined for the European battlefields. Years of wave action have smashed in the superstructure and, despite its considerable size, the wreck now hardly rises above a gravel seabed at 220 feet (67m). At this depth, to see the entire 510-foot (156-metre) length in one dive, we’d need diver propulsion vehicles to prevent overexertion. As we are without them, we concentrate on the forward areas. A surreal scene unfolds as we visit holds that contain neat stacks of vehicles with tyres still
attached, as if ready for delivery. I could spend all day searching through this wreck, but our time runs out quickly. We head back toward a tall H-frame that stands some 33 feet (10m) high and I see powerful bursts of light scything through the gloom from the strobe that marks our ascent line. Another 90 minutes of long
decompression stops follow, even though we are breathing oxygen-rich gases. It proves an uncomfortable experience due to worsening surface conditions. We are fully exposed to North Atlantic weather here, which can change rapidly. The following day the sea is calm again, so we venture further offshore to a casualty of the First World War, the wreck of the huge ocean liner SS Justicia...
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