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Absolutely Fab, with wrecks. 
'L'Espingole'Depth: 38m Description: Anti-torpedo boat 56m long and 6m high. This ship is very long and quite wide. It was equipped with 2 x 2600 ch engines, enormous for its time, which could deliver 27 knots. It had a crew of 62 men and its weaponry included one 65mm canon, 6 x 47mm cannons and two torpedoes made in 1887, which were 6.68m long. Difficulty: None. The site is sheltered from easterly winds, it is at a reasonable depth, with good visibility. The iron structure is not dangerous. The dive: Originally the wreck rested upright on its keel. Now its weight has made it list to its starboard side. The passage of time and the several unsuccessful attempts to refloat it have damaged it. The front third of the ship has separated from the rest of the hull and is now lying on the sand. In front of the boilers the boat has fallen to 900 angle and the metal panelling of the sides are well preserved. In the stern, the shell of the ship is still in place and the bare ribs form circles in the open water. The planking has disintegrated and is lying on the sand, leaving the skeleton in place. Because of this, the inside is quite accessible. The diver can get inside the various compartments and the hull without any particular danger. There are old shells, probably no longer live, but be careful handling them. There are the engines, which are perhaps the best preserved part of the wreck, together will coal bricks, some of which are stamped. The crew's quarters and the kitchen areas can still be seen. The superstructure is not particularly noteworthy. Its weaponry was removed at the time of sinking, or a bit later. It has all gone now. The propellers still exist, buried in sand. One can still find bits of chain, which passed under the hull during one of the unsuccessful attempts to raise the ship. History of L'Espignole It was built in Le Havre in 1900, by the ship builders Augustin Normand. It cost 1,691,000F. Assigned to the Moyen-Orient fleet in 1901, it participated in an expedition to Turkey, then it was sent in 1903 to Rochefort then to Toulon. How the L'Espignole sank On the 4 February 1903, engaged in military exercises in a calm sea, L'Espignole hit the rocks off Taillat at high speed and ran aground. Behind her, La Hallebarde had just enough time to avoid the same rocks. They attempted to rescue the ship and the heavier equipment was thrown overboard and the cannons were taken on to the other boats. The Espignole was then towed off but it was rapidly taking on water as it was towed towards the beach at Cavalaire. After 700 or 800m the tow failed and L'Espignole sunk. Two sailors were lost, the only casualties of this disaster. A buoy was quickly dropped but later attempts to refloat her failed. 
'Le Prophète'Depth: 34m to the bottom. Description: Originally 41m long and 7m wide. Difficulty: The ease of the dive - clear water, weak currents, great visibility, reasonable depth, is unfortunately tempered by the problems of actually getting to the wreck site. The exposure to wind from all directions means that the sea is often rough and it is only possible to dive it on a calm day. The dive: The Prophète has suffered since it sank: the sea has not spared it and the hull and decking are widely dispersed across the sea bed. Bits and pieces are scattered around an area about 50m long and 10m wide. The wreck is characteristic of a ship of this type of propulsion: the boiler in still in good condition, there is an enormous steering wheel, a massive ornate piece of machinery. In the centre of the ship the super structure is impressive - it's not for nothing that divers have nicknamed this wreck 'the boilers'. This wreck site does have some unusual details: two beautiful anchors are still in place, a rudder is suspended in mid water, some large winches swollen with concretion, and a propeller with some rather archaic triangular blades. There are probably others things still to be discovered. Obviously it is impossible to penetrate the wreck as it has been completely flattened. All the same, it has not been too badly covered by sand and posidonies have colonised their new territory. There is no trace of explosives. History This small ship was hand built in 1853 in the yards of a tile manufacturer. It was frenchified in Marseilles on 10 March 1853 then sold to Claude Mourou on 8 July 1857 for the sum of 70,000F. How the Prophete sank This little ship was used on a maritime route from Algeria up the Provencale coast. On the 26 March 1860, Le Prophète, under Commandant Cotton, took shelter in the bay of Agay near St Raphael during a spell of bad weather. A few days later, around the 30th, it hit rocks off Cap Lardier. Its cargo of wheat was lost. Le Prophète is one of the oldest wrecks still around today, a traditional steam ship. This and the Panama of 1843 (gutted before it was scuttled) and Ville de Grasse (1848) are evidence of a bygone marine era and we need to ensure their protection. Barge aux Congres (La Tantine) Depth: 49m. Description: 20m long and 6m high tug boat. Difficulty: the depth and the sometimes strong current. Its small size also makes locating it on an echo sounder difficult. The dive: The wreck lies flat on the seabed with a large 3m crane in the stern. It takes about 10 minutes to do a complete tour of the wreck. However, its main interest lies not as a wreck but in its resident fauna. The most impressive of these are the congers, which can reach 3m in length and can weigh up to 65kg. Their colour ranges from grey to black to blue. There are not as many congers as there used to be as several years ago since divers gave the congers food poisoning when they fed them boiled eggs. Today this deplorable practice is not allowed and there about a dozen congers on the wreck. During the day the congers normally rest in their holes under the wreck but at night they go hunting, mainly in search of shellfish and cuttlefish, which are their main food. Divers do not need to go looking for them, they are easy to spot around the crane and under its plates. In addition to the congers, there are other fish species, moray eels and crustacea. With the aid of torch it is possible to see a quite unusual trio - a conger, a moray and a prawn all occupying the same hole. History: Not much is known about this little wreck. It was probably a quite powerful tug boat, equipped with a crane. When it sank it was towing another barge. During the journey through rough sea, it is likely that a sudden displacement of its cargo caused instability and rather than lose the barge being towed as well, the other barge was cut free. There are a large number of bricks on the seabed but the exact reason for these is unknown, they may have been cargo or they may have been used as ballast. The date of its sinking is not known. 
La Gabinière EstThe Ile de La Gabinière is south-east of Port-Cros. The east side site is protected from the worst of the Mistral but is very exposed to winds from the east. There are two diving possibilities - either diving in the Wolves Creek (Calanque aux Loups) or Dark Creek (Calanque Sombre) in the north. If you start in Dark Creek the pinnacle will be on the right hand side. Anchoring is forbidden here. The first 6m of the east side is rather bare but around 10m the flora and fauna becomes abundant. The depth to the sea bottom is 45m. If you go north for approximately 60m off Dark Creek there is an enormous rock called the Dolmen, which you can swim under. This is about 33 - 35m deep. Flora and fauna The Gabinière is known for its huge groupers. These tend to be around 15 and 35m down. They can be in large groups of 10 or more. The morays and congers are always about, like the scorpion fish. There are shoals of smaller fish as well as white seabream, bogues, saddled seabream, mullet, dory and bass. In the distance you might also see huge sea bream and jack hunting. Since the summer of 2001 a huge group of about 200 barracudas has also been spotted at around 10 - 20m. The flora is also spectacular, with walls of yellow anemones and sponges. The nudibrach are abundant (a beautiful pink one with dorsal papillae).There is no red coral, even at depth, unlike nearby Marseilles. This is due to the nature of the rock, which is schist at Port-Cros and limestone in Marseilles. There is red and yellow gorgonian fan coral at around 35 - 45m, the coral above this has unfortunately died. 
The Prosper Schiaffino (also called Le Donator) Depth: 48m to the sand, 51m beneath the propeller Description: A 78m long cargo ship, 12m high, it could travel at 14 - 14 knots with its 1800ch engines. Its principal cargo was fruit though it also carried wine. Difficulty: The depth and the often-strong current - if divers do not return to shot line and have to do their decompression stops whilst drifting, they may end up surfacing some distance from the dive boat. The dive: The Prosper Schiaffino rests upright on its keel, with its front section broken off. This lists heavily to the port side. The explosion damaged the hull, the forward mast has been crushed and the back mast has more recently fallen (a result of a storm in 1999). The rest of the ship is in good condition. All its parts are readily identifiable, and easily explorable, the holds still full of barrels. The stern section has an iron wheel shaft and a large spare propeller, which has unfortunately collapsed. The upper deck has nearly disappeared throughout and the lower levels are accessible, still containing bits and pieces such as wine bottles. The wreck rests on sand, which is sometimes shifted by the currents. The History It was built in 1931 by the ship-builders Bergen Mak in Norway, for Italian freight. In October 1933 it was sold to a French company and sailed under the name Petit Terre. In 1939 it passed on to an Algerian company in North Africa, and then onto the Schiaffino Company where all ships were baptised with one of the family's names. It became the Prosper Schiaffino. Of the twenty ships owned by Schiaffino, the company lost 13 to the war - they were either torpedoed, hit mines, were bombed or sabotaged. The Prosper Schiaffino survived until the moment of victory. Unfortunately, for her, the war was not yet quite over... How the Prosper Schiaffino sank On the 11 October 1945, the cargo-ship left Marseille with 650 tonnes of dried vegetables and potatoes. Arriving in Algiers, it unloaded and left for Mostaganem where it took on barrels and, below deck, flagons of wine. To protect itself from the worst of the mistral, it made its way around Spain staying close to the coast. In full view of Iles d'Hyeres, it passed south of the Porquerolles and then it hit one of the last remaining mines. It went down on 10 November 1945 at 13h15. Its bow section was blown off before it sank. The explosion was spotted by an English plane. The survivors were picked by Le Chasseur but one sailor died in the explosion and two other died before they could be rescued. Of the 27 survivors two more died on Le Chasseur. 
Le Sagona (also called Le Grec / the Greek)Depth: 47m Description: A small 53m long cargo ship and 8.6m high. Difficulty: The depth and the often-strong current. If divers do not return to shot line they may end up surfacing some distance from the dive boat. The dive: Le Grec was cut in half by the explosion. The stern end rests, in good condition, on its keel and, several metres away, lies another more smashed up section with only its super-structure remaining. The beauty of its companionways, festooned with Gorgonian fans, leaves an unforgettable impression. However, that is not all it has to offer. Unusual in a wreck, it still has its funnel, an imposing propeller and its insides are well preserved, particularly under the bridge. Where the ship has split, barrels have escaped from the hold. On the starboard side a ladder hangs down to the sand. Fish appreciate this wreck - there are lots of them and some are very large. History of Le Grec Le Sagona was built in 1912 in Dundee and it passed from company to company. The name Le Grec relates to its Greek crew and the Greek papers it was carrying when it was sunk. How Le Grec sank This ship had the same fate as the Donator (which lies close by). On the 3 December 1945, also, like the Donator, carrying wine, Le Grec passed close to land and entered a dangerous stretch of water. It ran into one of the last uncleared mines on its port side and the ship sank immediately. Two members of crew were lost and third reported missing. La Ville de Grasse Depth: 49m to the main part of the wreck, 50m at the stern. It rises to about 44m. Description: An old iron paddle steamer. Difficulty: The depth and the current is quite significant especially on the west side between the rocks. The water is clear. Also be careful of boats passing overhead as they often ignore dive flags. The dive: there are actually two separate dives, one on the better-known main part of the wreck and the other on a separate smaller section. The steamship has been reduced to its bare essentials - only two large wheels without their paddles and the main machinery remains. The sides of the ship lie disintegrating on the sand. The engine area is enormous, and would benefit from a full archaeological survey. The boiler and the engine extend to the hull. The funnel has disappeared, as has the deck and superstructure. The wreck is a modest size - only about twenty metres long. Le Michel C is close by and the two can by dived together in a single dive. History Built by Seyne ship builders in 1948, this little ship belonged to Ste Grasse-Cannes. It regularly travelled between Marseille and Nice, via Cannes. It sank after only three years at sea. The wreck On the 15 December 1851, the steamer left Marseilles with 54 passengers and a large and diverse cargo - including apparently some sealed sacks of gold coins. The captain's name was Gazan. On the 16th, around 3.00 am, it met another paddle steamer in a small channel. This was La Ville de Marseille, belonging to the Marseille company Andre et Abeille and the Captain was called Combes. In the dark of the night the two collided with some force and the Ville de Grasse was broken in two. It was also raining and visibility was particularly bad, which made the rescue very difficult. The Ville de Grasse sank quickly. La Ville de Marseilles picked up some of the survivors and headed quickly to Toulon all the while pumping out water. A third steamship, the Nantes et Bordeaux, was also in the vicinity and was able to rescue more people but between 10 and 15 people were lost, along with its cargo of silk, oil and other goods from the colonies. The 30,000 to 35,000 gold francs were never found and have been a source of mystery ever since. Divers have searched for them and in Februrary 1958 the Marine Prefecture issued the following statement: 'On the 5 February a team of divers from GERS thoroughly investigated the Ville de Grasse, which lies at 50m off the Ile de Ribaud. The position of the wreck has been known for many years and the dive was executed without any problems. All that remains is the engine and the two paddle wheels and nothing else was found. Divers should not expect to find hidden treasure. There does not appear to be any basis for any further investigation.' 
Le Michel CDepth: 39m to the bow and 32m to the stern. Description: A 30m long steam ship, 5.75m in height. Le Michel C is particularly remarkable for its time as it had two propellers with their own separate engines. It was capable of 11 knots. Difficulty: The depth and the current is quite significant especially on the west side between the rocks. The water is clear. Also be careful of boats passing overhead which often ignore dive flags The dive: Le Michel C is quite badly broken up. It is resting on rocks and leans to its port side. The starboard holds rest on the rocks. The bow section is the deepest and its winch and crane are still in place. The deck has disappeared. The central part has suffered particularly badly although its engine machinery still remains. The long iron beams still remain in place. The hull has slipped to the port side and the beams no long support the deck. The propeller and its shaft remain in place, with one blade in open water and the other still visible in the sand. There is lots of other unidentifiable wreckage. The seabed is rocky with patches of sand. This area is worth exploring in its own right. History of the Michel C It was built in Ireland by the Renfrew shipping yard in Belfast. It was called the Correo de Cette and at that stage had only one propeller. It belonged to the Sala armament company and was used on a French route. In 1894 it was sold to the Castaldi company of Marseilles. In 1897 it passed to another company, Rimbaud, and, finally to Busk in 1899. It was then 33 years old and it was owned by Busk for the next 9 years, who fitted it with an additional engine and propeller. By 1900 this company had 9 ships, which operated on various routes between Menton and Port-Vendres. On March 10 1896 the Michel C ran aground at Faraman, whilst loaded with wine on route from Sete to Marseilles. It had to jettison some of its cargo before it could get free. The shipwreck During the night of the 26 or 27 November, the Michel C was on route to Cannes, passing by the Iles de Hyeres in bad weather. There were 12 men on board, with a cargo of beer and flour. Another ship owned by the same company, L'Amphion, was travelling the same route but in the opposite direction. Around 2 or 3am, perhaps in fog, L'Amphion hit the Michel C on its port side, killing a mechanic. The Michel C sank within a minute and a half. The 11 survivors just had time to be picked up by L'Amphion, which managed to get to Toulon, although it too was taking on water. 
Le RubisDepth: 41m Description: An iron submarine 60m long, 7m wide and 8m from top to bottom. Difficulty: The current does not often affect the diving. The dive: The submarine came to rest upright, a dark grey gloomy shape resting on the sand below. The bow section still has the towing cable, which hangs vertically from the stem. Divers can penetrate the keel. The deck extends some 10m in front of the conning tower. The floor has disappeared in places, and below, racks of compressed air, hatches and the pumps within the thickened hull. The front panel is half open and the internal fittings can be seen with a powerful torch. Towards the stern, the sides of the Rubis swell out to the submarine's widest point, just below the central deck, to a platform surrounded by railings. The conning tower's sides have fallen inwards. The compass, sexton and other navigational aides have long since disappeared. All that remains is the support the compass was mounted on. The downwards hatch is still open, as is the air lock, and the steering mechanism, and this all adds to the wreck's attraction. Wedged inside the upper conning tower, the diver towers above the sea bed by several meters. The stern section was exploded and the two propellers have gone, leaving a gaping hole. The wreck is relatively intact, with little debris on the sea bed except for a few fragments of metal from the explosion, the odd cable and fishing nets. The submarine The Rubis was a mine-layer, one of the Saphir class. These were highly specialised effective mine layers. These submarines could lay mines without surfacing, preventing them being attacked by torpedo. They contained 32 mines in their internal shafts. The submarine released its mines onto the seabed where they rested until their cartridges were dissolved by the salt water. They would then float upwards but would remain submerged, charged, waiting for the collisions which would set them off. To protect this dangerous cargo, the walls of the Rubis are particularly thick, to contain the mines before they were released. The Rubis displaced 762 tons on the surface, 923 when under the sea. This medium submarine had a height of 4m above sea level. It had 2 diesel engines with 6 cylinders constructed in Normandy at Le Harvre, each one capable of delivering 650 ch and a speed of 12 knots on the surface. It had two electric engines , 500 ch each which could make 9 knots under water. It had a canon, two machine guns and its 32 mines of I090 kg (375kg under water) and 220kg of explosives, three 550mm torpedos and 400 mm. It was crewed by 4 officers with 9 sub-officers other 32 other crew members. History of the Rubis It was built in January 1928 in Toulon and was launched on 30 September 1931. It was brought into active service in April 1933. In January 1940 it was assigned to Brest, with two other submarines, to operate in the north in support of Finland. The three submarines arrived in Finland but as soon as they got there, the English allies wanted to convert it to a mine layer. The Rubis, based in Dundee, entered the war in May 1940 and it did not return to France until 1945. Its first military operation was laying mines in Krisitansand in Norway and its second laying mines in Hangesund. On its third mission it went 14 miles into the northern passage in Bergen where it encountered a German destroyer and had to remain submerged for 35 hours. At this time, France urgently wanted to recall all its submarines but the English navy asked for it to undertake one more mission. On the 20 June, it left for Trondeim. On the 22 June the Armistice was signed but communication problems meant that the Rubis was unaware of this and laid mines on 26 June. On the 3 July, the English Admirality used the Rubis for Operation Catapault. The French ships were then all recalled and their crews disembarked. The marines were given the choice of working for the free French navy, under Admiral Muselier, or being repatriated. 3000 men in total opted to fight for Free France, and this number was increased by more men coming over from the continent. The Rubis returned to Dundee. The reputation of the English authorities, and their willingness to retain the crew (only an officer, a sub-officer and three marines returned to France), meant that the Rubis was destined to become one of the most important submarines fighting in the Free France navy. From September to December 1940, because of the difficulty in supplying it with French mines, it was used for attack, but without much success. It undertook four operations but it was too loud and too slow. It was then refitted to lay English mines and these, supplied by Vickers Armstrong, were used until the end of the war. It total, the Rubis played a significant role throughout five years of war: It laid 683 mines which claimed 14 naval ships, 7 mine sweepers and 1 U-Boat was damaged and the Rubis also inflicted torpedo damage. On the 8 June 1945 the Rubis was finally ready to return home. It arrived in France on 23 July, at Oran, where it was stripped of its arms and its crew dispersed to other ships. A last overhaul allowed it to finish its days as a floating vessel. It retired from active service in 1949 and parts of it were used in the building of other submarines. It was then used as a training submarine for the navy. In 1957, when the navy needed a new target for sonar practice, it was decided to sink it forever. How the Rubis sank On the 31 January 1958, the tug Samson and the Criquet towed the Rubis the 2600 miles to Cap Camarat. Under Commander Riffaud, a 9k charge was detonated in the stern. The Rubis finally sank. Le Togo Depth: 55m at the stern, 47m at the bow. A small part of the stern rests at 61m. Description: The merchant ship is 78.5m long and 10.5m wide and made from steel, rigged with three masts, a 208 engine and a propeller. The ship's quarters accommodated 22 - 28 men. Difficulty: The depth of the wreck means it is quite dark, but it is well protected from currents and the visibility is good. The dive: The wreck is one of the best on this coast and is comparable with the Donator, the Libyan or the Chaouen. In clear water, the wreck rests on her keel, with only a section of her stern missing. The bow section, listing to one side, is in perfect condition, with a large anchor and crane in place. Only the wooden deck has gone. It is covered in gorgonian fan coral. Divers can still distinguish the decoration around the keel, like a moustache, and it is all very evocative. The seabed lies 8m below the deck and is covered in debris from the wreck. There is an enormous winch still in place. It is possible to enter inside the wreck without any problem, either through the forward quarters or through the hold, which is still filled with coal. Going towards the middle of the ship, the superstructure has deteriorated, the masts lie flat and have been taken over by marine life, the funnel has also fallen and is lying on its side. The galley is particularly interesting, with its two furnaces and corroded iron utensils. Going on forwards, there are wheels, handles, hatches and handrails descending on downwards. The machine room feels like a cathedral, several metres high, with huge propellers, grills, intact walls, all lit with a diffuse light coming in from far above. About 60m behind the keel at the stern end, the ship is completely severed in half. The explosion, which sent the ship to the bottom, also cut it cleanly into two. The twisted stern and the propeller are several hundred meters from the bow section. The sides of the Togo are covered in a profusion of gorgonian fans, which are red, purple, orange and black, and small castagnoles [an indiginous species of small fish c. 15cm with a forked tail]. It is beautiful, too beautiful - it is very easy to forget how time passes by... History of the Togo It was launched on 30 August 1882 by the naval shipyard Robert Thompson & Co, under the name City of Valence. The ship had been commissioned by a French company and it was destined for Spain, to carry fruit. It also had a sister ship, which would go down on the Cap Saint-Vincent in November 1893. It changed hands a number of times, and was eventually sold to an Italian company and was renamed the Togo in 1911 - 12. It went from the fruit industry to carrying coal, and it continued like this throughout the war, until May 1918. How the Togo sank German submarines had laid mines in the Cavalaire bay. On the 12 May 1918, 6 months before the end of the war, the Togo hit one of these mines. The sea was calm and all the men were seated at dinner. At the age of 36, this by now old ship had been built by the Scottish in an English shipyard for a French company, working a Spanish route, which later sailed under an Italian flag, when it was hit by a mine which was laid by a German submarine (the UC35) which was registered in Austria... In May 1986, the Togo was re-discovered by an ocean expedition, using technology, which eventually led to the discovery of and the filming of the Titanic. Le Torpilleur Depth: 47m History: Le Torpilleur 178 was a destroyer launched in 1893. It is 37m long and was sunk during firing practice in 1921. Return to South of France Report South of France main page | ||||
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